No specific vaccinations are required to enter the Maldives. However, if you are arriving from a Central African of South American country where yellow fever is endemic (see here for information on countries affected by yellow fever) you will require an international certificate of innoculation against yellow fever to enter Maldives.
Please consult your doctor for any further health advice
It is prohibited for tourists to bring firearms, alcoholic beverages, pork products, pornography and idols of worship into the Maldives. Additionally, strict penalties apply to those attempting to bring illegal drugs into the country. Alcohol and pork products are only available on resort islands under a special license.
Tobacco Products
From 01 November 2024: the Maldives Customs Service will no longer allow duty allowance on tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, and tobacco. Maldives is a signatory to health conventions that do not encourage exceptions for tobacco products.
Only travellers on a tourist visa are permitted to import limited quantities of tobacco products as follows: Up to 200 cigarettes, or 25 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco.
Quantities exceeding these limits will be retained by Customs for a maximum of 30 days. Tourists can collect these items at the departure terminal at Velana International Airport (VIA) customs prior to their departure.
Additionally, any tobacco products brought in by non-tourist travellers that do not meet the Ministry of Health’s labelling requirements will be confiscated by customs.
Vaping Products
From 15 November 2024: a ban on the import of vaporizer devices, accessories, and parts will come into effect, including those brought by visitors for personal use.
From 15 December 2024: the ban will extend to the possession, use, manufacturing, sale, promotion, and free distribution of vaporizer devices. This applies to both residents and visitors across the country.
Tourists are not allowed to bring vaporizers into Maldives. However, if you arrive with a vaporizer device, you will not be penalized or denied entry. Your vaporizer will be confiscated at the border and a customs officer will provide you with a receipt which you must present when you depart the country to have your items returned to you.
Most medication can be carried with you when entering the Maldives provided that you show a doctor's prescription, and the amount you are carrying does not exceed your requirements for the duration of your stay in the Maldives.
However, as regulations occasionally change, please check with the Customs Service that your medication is permitted in the Maldives.
If you are bringing in a lot of photographic or diving equipment it is advisable to inform your resort of the details prior to your arrival. Otherwise provide a list with details about the equipment (serial numbers and so forth), to avoid delay at the airport upon arrival.
Any items left behind will be liable for import duty.
For further clarification on what items can be brought into the Maldives, please contact the Maldives Customs Service:
Maldives Customs Service
Boduthakurufaanu Magu
Maafannu, Male'
Telephone: 00960 3322001
Fax: 00960 3322633
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
All tourists, of all nationalities, can receive a 30 day visa free of charge on arrival in the Maldives.
Should posses a valid passport with Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) -(standard ICAO Annex 9, chapter 3.10.1)and should have at least 1 month validity
A return flight ticket, or a flight ticket to another destination, for departure within 30 days of arrival;
Either confirmation of a hotel/resort booking, or evidence of sufficient funds to cover your expenses in Maldives (at least US$100 + US$50 per day demonstrated by cash or bank statement).
You must not undertake any work paid or unpaid or any business engagements while in the Maldives on a tourist visa. Visitors found to be employed, or found to have overstayed their visa, may be deported or fined.
Disclaimer: The issuance of tourist visas ultimately lies at the discretion of the Immigration officer. As a tourist, you do not have a right to claim a 30 day visa, and the information above should be seen as guidance.
You can extend your 30 day on-arrival visa for an additional 60 days by applying directly to the Department of Immigration and Emigration before the expiration of your on-arrival visa. For more information, please visit Maldives Immigration website.
Further information on entry requirements, other types of visas, and tourist visa extensions is available on the website of the Maldives Immigration.
The Maldives Embassy in London cannot issue any visas under any circumstances.
Welcome to the Maldives, where sands are white as the smiles of the locals, where fish swim happily in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, where the weather is a dream, and the deep rays of the sun wait to engulf you their arms.
In ancient times, the shores of the Maldives welcomed lost travellers. Still welcoming, these shores remain, providing a tranquil haven for visitors.
For in-depth information on holidaying in the Maldives, and profiles of all the major resorts, hotels, liveaboards and guest houses click.
The Maldives lies in two rows of atolls in the Indian Ocean, just across the equator. The country is made up of 1,190 coral islands formed around 26 natural ring-like atolls, spread over 90,000 square kilometers. These atoll structures are formed upon a sharp ridge rising from the ocean, thereby creating their secluded uniqueness.
Each atoll in the Maldives is made of a coral reef encircling a lagoon, with deep channels dividing the reef ring. A string of islands take their places among this atoll ring; each island has its own reef encircling the island lagoon. The reefs of the islands, alive with countless underwater creatures and vibrant corals, protect the islands from wind and the ocean waves. This unique structure of reefs and channels makes navigation almost impossible for anybody without sufficient local knowledge of the waters.
Ninety-nine percent of the Maldives is sea. The people of the islands are widely dispersed across the atolls, with about 200 inhabited islands. Around 140 islands are developed as tourist resorts and the rest are uninhabited or used for agriculture and other livelihood purposes.
The islands of the Maldives lay on the trading route of the Indian Ocean. Thus settlers, and visitors from neighbouring regions and around the world have come in contact with the islands for as long as history has been recorded. Such is the to-and-fro flow of people and their cultures, that a marked effect has been left in the Maldivian people, the language, beliefs, arts, and attitudes.
The looks of the Maldivian people may differ from one atoll to the other, attributing to the genes passed on by South and Southeast Asians, Africans, and Arabians. The language, Dhivehi, differs in dialect in some regions in the south of Maldives, possibly due to the secluded nature and subsistent ways of island life. Maldivian beliefs have been very much based around religion and superstition, often used together in matters of significance but given separate positions in society. In matters of faith, Islam dominates, but influence of the supernatural still continues to play a major role in most island communities, possibly giving credit to the folklores and Buddhist traditions of the islands’ first settlers before conversion to Islam in 1153 AD.
The mixing of cultures is very much seen in Maldivian arts. The music played with the local bodu-beru (big-drum) resemble that of African drumming. The dhoni (a unique Maldivian sailboat) is an art form itself built with skilled craftsmanship, with significant similarities to the Arabian dows. The fine artistry of Maldivians, seen in the intricate details on wooden beams in antique mosques, represents what we have gained from Southeast Asian architecture. Then there is the undefined: the distinct geometric designs used in mats woven from local materials, the embroidered neckline of women’s traditional dresses and their ornaments too, expose another story brought in from an unknown culture that has seeped in to Maldivian society.
Maldivians are quite open to adaptation and are generally welcoming to outside inspiration. The culture has always continued to evolve with the times. Locals still eat fish and fishermen still spend days out at sea, but tourism now takes prominence. Most Maldivians still want to believe in upholding unity and oneness in faith, but recent waves of reform in the country have created a whole new culture of new ideas and attitudes. The effects of the modern world are now embraced, while still striving to uphold the people’s identity, traditions and beliefs.
The Maldivian President who dived underwater with his cabinet has given a new light to the association between Maldives and the ‘environment’. The world now knows how dependent the Maldives is on its natural environment.
The environment has a direct affect on all facets of Maldivian. The islands are protected by thousands of reefs that need to be alive for this unique archipelago to continue to exist in the future. The corals on our reefs need its countless inhabitants to feed on them for the corals to re-grow. Locals need the fish in the water for livelihood and they depend on the beauty of its reefs and islands to sustain our tourism industry. Most importantly, the Maldives needs its citizens and visitors to take care of its wonderful natural environment in order to survive as one of the most magical places on earth.
Several government regulations have been set up to enable a system to provide natural protection for the otherwise fragile 1,190 islands of Maldives. Starting in 1995, important marine areas have been designated as protected regions. Endangered marine species like the whale shark, turtles, dolphins, as well as corals, have also been protected by law. Hanifaru, a bay like lagoon in Baa atoll, is among the most recently protected marine areas. This area is home to rays from around the Maldives that gather here to feast on the masses of plankton brought into the lagoon by water currents.
The weather in the Maldives is usually picture perfect: sunlit days, breezy nights, balmy mornings, and iridescent sunsets. The temperature hardly ever changes - which makes packing for your holiday an easy task. With the average temperature at about 30 degrees Celsius throughout the year. The sun is a constant most days, shining through treetops, creating lacy patterns on your feet, healing cold-bones with its warmth. Throughout the day, the sun will make itself known, ensuring that it will be remembered and missed, like an old friend, as you pack up your suitcases to leave.
Maldives has two distinct seasons; dry season (northeast monsoon) and wet season (southwest monsoon), with the former extending from January to March and the latter from mid-May to November.
The rare thunderstorm in the Maldives, especially around the southwest monsoon months) can be a welcome respite from the sun. Cloudy skies and slate grey seas, and crashing thunder makes up for lovely reading weather. The warm temperatures will allow you to go for a walk in the rain, a verdant, wet, thoroughly enjoyable experience. For extra exhilaration, take a swim in the rain - the sea will be extra warm.
For more information about weather in the Maldives visit www.meteorogoly.gov.mv