By the Sevetu team
On this page
- Short answer
- 1. Aadhaar check: is the number genuine? (free)
- 2. App ID verification: is she who she says? (price varies by app)
- 3. Police verification: any record on file? (free or a small fee)
- 4. Reference call: how did she actually work? (free)
- Private background reports
- What no check can tell you
- Respect runs both ways
- Questions people ask
- Sources
Short answer
Before hiring a maid, cook or driver, do four checks: an Aadhaar check on UIDAI's site (free), an ID verification if your app offers one (on Sevetu, the app shows the price before you pay), police verification through your city police (free or a small fee), and a reference call to a past employer (free). Each covers something the others don't.
Our take: a "verified" badge doesn't make anyone safe. Knowing who they are, and writing down what you agreed, does. Ask every app and agency exactly which of the four checks "verified" means.
1. Aadhaar check: is the number genuine? (free)
On UIDAI's myAadhaar site, Verify Aadhaar Number shows the age band, gender, state and last 3 digits of the mobile linked to a number1. Or scan the card's QR code with UIDAI's Aadhaar QR Scanner app1. UIDAI recommends this check when hiring a domestic worker or driver1. Step by step →
2. App ID verification: is she who she says? (price varies by app)
Some hiring apps run an identity check with the worker's consent. On Sevetu, the helper completes an Aadhaar-based check through Digio on her own phone or yours, and households see a Verified badge, not her Aadhaar details. The app shows the price before you pay. It's an identity check only: it does not screen criminal records, and Sevetu does not verify references or past employers2.
3. Police verification: any record on file? (free or a small fee)
Every major city police force has a process for registering domestic help. It checks identity, address and whether a criminal record is on file in that jurisdiction. It takes days or weeks, longer if her permanent address is in another state. It cannot tell you whether someone is good at the job3. The official route in ten cities →
4. Reference call: how did she actually work? (free)
Ask for a past employer's number and call. Ask three questions: How long did she work for you? What did she do? Would you hire her again? The pause before the third answer tells you most of it. Remember many workers have no formal references at all, because nobody ever wrote anything down for them. That's not a red flag on its own.
Private background reports
Some platforms sell background reports. HelpersNearMe, for example, sells a report on a cook for ₹2494. Before paying for any report, ask: which records does it search, in which districts, and how recent is it? A report that only searched one district court may miss everything else.
What no check can tell you
Whether she's good with children. Whether the food will taste right. Whether she'll stay. For those:
- A paid trial of a day or two, doing the real work.
- A written agreement with pay, hours, weekly off, leave and notice. Most disputes come from things nobody wrote down. What to put in it →
- Time. The first month tells you more than any report.
Respect runs both ways
Ask for documents with an explanation, not as an accusation. Never keep her originals; keep a masked copy if you keep one. And expect her to want to know who you are: live-in helpers have every reason to check the household too. On Sevetu, households can be ID verified as well, and helpers see a "Verified home" mark on job cards.
Post a job free and hire from ID-verified profiles →
Read next: how to check a driver before hiring · what maid agencies charge
Questions people ask
Do four checks: an Aadhaar check on UIDAI's site, an app's ID verification if available, police verification through your city police, and a call to a past employer. Then run a paid trial.
It's free or a small fee, depending on the city. The police verification guide links each city's official route.
No. App ID verification usually confirms identity. Police verification checks address and whether a criminal record is on file locally. Ask each app what its "verified" badge covers.
Sometimes. Ask which records they search, in which districts, and how recent they are before you pay.
Many workers have none because nobody wrote anything down for them. Rely on the ID and police checks, a paid trial and a written agreement instead.
Sources
- UIDAI, press release Multiple ways to establish veracity of Aadhaar, PIB, 4 May 2022, read 12 November 2026: online check shows "Age Band, Gender, State and last 3 digits of Mobile"; secure QR code readable by the "Aadhaar QR scanner" app; recommended "at the time of hiring an employee, domestic worker, driver". uidai.gov.in (PDF)
- Sevetu, Verification, read 10 November 2026: identity check against Aadhaar or another government ID; does not screen criminal records; references, past employers and certificates not verified by Sevetu. sevetu.com/verification/
- Sevetu, Police verification for a maid, cook, nanny or driver, read 12 November 2026: checks identity, address and whether a criminal record is on file in that jurisdiction; cannot tell you whether someone is good at the job. sevetu.com
- Helpers Near Me, How to find a good & reliable home Cook in Delhi NCR in 2026?, read 12 November 2026: a background report on a cook for "a nominal fee of ₹249 only". helpersnearme.com
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Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu
