Maldives entry requirements, by passport
Maldives visa requirements at a glance: 197 of the 198 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Maldives without arranging a visa beforehand: visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorisation. The other 1 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Maldives for your nationality.
What we've verified for Maldives
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 23 September 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Required documents (5)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: immigration.gov.mv (Maldives Immigration, "Tourist Visa - On Arrival", updated 10 September 2026: entry requirements, MRZ passport with one month's validity, itinerary, IMUGA, yellow fever, ban on Israeli passports, definition of transit, Sections 7 and 8 of the Immigration Act 2007; and FAQs: overstay penalties); customs.gov.mv (Maldives Customs Service, "Duty free concessions": tobacco allowance and 30-day retention); exteriores.gob.es (travel advice of Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation for the Maldives: free 30-day visa, six months' passport validity, minimum funds, extension, alcohol, prohibited items, local customs); gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/maldives/entry-requirements (UK Government: IMUGA, work visa); who.int (WHO) and sanidad.gob.es (Spain's Ministry of Health, "Listado de países"): yellow fever. All checked on 23 September 2026.
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 12 October 2026. Published: 23 September 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Afghanistan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Albania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Algeria | Visa on arrival | — |
| Andorra | Visa on arrival | — |
| Angola | Visa on arrival | — |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Visa on arrival | — |
| Argentina | Visa on arrival | — |
| Armenia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Australia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Austria | Visa on arrival | — |
| Azerbaijan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bahamas | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bahrain | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa on arrival | — |
| Barbados | Visa on arrival | — |
| Belarus | Visa on arrival | — |
| Belgium | Visa on arrival | — |
| Belize | Visa on arrival | — |
| Benin | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bhutan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bolivia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Visa on arrival | — |
| Botswana | Visa on arrival | — |
| Brazil | Visa on arrival | — |
| Brunei | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bulgaria | Visa on arrival | — |
| Burkina Faso | Visa on arrival | — |
| Burundi | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cambodia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cameroon | Visa on arrival | — |
| Canada | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa on arrival | — |
| Central African Republic | Visa on arrival | — |
| Chad | Visa on arrival | — |
| Chile | Visa on arrival | — |
| China | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Colombia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Comoros | Visa on arrival | — |
| Costa Rica | Visa on arrival | — |
| Croatia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cuba | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cyprus | Visa on arrival | — |
| Czech Republic | Visa on arrival | — |
| Denmark | Visa on arrival | — |
| Djibouti | Visa on arrival | — |
| Dominica | Visa on arrival | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa on arrival | — |
| DR Congo | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ecuador | Visa on arrival | — |
| Egypt | Visa on arrival | — |
| El Salvador | Visa on arrival | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa on arrival | — |
| Eritrea | Visa on arrival | — |
| Estonia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Eswatini | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ethiopia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Fiji | Visa on arrival | — |
| Finland | Visa on arrival | — |
| France | Visa on arrival | — |
| Gabon | Visa on arrival | — |
| Gambia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Georgia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Germany | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ghana | Visa on arrival | — |
| Greece | Visa on arrival | — |
| Grenada | Visa on arrival | — |
| Guatemala | Visa on arrival | — |
| Guinea | Visa on arrival | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | Visa on arrival | — |
| Guyana | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Haiti | Visa on arrival | — |
| Honduras | Visa on arrival | — |
| Hong Kong | Visa on arrival | — |
| Hungary | Visa on arrival | — |
| Iceland | Visa on arrival | — |
| India | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Indonesia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Iran | Visa on arrival | — |
| Iraq | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ireland | Visa on arrival | — |
| Italy | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ivory Coast | Visa on arrival | — |
| Jamaica | Visa on arrival | — |
| Japan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Jordan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kazakhstan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kenya | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kiribati | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kosovo | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kuwait | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Laos | Visa on arrival | — |
| Latvia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Lebanon | Visa on arrival | — |
| Lesotho | Visa on arrival | — |
| Liberia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Libya | Visa on arrival | — |
| Liechtenstein | Visa on arrival | — |
| Lithuania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Luxembourg | Visa on arrival | — |
| Macao | Visa on arrival | — |
| Madagascar | Visa on arrival | — |
| Malawi | Visa on arrival | — |
| Malaysia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mali | Visa on arrival | — |
| Malta | Visa on arrival | — |
| Marshall Islands | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mauritania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mauritius | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mexico | Visa on arrival | — |
| Micronesia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Moldova | Visa on arrival | — |
| Monaco | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mongolia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Montenegro | Visa on arrival | — |
| Morocco | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mozambique | Visa on arrival | — |
| Myanmar | Visa on arrival | — |
| Namibia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Nauru | Visa on arrival | — |
| Nepal | Visa on arrival | — |
| Netherlands | Visa on arrival | — |
| New Zealand | Visa on arrival | — |
| Nicaragua | Visa on arrival | — |
| Niger | Visa on arrival | — |
| Nigeria | Visa on arrival | — |
| North Korea | Visa on arrival | — |
| North Macedonia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Norway | Visa on arrival | — |
| Oman | Visa on arrival | — |
| Pakistan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Palau | Visa on arrival | — |
| Palestine | Visa on arrival | — |
| Panama | Visa on arrival | — |
| Papua New Guinea | Visa on arrival | — |
| Paraguay | Visa on arrival | — |
| Peru | Visa on arrival | — |
| Philippines | Visa on arrival | — |
| Poland | Visa on arrival | — |
| Portugal | Visa on arrival | — |
| Qatar | Visa on arrival | — |
| Republic of the Congo | Visa on arrival | — |
| Romania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Russia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Rwanda | Visa on arrival | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Visa on arrival | — |
| Saint Lucia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Visa on arrival | — |
| Samoa | Visa on arrival | — |
| San Marino | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Visa on arrival | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Senegal | Visa on arrival | — |
| Serbia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Seychelles | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sierra Leone | Visa on arrival | — |
| Singapore | Visa on arrival | — |
| Slovakia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Slovenia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Solomon Islands | Visa on arrival | — |
| Somalia | Visa on arrival | — |
| South Africa | Visa on arrival | — |
| South Korea | Visa on arrival | — |
| South Sudan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Spain | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sudan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Suriname | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sweden | Visa on arrival | — |
| Switzerland | Visa on arrival | — |
| Syria | Visa on arrival | — |
| Taiwan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tajikistan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tanzania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Thailand | Visa on arrival | — |
| Timor-Leste | Visa on arrival | — |
| Togo | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tonga | Visa on arrival | — |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tunisia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Turkey | Visa on arrival | — |
| Turkmenistan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tuvalu | Visa on arrival | — |
| Uganda | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ukraine | Visa on arrival | — |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa on arrival | — |
| United Kingdom | Visa on arrival | — |
| United States | Visa on arrival | — |
| Uruguay | Visa on arrival | — |
| Uzbekistan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Vanuatu | Visa on arrival | — |
| Vatican | Visa on arrival | — |
| Venezuela | Visa on arrival | — |
| Vietnam | Visa on arrival | — |
| Yemen | Visa on arrival | — |
| Zambia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Zimbabwe | Visa on arrival | — |
| Visa required | ||
| Israel | Entry not permitted | — |
Maldives rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller.
Vaccinations
- Yellow fever: an international vaccination certificate is required from anyone arriving from, or having recently travelled through, a country with risk of transmission, and the WHO and Spain's Ministry of Health include layovers of more than 12 hours at its airports. Children under 1 year are exempt.
- The main health risks are dengue, zika and accidents during water sports.
Customs limits
- Alcohol
- Importing alcohol is prohibited. Bottles found in luggage are held at the airport and returned on departure. Drinking is only allowed in resorts.
- Tobacco
- Allowance published by the Maldives Customs Service for tourists aged 18 or over: 200 cigarettes, 25 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco products. Anything above that is held for up to 30 days and collected at the customs counter in the departure terminal of Velana airport.
Overstay penalties
Staying beyond the visa is penalised under Immigration Act 1/2007, which provides for deportation; any fines due must be paid before leaving the country or before any further procedure. We have not found the daily amount published in an official source.
Grounds for refusal
- Travelling on an Israeli passport: since 15 April 2025 entry is not granted.
- A passport without a machine-readable zone, with less than one month's validity or with extended validity.
- A passport reported lost or stolen: checks are thorough and the Embassy cannot intervene.
- No onward ticket, no prepaid booking at a registered facility or no funds for the stay.
- Not having submitted the IMUGA declaration.
Travel insurance
Each destination decides whether to require insurance, and some check it at the border. If yours does, make sure the policy covers the whole trip.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
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Do you need a different visa for Malé, Addu City, or Fuvahmulah?
No. Maldives sets the requirements, so entering through Malé asks for the same as entering through Addu City or Fuvahmulah. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travellers to Maldives
The Maldives is a string of low-lying atolls in the Indian Ocean, one of the most scattered countries in the world, where almost the whole trip happens in the water, diving, snorkelling or watching the reef from the shore. Most visitors stay in resorts, each on its own island, reached by speedboat or seaplane from Malé. Outside them, on the inhabited islands linked by scheduled ferries, the local customs of a very conservative Sunni Muslim state apply: clothing that covers the body even in the water, except on the beaches set aside for bathers (bikini beaches), and no alcohol, which is only served in resorts. Malé, the capital, is a dense island of narrow streets and motorbikes. Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises using certified diving instructors and specific insurance with repatriation, because currents and speedboats have caused fatal accidents and medical care is only available in Malé.
Sources for this section: Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel advice for the Maldives (inter-island transport, customs, bikini beaches, alcohol, diving, hospitals only in Malé). The Maldives has no sites inscribed on the World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org). Accessed 23 September 2026.
Things to see and do in Maldives
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Where can Maldives passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.