Arriving to Maldives

While you are heading to immigration your luggage is being screened before you receive it at Baggage Claim. However, after immigration you may be asked to do a second screening. It is an offence to have pork and pork products, alcohol, explosives, weapons, firearms, ammunition, pornographic material, materials deemed contrary to Islam including ‘idols for worship’ and bibles.

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Immigration & Customs

Duty Free Allowances. Items brought in by passengers for their own use when travelling to Maldives. These items include:
Clothes, jewellery, watches, pens, portable gadgets, toiletries, books, magazines, newspapers and zero Alcohol. Bringing in any type of alcohol is strictly forbidden. 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 250g of tobacco & up to MVR 6,000 worth of other personal items.
(Click here for the official government customs website)
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​All travellers are required to go through immigration clearance upon arrival. Tourist visas are granted for all nationalities, free of charge, on arrival. Inbound passengers must satisfy the following basic entry requirements before they can be considered for entry into Republic of Maldives:
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All arriving and departing passengers via airports and seaports are required to complete the Traveller Health Declaration form within 48 hours to the flight time. PCR result is not mandatory during arrival and departure. This applies to unvaccinated travellers as well. Travel-related quarantine is not required by any traveller. However, except the arriving tourists and Maldivians (residing in the Maldives) to the Maldives, other travellers are advised to do a PCR test between the 3rd and 5th day of arrival.

A passport or Travel Document with Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) with a minimum of 1 month validity after your departure. 

Proof of a Pre-Paid hotel booking/accommodation (Confirmed with payment on arrival are accepted in most cases but this is not guaranteed).

Proof of Travel Insurance (TI) for the intended period of stay in the Maldives. If not covered in your own travel insurance policy, you can additionally purchase the Maldives Government approved Tourist COVID-19 Insurance policy from Allied’s website here. 

Sufficient funds to last for the intended period of stay in Maldives 

Confirmed onward/return tickets to home country or a country of Resident (not applicable for valid Resident permit holders) 

Entry facilities to their onward destinations, e.g. visas. 

Completed Disembarkation/Embarkation Card approved by Maldives Immigration

Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate, if applicable  

Other vaccinations: Unless you are flying from tropical Africa there are no required by law vaccinations for the Maldives for entry or exit. However for your own personal health it is strongly recommended that travellers be covered against the main food and water borne diseases (Hepatitis A and Typhoid) and Tetanus. Please check with your Foreign Office service to keep up to date with changes to vaccination requirements and or recommendations.

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The maximum number of days granted on arrival will be 30 days unless agreed by any bilateral means or Treaty. The 30 days is not for the passenger to claim, but lies at the discretion of the Immigration to grant any number of days less than or equal to 30.  The period of stay granted is shown on the endorsement given on the passport. Passengers are advised to check their passports for the arrival endorsement and take note of the number of days stay given. 
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All Passengers Entering on a Tourist visa are not permitted to engage in any form of business, occupation, profession or paid employment while in Maldives. It is a punishable offence to overstay in Maldives beyond the number of days given. A fine of MVR 15750 will be imposed as an overstayed fee. and denial of re-entry is common for your lifetime. Click here for the Maldives Immigration Website.
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Departing from Maldives

As of 13th March 2022, tourists who spend their holiday in tourist facilities in inhabited islands are NO LONGER required to do a PCR test when departing from respective inhabited islands. 

 

Important Note:
These are the regulations of the Maldives. If your airline, transit or final destination country require a PCR TEST, you must follow their requirements.
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All persons departing the Maldives must still complete the online IMUGA Health Declaration no more than 24 hours prior to departing the Maldives. The Online Health Declaration form can be found here: https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/ethd/create.
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In addition, during exit screening if any tourist is found to have fever or symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 within the past 14 days, they must undergo PCR testing for COVID-19. It is important to note that unlike many other airports the security and ability to go back outside the terminal ends the moment you pass through the screening when entering the check in hall.

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​Immigration & Customs
You & your luggage will be screened before entering the check in hall and once checked in, you and your carryon luggage will be screened for a second time prior to passing through immigration.

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When leaving the Maldives you should know it is an offence to depart with alcohol, tortoise shell and coral. Customs checks/baggage screening is very thorough so it is important you have all your receipts for items purchased during your stay, so as to avoid being inadvertently accused of attempting to leave with prohibited items or items which may incur export fees and so forth.​

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