The tourist visa
Visitors are given a tourist visa when they arrive. There is no visa to apply for before you travel, as long as you meet the entry requirements below.
What to have ready
- A passport with a machine-readable zone and at least one month’s validity. Passports whose validity has been extended are not accepted.
- A confirmed return ticket, as part of a complete itinerary.
- A paid, confirmed booking at a registered resort, hotel or guesthouse.
- Enough money for the stay. Immigration sets no fixed amount.
The Traveller Declaration
Every traveller, children included, submits their own Traveller Declaration on IMUGA, the immigration website, within 96 hours before arrival.
The declaration costs nothing. Fill it in on the official site, imuga.immigration.gov.mv; websites that charge for it are not the official form.
Health
If you are arriving from a country with a risk of yellow fever, you need a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
What you cannot bring
Some things are banned outright, and others need a permit.
- Banned: narcotics, pornographic material, religious material offensive to Islam, firearms and weapons, and idols for worship.
- Only with a permit: alcohol, pork, pets, live plants and animals, chemicals and communication equipment.
- Alcohol bought on the plane or at duty-free shops on the way is confiscated when you land.
- E-cigarettes and vapes are banned for everyone; any brought in are taken at the border.
- Tobacco: you may bring a limited amount. Anyone born on or after 1 January 2007 may not buy or use tobacco in the Maldives.
Leaving the Maldives
Foreign passengers pay a Departure Tax and an Airport Development Fee when they leave. On scheduled flights, the airline collects both from its passengers, so they are already in your ticket price.