A Maldives visa is normally issued on arrival to eligible tourists without advance approval. Entry still requires a machine-readable passport, onward travel, registered accommodation and a free IMUGA declaration. The checklist below explains the exact requirements, family rules and online extensions.
Maldives Visa Requirements: Passport Validity
Maldives Immigration requires a passport with a machine-readable zone (MRZ) and at least one month of remaining validity. Passports with an administratively extended validity are not accepted. Check airline transit rules and your onward destination too: they may require longer validity. Check the expiry date the moment you book, not the week before departure, since passport renewal can take weeks depending on your country.
Maldives Visa Requirements: At-a-Glance Table
| Requirement | Tourist rule |
|---|---|
| Visa before flight | Normally no pre-approval |
| Tourist entry | Normally free visa on arrival, generally up to 30 days |
| Passport | MRZ passport, at least 1 month validity |
| IMUGA Maldives | Free declaration within 96 hours before arrival, one per person; email verification code required |
| Flight | Confirmed return or onward ticket |
| Accommodation | Prepaid booking at a registered facility |
| Funds | Sufficient for the stay, or approved sponsorship |
| Yellow fever | Certificate if arriving from or recently transiting a risk country; under-1s exempt |
| Maximum stay | 90 days in total with an approved extension |
| Departure declaration | Not required since August 15, 2024 |
IMUGA Maldives Traveller Declaration: 96 Hours
Each arriving foreign traveller, including every child, must submit the Maldives Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before arrival. Submission through IMUGA is free. Save the confirmation or QR code for immigration. Since August 15, 2024, departing travellers no longer need a separate departure declaration. Do not rely on completing the declaration at the airport: submit it before travel through the official IMUGA Traveller Declaration page.
Since November 9, 2026, the form begins with email verification. Enter an email address you can open, wait for the six-digit one-time code and type it in to continue; the confirmation is sent to the same address. The form takes about five minutes, and you can add family members at the end. A parent or guardian submitting for an infant can use their own email address.
Count the 96 hours back from your scheduled arrival in the Maldives; if you connect elsewhere first, count from the arrival of the flight that brings you to the Maldives. Complete the declaration before boarding: airlines check that it has been submitted and may ask for confirmation at check-in, and immigration expects you to show it at passport control on arrival. Save the QR code as a screenshot so it opens without internet, and for a family or group make sure a declaration is confirmed for every passenger.
If the IMUGA code does not arrive or your details change
If the code does not arrive, check the spelling of the email address and the spam folder, or start again with another address you can open. To check that a declaration went through, use the Verify page, which asks for the surname and passport number. To correct a declaration, use the Edit page, which asks for the Edit Token and passport number, so keep the token together with your confirmation; after a flight change, make sure the declaration shows the current arrival. For help, the Maldives Immigration call centre is 1434 and the enquiry line at Velana airport is +960 955 5222.
If you pass through the Maldives only as a connection, the usual entry rules apply whenever you must clear Maldivian passport control. If you stay airside, confirm with your airline whether a declaration is needed for your specific ticket.
Maldives Visa: Registered Accommodation and Funds
Carry a prepaid, confirmed booking at a registered accommodation facility and evidence of sufficient funds for your trip. Maldives Immigration also accepts an approved sponsorship arrangement where applicable. A flight reservation alone does not satisfy the entry requirements. For multi-island itineraries, keep each confirmed stay accessible. Immigration officers may ask how accommodation and onward travel fit together.
Maldives Visa: Return or Onward Ticket
Carry confirmed return or onward travel tickets. You must also meet the entry requirements of the next destination, including any visa and passport-validity rules. The immigration officer decides whether to grant entry; a complete itinerary does not guarantee admission. You can compare flights to Malé before you book. For help sorting out routing and layovers before booking that ticket, see our guide to getting to the Maldives.
Maldives Visa and Customs: Alcohol Restrictions
Visitors must not import alcohol, including duty-free bottles bought at another airport. Licensed tourist establishments may serve alcohol under local rules. Do not assume confiscated bottles will be returned when you depart.
Maldives Visa: Tourism Is Not Employment Authorization
A tourist visa is not a work permit. Anyone intending to work in the Maldives must check the appropriate immigration permission before taking up employment. Do not assume a tourism entry stamp authorizes remote work.
Maldives Visa Extension Through IMUGA
Tourist visa extensions can now be requested online instead of only in person at Maldives Immigration in Malé. The fee is shown in the current application, so check our guide to money in the Maldives when budgeting. With an approved extension, the total stay can reach 90 days from arrival: the 30-day entry permit plus up to 60 more days. The application requires a valid reason, proof of sufficient funds and continued accommodation for the extended period, and approval is not automatic. Apply before your existing permission expires. The immigration authority says streamlined extension applications are expected to be processed within 48 hours, but this is not an approval guarantee.
Current process: Since April 23, 2026, visitors can apply for a tourist visa extension online via IMUGA. The portal retrieves passport and accommodation records. Applicants upload a passport photo taken within the previous 12 months; a passport biodata image is needed only in certain cases. Maldives Immigration says applications are expected to be processed within 48 hours. Do not assume any particular extension fee until it is displayed in the current application.
Maldives Visa Overstay: What to Know
Overstaying your permitted period may lead to immigration enforcement, including removal and consequences for future travel. Do not rely on a daily fine figure from a forum or blog. Confirm your authorized expiry date and apply for an extension before it passes. None of this makes the country any less welcoming once you clear immigration; see our broader look at how safe the Maldives is for travelers who follow the basic rules.
Do I Need a Visa for Maldives? Entry Exceptions
Tourist visas are generally granted on arrival without prior approval, subject to eligibility and immigration clearance. Since April 15, 2025, entry on Israeli passports is not permitted. Travellers using unusual travel documents should verify eligibility before booking. Travelers with unusual passport situations, dual nationality, refugee travel documents, or a passport from a country with limited diplomatic relations with the Maldives, should double-check directly with Maldives Immigration or a Maldivian mission before booking flights, since the free-visa-on-arrival rule has edge cases that general guides like this one can’t account for individually.
Maldives Visa Requirements for Children and Groups
Each child needs their own passport and individual IMUGA Traveller Declaration. Check airline and departure-country rules for consent documents when a minor travels without a parent. Groups booking a single resort or liveaboard reservation can usually travel on one shared accommodation confirmation, but each traveler still needs their own completed IMUGA submission and individually verified passport validity, since immigration processes arrivals person by person regardless of how the trip was booked.
Maldives Traveller Declaration and Entry Checklist
Machine-readable passport valid for at least one month; separate passport for each child; an email address you can open for the IMUGA verification code; free IMUGA declaration submitted within 96 hours before arrival; confirmed onward or return ticket; prepaid registered accommodation; sufficient funds or approved sponsorship; onward-country entry documents; yellow-fever certificate if applicable; no alcohol, vapes or e-cigarettes in luggage. None of this is complicated, but all of it is easy to overlook when the visa itself is advertised as “free and automatic,” which it is, as long as everything around it is in order first.
Maldives Visa FAQ
Is a Maldives visa free on arrival?
Tourist visas are normally issued on arrival without advance approval or a visa fee. Immigration officers make the final entry decision.
Do I need a visa for Maldives before flying?
Most tourists do not need prior visa approval. Passport-specific exceptions and entry requirements still apply.
When should I submit the Maldives traveller declaration?
Submit the free IMUGA form within 96 hours before arrival. Each passenger, including children, needs a separate declaration.
Do I need an email address for IMUGA Maldives?
Yes. The form starts by sending a six-digit code to your email address, and you enter it to continue. Use an address you can open before the flight; the confirmation goes to the same address. For an infant, a parent or guardian can use their own email.
What does IMUGA Maldives cost?
The official Traveller Declaration is free. Avoid third-party websites charging to submit it.
Does a passport need six months of validity?
Maldives Immigration specifies at least one month for a machine-readable passport. Airlines, transit countries or onward destinations may have stricter rules.
Is IMUGA required when leaving?
No. The outbound Traveller Declaration was discontinued on August 15, 2024.
Can I extend a Maldives tourist visa online?
Yes. An updated online extension process is available through IMUGA. Apply before your current permission expires; with an approved extension the total stay can reach 90 days, and approval is not automatic.
Do children need their own IMUGA declarations?
Yes. Every child needs an individual declaration and passport.
What if I arrive from a yellow-fever-risk country?
A valid yellow-fever certificate may be required if arriving from or recently travelling through a risk country. Children younger than one year are exempt.
Vapes are the other item that catches visitors out. Since November 15, 2024, e-cigarettes, vape devices and their parts cannot be brought into the Maldives, tourists included, and since December 15, 2024, possessing or using them in the country is banned as well, so leave them at home. A separate rule in force since November 1, 2025 bans the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2007, and it applies to tourists too, which matters for families traveling with older teens. Pork and pork products need a government import permit, so in practice they stay at home as well, while pornographic material and idols for worship are prohibited outright.