Everybody Welcome! Free 30 days Visa upon arrival for all visitors
No prior visa is required to enter the Republic of Maldives. Entry permit will be granted to visitors on arrival at designated ports of entry, based on the immigration requirements.

Visitors entering the Republic of Maldives should fulfill the following requirement for the grant of an entry permit into the country.

Possession of a valid international travel document issued by the Government of a Sovereign State.

Possession of a valid return air ticket to a destination where the passenger has permission to enter, together with necessary visas for the onward journey to the next destination.

Possession of minimum of US$30.00 per person per day or confirmed hotel reservation for the intended period of stay in the Maldives.

Following are exempted from this requirement.

Diplomats

UN Personnel

Approved persons for employment

Technical and other experts attached to the Government

Those who have confirm bookings in registered tourist resort/hotels etc.

Those sponsored by Maldivians

Male Airport
Maldives Tourism Promotion Board has an information counter setup for ease of the tourists visiting the Maldives. Especially those who are Free Independent Travelers or FITs. Any information including Maldives, hotels and rates will be provided by the MTPB staff at the counter.

The Maldives is served by all major scheduled airlines in the region in addition to several charter flights from Europe and Scandinavian countries.

The Maldives is forty five minutes from Colombo, three hours from Dubai, four hours from Singapore and thirteen hours from London.

Malé International Airport is located on a geographically separate island named Hulhulé which is about 10 minutes’ boat ride from the capital. A ferry service is available from the airport island to the capital around the clock.

Transfers to resorts would be arranged prior to arrival by your resorts/tour operators via speedboat or sea plane.

Please note that the import of firearms, liquor, drugs and pornography in to the Maldives is strictly prohibited. Alcohol may be imported only with an official license and dogs, pigs, and pork products are prohibited. Also personal pets can be brought in only with special permission (dogs not allowed).

To get the international flight schedule please visit http://www.airports.com.mv/schedule.htm

DO'S AND DONT'S
Social Conventions
Dress is informal, but locals who are Muslim will be offended by nudity or scanty clothing in public places, and the Government rigidly enforces these standards. Bikinis and other scanty beachwear are not acceptable in Malé or on any other inhabited island. When entering a mosque, the legs and the body, but not the neck and the face, should be covered. Handshaking is the most common form of greeting. The indigenous population not involved in the tourist trade lives in isolated island communities maintaining almost total privacy. A large number of locals smoke, but smoking and eating during Ramadan is discouraged.


Tipping
This is officially discouraged.


International airports
Hulule International Airport - Hulule Island is 2km (1.2 miles) from Malé (travel time by boat – 15 minutes). Boats from the various island resorts meet each arriving plane to take visitors to their accommodation. There is no scheduled transfer from Hulule Island to the other islands. If an advance booking has been made, representatives of the resorts will receive tourists at the airport and will take care of all onward transport arrangements. Airport facilities include left luggage, first aid, bank, duty free shops, snack bar, post office and restaurant.


Departure tax
None if airport tax has been paid before; otherwise, US$12.


Duty-Free
The following goods may be imported into the Maldives Republic without incurring customs duty: A reasonable amount of cigarettes, cigars and tobacco; a reasonable number of gifts.


Prohibited items
Pornographic literature; idols of worship; pork products and certain other animal products; explosives and weapons; alcoholic beverages. Drugs are strictly prohibited; the penalty for importing drugs for personal or other use is life imprisonment. Animals require a veterinary certificate.

The following may not be exported in any form: tortoise and turtle shells and products made of turtle shell (the Government has banned the killing of turtles), and black coral in whole form.