You have decided, or are considering, leaving temporarily. The flights are being
booked. And then it hits you: can your nanny actually come with you? Here is the
honest answer, and everything you need to do next.

The Question That Catches Families Off Guard

In a normal disruption, a holiday, a family trip, an extended stay elsewhere, the question of
whether your nanny can travel with you is logistical and manageable. You plan ahead, sort
the visas, and coordinate the travel. Simple enough.

In a conflict-adjacent emergency, the same question becomes urgent, emotionally charged, and
logistically complicated, all at the same time. Families who have never thought through their
nanny’s travel permissions suddenly find themselves trying to understand visa categories,
employment regulations, and bilateral travel agreements at speed, often in the middle of a
highly stressful situation.

We want to help you understand this clearly, calmly, and before you need to act on it.

“In a conflict-adjacent emergency, the question of whether your nanny can travel with
you becomes urgent, emotionally charged, and logistically complicated, all at once.”

The Honest Reality of Nanny Travel During a Regional Crisis

Let us be direct about what you are likely to encounter.

Airspace and Flight Availability

During periods of active regional conflict, commercial airspace can be restricted, rerouted, or
suspended with very little warning. Several airlines have already adjusted or suspended routes
in response to the current situation. If you are planning to travel, with or without your nanny,
do not assume that the flight you are looking at today will be available tomorrow. Book as
soon as your decision is made.

Your Nanny’s Visa Situation

The most common barrier to a nanny travelling with a family in an emergency is not
willingness, it is documentation. Filipino nationals in the UAE, for example, hold
employer-sponsored residence visas. Their ability to travel internationally with a family
depends on several factors that most employers have never had reason to examine closely:

Does she hold a valid visa for your destination country? For most nannies travelling to the UK,
Europe, the US, or other Western countries, the answer is frequently no, because there has
never been a reason to obtain one before now. Visa applications for many of these destinations

take weeks and cannot be expedited in a conflict emergency.
Does she hold a current OEC (Overseas Employment Certificate) if she is Filipino? This
document, issued by the Philippine government, is required for Filipino workers travelling
abroad for employment. Without it, she may be prevented from boarding even if she has all
other documentation in order.

Is her passport current? Many families discover during exactly this kind of moment that their
nanny’s passport has quietly approached expiry without anyone noticing. Check this today.

If She Cannot Travel: What This Means Practically

If your nanny’s documentation prevents her from travelling with you, you are facing two
simultaneous challenges: arranging childcare at your destination, and ensuring your nanny is
properly supported and protected in your absence. Both require your attention.

Document Checklist, Check These Right Now

  • Your nanny’s passport: current and with at least 6 months validity remaining
  • Her UAE residence visa: check the expiry date and ensure it is valid
  • Entry visa for your destination country: does she hold one? If not, is it obtainable in time?
  • OEC (for Filipino nationals): is it current? Contact the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi if needed
  • Your nanny’s employment contract: does it address travel scenarios and compensation during absence?
  • Emergency travel insurance: does your policy cover household staff as well as family members?

If Your Nanny Cannot Travel With You

This scenario is more common than most families expect, and it requires a response that
balances your urgency with genuine care for the person who has been looking after your
children.

Her Immediate Practical Needs

If you are leaving at short notice, your nanny should not be left without clarity, income, or
support. Before you depart, ensure the following are in place:

Her salary should be paid in advance for the full period of your expected absence, and if that
period is uncertain, pay generously rather than minimally. This is not just the right thing to do;
it is the thing that will allow her to focus on stability rather than financial stress.

She needs a clear, written statement of her employment status. Is her position secure? When
do you expect to return? What are her responsibilities, if any, during your absence? A single
page of clear, kind communication will make an enormous difference to her sense of security.
She should not be left in your home without someone she can contact in an emergency.

Identify a trusted local contact she can reach if she needs support, a friend of the family, a
neighbour, or a local member of the Filipino community.

Her Emotional Reality

It is easy, in the rush of an emergency departure, to focus entirely on the logistics. But your
nanny has feelings about this situation too, feelings that deserve acknowledgment.

She may be frightened about being left alone in a city experiencing regional tension. She may
be worried about her own family in the Philippines or elsewhere. She may feel uncertain about
her future with your household. A genuine conversation, not just a checklist, before you leave
will do more for her wellbeing than any logistical preparation.

Ask her how she is feeling. Listen to her answer. Tell her clearly what she means to your
family. These are not soft extras. They are the mark of an employer who understands that the
quality of care a nanny provides is inseparable from how cared for she herself feels.

When Your Nanny Cannot or Will Not Travel: Finding Care at Your Destination

If your nanny is unable to travel with you and you are relocating with your children, even
temporarily, you will need to source trusted childcare at your destination. In a conflict
emergency, this often means doing so at speed, in an unfamiliar city, without your usual
networks.

This is precisely the moment when having a relationship with a specialist placement agency
proves its value. House of Yaya’s network extends beyond the UAE, and we are able to support
families in identifying vetted, professional caregivers at short notice. If you are facing this
situation, contact us directly and we will do everything we can to help.

If You Are Staying: Protecting Your Arrangement Here

Not every family will choose to leave, and for many, staying is the right decision. If you are
remaining in the UAE, the priority shifts to making sure your childcare arrangement is robust
enough to withstand disruption here, school closures, curfews, restricted movement, or your
own inability to be present due to work commitments during a crisis period.

This means ensuring your nanny is fully briefed on the household’s emergency protocols, that
she has everything she needs to manage the children independently for an extended period if
necessary, and that the channels of communication between you are clear and reliable.

If You Are Staying: Strengthen Your Arrangement at Home

  • Brief your nanny fully on your household emergency plan, she should know it as well as you do
  • Stock your home with enough supplies for at least a week of independent operation
  • Ensure your nanny has enough cash on hand to manage household needs if digital payments are disrupted
  • Establish a daily check-in routine so you are always aware of the household’s status
  • Make sure your children’s school has your nanny’s contact details as an authorised emergency contact
  • If schools close, activate your Calm Day framework immediately, covered in full in Article 3

The Conversation Most Families Are Having Right Now

We want to be honest about something: across the region right now, many families are having
quiet, difficult conversations about their nannies that they are not sure how to navigate. Some
families are leaving and genuinely do not know what to do about the person who has become
part of their family. Some are feeling guilty. Some are struggling to balance their own urgency
with genuine care for an employee who is also a human being in a vulnerable position.

There is no perfect answer in a situation like this. But we believe that families who approach it
with honesty, generosity, and genuine care, even when things are complicated and moving fast,
make the decision they can be proud of long after the situation resolves.

Your nanny remembers how you treated her during the hardest moments. So do your children.