Tourist Visa

Tourist visa is granted for all nationalities on arrival to the Maldives. As such, a foreigner travelling to Maldives as a tourist does not require pre-approval for the visa. However, the person must satisfy the basic entry requirements to get immigration clearance upon arrival.

The basic entry requirements are as follows;

  1. A passport or a travel document with Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) with at least 1 month validity. (Passengers with an extended validity in their passports are not allowed to enter.)
  2. A complete travel itinerary including return journey confirmed tickets, with a prepaid confirmed hotel booking at a registered hotel, or provide proof of financial means for sufficient funds to support the stay in Maldives, or hold a pre-approved visa sponsorship Maldives Immigration.
  3. Entry requirements to their onward destinations; for example, the visa and passport validity.
  4. Traveller Declaration must be filled in and submitted by all travelers travelling to and from Maldives, within 96 hours to the flight time. The form has to be submitted electronically via IMUGA.
  5. Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate, if applicable. Children under 1 year of age are exempt from Yellow Fever vaccination. Click here to check the Yellow Fever endemic countries.

Children / minors must have their own passport to enter the Maldives.

Transit travellers are defined as those travelling to another country via Maldives, without clearing Maldives arrival immigration.

A complete travel itinerary (return journey confirmed tickets, prepaid confirmed hotel booking at a registered hotel, if not provide proof of financial means for sufficient funds to support the stay in Maldives) does not guarantee entry to Maldives. Entry will be granted at the port of entry after the determination of admissibility by Immigration officers, as in accordance with Section 7 and 8 of The Maldives Immigration Act 2007.

Last update: December 21, 2022

Meeting Visa

Meeting Visa

Effective from 14 th May 2023, an on-arrival 14 (fourteen) days short-stay visa ‘Meeting Visa’ will be granted for any foreign national visiting the Maldives for the purpose of attending a meeting, conference or convention held in the Maldives provided that the individual satisfies the entry requirements to the Maldives.

The following are the prerequisites for entry;

  1. The primary purpose of the visit is to attend or participate in a meeting, conference or convention held in the Maldives for permissible businesses accepted by the Registrar of Businesses, or to participate in a meeting held in the Maldives for government and state use, or to participate in a meeting or a conference or a convention arranged by other entities with approval from the concerned government authority;
  2. A complete travel itinerary including return journey confirmed tickets, with a prepaid confirmed hotel booking at a registered hotel and provide proof of financial means for sufficient funds to support the stay in Maldives;
  3. Traveller Declaration filled in and submitted electronically via IMUGA within 96 hours to the flight time to Maldives;
  4. A passport or a travel document with Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) with at least 1 month validity. (Passengers with an extended validity in their passports are not allowed to enter.);
  5. Entry requirements to their onward destinations; for example, the visa and passport validity;

Important Note:

Meeting Visa is a non-extendable visa.

Meeting Visa holder is not eligible to obtain a Business Visa while in the Maldives.

Entry to the Maldives is not guaranteed even with a comprehensive travel plan (confirmed tickets for the return trip, prepaid confirmed accommodation reservations at registered hotels, or proof of sufficient financial resources). According to Sections 7 and 8 of The Maldives Immigration Act 2007, entrance will be permitted at the port of entry following an immigration officer’s determination of eligibility.

Work Visa

Work Visa is the permit issued for a foreigner to stay in Maldives for the purpose of employment.

A person traveling to the Maldives for the purpose of employment will be granted 15 days from the date of arrival. In order to acquire this pre period, the foreign national should possess a valid Work Permit issued by the Ministry of Economic Development, which does not exceed 90 days from date of issue. Moreover, the foreign national should provide the same passport on arrival for which the Work Permit was issued. Re-entry on Work Permit without obtaining a visa is possible unless the Work Permit remains valid (within 90 days from date of issue).

Work Visa process include a medical check-up which needs to be completed from a permitted hospital/clinic, and health insurance should cover within this period to apply for work visa.

The consequences for not obtaining visa within the mentioned period results in penalization under the Immigration Act 1/2007, which include deportation from Maldives for overstaying.

The issuance of Work Visa service is decentralized and is provided from Male’ (Visa Division, Star Cloud, 8th Floor, Majeedhee Magu), Hithadhoo Immigration Office (Addu City), Fuvahmulah Immigration Office (Fuvahmulah City) and Kulhudhuffushi Immigration Office (H. Dh. Kulhudhuffushi).

Entry Requirements for Work Visa

  1. A machine readable (MRZ) Passport Bio-data page copy of the applicant (At least 1 Year validity).
  2. A valid Work Permit not exceeding 90 days from date of arrival.
  3. Traveler should provide the same passport mention in the Work Permit.
  4. Traveler Health Declaration, submitted within 48 hours prior to departure from the first port of embarkation. You may submit the form electronically via IMUGA.
  5. Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate, if applicable.

Applying for Work Visa

The following documents are required to apply for Work Visa and the employer or a representative of the employer shall submit the application for visa.

  1. Passport of the employee
  2. Copy of the Work Permit
  3. Passport size photo (Photo shall comply with Maldives Immigration passport photo standard and must be a recent photo)
  4. Medical health screening report of the employee issued from a Hospital/Clinic authorized by the relevant government authority
  5. Work Visa Application Submission Receipt (IM29)

Maldives Immigration introduced online Work Visa service on 17 th November 2019. Hence, the employers and recruitment agencies shall apply for the service through Xpat Online System.

With this enhancement, visa will be processed within 48 hours of submission. When the application is processed, applicants can request for an online appointment to submit the passport(s) for visa. Visa process will take 3 working days and the applicant will be notified when the passport is ready for collection. An online appointment shall be fixed once again for passport(s) collection.

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