How to check a domestic helper agency licence in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Labour Department Employment Agencies Portal ↗ is the starting point for a licence check. Search for the agency, then match the licence number and licensed name with the company and branch you are dealing with. A similar trading name is not enough to establish that two records refer to the same business.

Check the licence identity

On the portal, search using the information on the agency's quotation or agreement. Compare the licence number, licensed name, branch address, and licence status. Ask the agency to explain any difference before you pay.

Keep a dated copy of the result with your quotation. The public portal can change, and a screenshot does not replace the current portal record.

Read each published record section

The portal also publishes warnings, convictions, revocations, and refusals. Check each section rather than treating a valid licence as a complete conduct history.

Published records cover limited periods. The Labour Department says convictions remain published for 24 months, while revocations, refusals, and written warnings remain published for 12 months. A search with no matching result is therefore not a lifetime record statement.

Match by licence number

HelperIndex HK only links a government record to an agency after the licence number is verified. Name-only matches go to manual review because trading names, legal names, and branch names can differ.

Licence-check checklist

• Use the official portal, not a copied badge or screenshot.
• Match the licence number and licensed name.
• Check the branch details on your quotation.
• Review the warning, conviction, revocation, and refusal sections.
• Note the date and the publication-window limits.
• Re-check before signing if time has passed.

See how HelperIndex HK handles official records and the public source register for the limits applied to agency profiles.