Maldives Visa and Passport Information for All Nationalty
The Maldives is a stunning island nation in the Indian Ocean, known for its crystal-clear waters, white-sand beaches, and luxurious resorts. It's a popular tourist destination for people from all over the world, but before you book your trip, it's important to understand the visa and passport requirements for your nationality.
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
- A machine readable (MRZ) Passport Bio-data page copy of the applicant (At least 1 Year validity).
- A valid Work Permit not exceeding 90 days from date of arrival.
- Traveler should provide the same passport mention in the Work Permit.
- Traveler Health Declaration, submitted within 48 hours prior to departure from the first port of embarkation. You may submit the form electronically via IMUGA.
- 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.
- Passport of the employee
- Copy of the Work Permit
- Passport size photo (Photo shall comply with Maldives Immigration passport photo standard and must be a recent photo)
- Medical health screening report of the employee issued from a Hospital/Clinic authorized by the relevant government authority
Work Visa Application Submission Receipt (IM29)
Maldives Immigration introduced online Work Visa service on 17th 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.
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;
- 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.)
- 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.
- Entry requirements to their onward destinations; for example, the visa and passport validity.
- 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.
- 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.
How to Apply
A Maldivian Passport can be issued to any Maldivian citizen who applies for a passport. If the applicant is under the age of 18, a passport can be issued by the request of either a parent, or by a legal guardian.
Application for Dhivehi Passport shall be submitted via Imuga, the online platform for immigration services, from 22nd July 2020.
Follow these steps to apply for Dhivehi Passports via IMUGA
- Visit imuga.immigration.gov.mv and register.
- Select ‘Dhivehi Passport’ service.
- Select the reason for applying for passport and upload the filled passport application form with required documents.
- Pay the passport fee via Bank of Maldives gateway.
- If the application is complete, a notification will be sent via SMS with the date and time to collect the passport.
Requirements for the passport application
- Filled Passport Application form, IM01.
- Valid National Identity card (a damaged card will not be accepted).
- Passport fee MVR1000..
- A passport size photo taken within a month to the date of application. The photo should be compliant to the Passport photo standard for Maldivian Passports.
- Relevant legal documents from the court as a proof guardian, if the request is from the legal guardian for an applicant under the age of 18.
- Previous passport (valid or expired) of the applicant for cancellation, if there is any.
- A doctor certificate and a letter from the applicant stating the passport collector’s information, if the applicant is admitted in the hospital.
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