Visa policy of the Maldives
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of the Maldives |
|---|
Entry and exit stamps of Maldives issued at Velana International Airport.
The Maldives grants a free 30-day visa on arrival to citizens of all countries, excluding those who are visa-exempt. However, entry is denied to Israeli passports.[1]
Visa policy map
Visa exemption
Citizens of the following countries can enter the Maldives without a visa:
|
90 days 30 days |
| Date of visa changes |
|---|
|
Nationals of Pakistan[3] never needed a visa to enter Maldives |
In addition, holders of diplomatic, official and service passports of Japan can enter the Maldives without a visa.
Entry requirements
All visitors to Maldives must:
- Hold a passport or a travel document with a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) with at least 1 months validity. (Passengers with an extended validity in their passports are not allowed to enter.)[15]
- Have a complete travel itinerary including confirmed return journey tickets, a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility, and sufficient funds to cover the stay in the Maldives, or a pre-approved sponsorship visa from Maldives Immigration.[15]
- Have entry requirements to their onward destination; for example, the visa and passport validity.[15]
- Have Traveller Declaration form filled in and submitted by all foreigners arriving to the Maldives, within 96 hours (4 days) to the flight time. Submission of the form is free of charge and must be filled electronically via the IMUGA portal.[15]
- Have Carte Jaune proof of a yellow fever vaccination , if applicable. Children under 1 year of age are exempt from the yellow fever vaccination.[15][16]
Admission restricted
- As of 15 April 2025, entry and transit is refused to Israel citizens, even if not leaving the aircraft and proceeding by the same flight. This is a temporary measure in response to the Gaza war and domestic public anger until further notice.[17][18][19]
- Regardless of citizenship, Maldives does not allow entry for periods of less than 24 hours, even (especially) for transit purposes.
Future changes
Maldives has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:
| Country | Passports | Agreement signed on |
|---|---|---|
| Seychelles | All | 12 June 2023[20] |
| Ghana | All | 14 March 2023 |
| Burundi | All | 26 April 2023 |
| Rwanda | All | 5 May 2023 |
| Serbia | Diplomatic, official | 8 May 2023 |
| The Gambia | All | 11 June 2023 |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | All | 19 September 2023 |
| Honduras | All | 19 September 2023 |
| Togo | All | 19 September 2023 |
| Andorra | All | 20 September 2023 |
| Azerbaijan | Diplomatic, official | 2024 |
| Oman | Diplomatic, official | 2024 |
| Tajikistan | All | 2024 |
| Dominica | All | 9 July 2025 |
Visitor statistics
Most visitors arriving to the Maldives were from the following countries of nationality:[21][22]
| Country | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 284,029 | 283,116 | 306,905 | 324,326 | 359,514 |
| India | 166,030 | 90,474 | 83,019 | 66,955 | 52,368 |
| Italy | 136,343 | 105,297 | 88,867 | 71,202 | 65,616 |
| Germany | 131,561 | 117,532 | 112,109 | 106,381 | 105,132 |
| United Kingdom | 126,199 | 114,602 | 103,977 | 101,843 | 92,775 |
| Russia | 83,369 | 70,935 | 61,931 | 46,522 | 44,323 |
| France | 59,738 | 50,476 | 42,365 | 40,487 | 42,024 |
| United States | 54,474 | 42,901 | 39,180 | 32,589 | 29,308 |
| Japan | 44,251 | 42,304 | 41,133 | 39,894 | 39,244 |
| Australia | 39,928 | 37,254 | 27,360 | - | - |
| Total | 1,702,887 | 1,484,274 | 1,389,542 | 1,286,135 | 1,234,248 |
See also
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Maldives.
References
- ^ "Tourist Visa". Maldives Immigration, Republic of Maldives.
- ^ "FAQ in Visa Services". Ministry of External Affairs. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ "India Visa Waiver Agreements".
- ^ "Russia". foreign.gov.mv.
- ^ "90-day visa free deal between Sri Lanka and the Maldives".
- ^ "Kazakhstan". foreign.gov.mv.
- ^ "《中华人民共和国政府和马尔代夫共和国政府关于互免签证的协定》生效" [The Agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Maldives on Mutual Visa Exemption takes effect]. Xinhua (in Chinese). 17 February 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Cambodia". foreign.gov.mv.
- ^ "《中华人民共和国政府和马尔代夫共和国政府关于互免签证的协定》生效" [Информационное сообщение МИД КР от 19 августа 2023 года] (in Russian). 19 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Kyrgyzstan". foreign.gov.mv.
- ^ "Guyana".
- ^ D., Oyunsan (2 January 2024). "Visa-Free Travel with Maldives to Take Effect from January 12, 2024". Montsame. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Entry Requirements". Maldives Immigration. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "List of Yellow Fever Endemic Countries" (PDF). Maldives Immigration. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Parliament approves banning entry on Israeli passports". The Edition. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
- ^ "Abbas: Banning Israel passport the best and harshest measure possible on a national level". Sun.mv. 15 April 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Maldives bans entry of Israelis in 'resolute solidarity' with Palestinians". The Times of Israel. Agence France-Presse. 15 April 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ {cite web | url=https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/28483 | title=Key agreements exchanged between the Maldives and Seychelles | website=The President's Office}}
- ^ "Tourist arrivals by nationality - Ministry of Tourism". www.tourism.gov.mv. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Tourism Yearbook 2019" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism (Maldives). Retrieved 29 December 2019.