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Before you go to Maldives: what to know

Must know

  • All nationalities (except Israeli passports, banned since April 2025) get a free 30-day tourist visa on arrival with a confirmed hotel booking and return ticket.
  • Complete the free IMUGA Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before arrival; only use imuga.immigration.gov.mv.
  • Alcohol, pork and vapes cannot be brought in; alcohol is served only at resorts, liveaboards and some hotels—not on local islands.
  • Anyone born on or after 1 Jan 2007 is banned from buying or using tobacco, including tourists (generational ban since Nov 2025).
  • Dress modestly and use bikini beaches on local islands; Islam is the state religion.

Entry and visas

Maldives grants a free 30-day tourist visa on arrival to all nationalities except holders of Israeli passports. You need a passport valid at least 1 month (airlines may require 6), a confirmed return ticket, a prepaid booking at a registered resort/hotel/guesthouse, sufficient funds and a completed IMUGA Traveller Declaration. Extensions are applied for via IMUGA.

Online arrival forms and permits

  • IMUGA Traveller Declaration ↗ required
    Online within 96 hours before arrival · Fee: Free · All arriving travellers, each person including children; no departure declaration needed since Aug 2024.

Passport validity: At least 1 month beyond stay (many airlines require 6 months).

At the border you may be asked for

  • Show IMUGA QR code, hotel booking and return ticket.
  • Resort transfers (speedboat/seaplane) are arranged by your resort—send flight details in advance; seaplanes don't fly after dark.
  • Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a risk country.

Customs

  • Prohibited: alcohol, pork and pork products, pornography, idols for worship, drugs and vapes/e-cigarettes.
  • Vapes are confiscated at the airport (receipt given to reclaim on departure).
  • Tobacco allowance: 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 250 g tobacco (only for those born before 2007).
  • Bibles for personal use are allowed; religious material for distribution is not.

Checked October 29, 2026 · Sources: imuga.immigration.gov.mv ↗, resortlife.travel ↗, euronews.com ↗, velana.macl.aero ↗, customs.gov.mv ↗, gov.uk ↗

Money

Cards are accepted almost everywhere. Cards are widely accepted.

Payment networks: Visa, Mastercard, Amex

Apple Pay — no data · Google Pay — no data

Where to exchange money

  • At resorts you rarely need cash—bills are charged to the room in USD
  • On local islands pay in USD or change at Bank of Maldives branches in Malé

Where not to exchange

  • Exchanging large amounts into rufiyaa (hard to change back abroad)
  • Unofficial changers in Malé

ATMs: ATMs are in Malé, Hulhumalé, the airport and larger local islands (Bank of Maldives); none on most resort islands.

Tipping: Resorts and hotels add a 10% service charge plus 17% T-GST; additional tips for butlers, room attendants and dive guides (often USD 10–20 per day or per stay) are customary.

  • US dollars are accepted almost everywhere; bring clean small USD notes for tips.
  • Green tax is charged per person per night (USD 12 at resorts, USD 6 at small guesthouses from 2025) and usually added to the bill.
  • Russian-issued Visa/Mastercard cards do not work abroad; prepay the resort or bring cash.

Checked October 29, 2026 · Sources: thepointsguy.com ↗, mira.gov.mv ↗, mma.gov.mv ↗

Rules and bans

Prohibited

  • Alcohol on local (inhabited) islands—only at resorts, liveaboards and licensed hotels.
  • Vapes/e-cigarettes: import, use and possession banned for everyone.
  • Tobacco for anyone born on or after 1 Jan 2007 (fine MVR 5,000 for vaping).
  • Public worship of non-Islamic religions and proselytising.
  • Nudity and topless sunbathing, including at resorts.
  • Removing coral, shells or turtle products; fishing or touching marine life in protected areas.
  • Drones without Civil Aviation Authority permission.

Laws visitors break unknowingly

  • On local islands wear modest clothing and swim in bikini only at designated tourist beaches.
  • Same-sex sexual acts are illegal.
  • Public displays of affection on local islands are frowned upon.
  • During Ramadan avoid eating and drinking in public on local islands in daylight.

Checked October 29, 2026 · Sources: gov.uk ↗, euronews.com ↗, gov.uk ↗

Culture and clothing

Religion: Sunni Islam is the state religion; citizens are by law Muslim (practically 100%).

Clothing: Resorts: anything goes except nudity. Local islands and Malé: cover shoulders and knees; bikinis only on designated bikini beaches. Mosques: modest clothing, women cover hair; non-Muslims may visit only some mosques outside prayer times.

Etiquette

  • Ask before photographing locals.
  • Friday is the weekly holy day; many shops close during prayers.
  • Use the right hand for giving and eating.
  • Respect marine life: don't stand on coral or feed fish.

Checked October 29, 2026 · Sources: visitmaldives.com ↗, gov.uk ↗

Climate

Hot all year (27–31°C, water ~28°C). Dry north-east monsoon (Iruvai) Dec–Apr with calm seas and best visibility; wetter south-west monsoon (Halhangu) May–Nov with showers, wind and better surf; manta and whale shark seasons vary by atoll.

Month by month
  • January: Dry, sunny; peak season
  • February: Driest month; calm seas
  • March: Dry, hot; excellent diving
  • April: Hot; transition month
  • May: SW monsoon begins; rainier
  • June: Wet, windy; good surf, low prices
  • July: Showers; mantas on west sides
  • August: Showers; surf season
  • September: Changeable; Hanifaru mantas (Baa)
  • October: Wet; low season
  • November: Transition; rains easing
  • December: Dry season returns; festive peak

Best season: January to April for sunshine and calm seas; May–October for surfing and lower prices.

Checked October 29, 2026 · Sources: meteorology.gov.mv ↗, visitmaldives.com ↗

What to pack

  • Plug adapter (types D, G, often universal sockets at resorts; 230V)
  • Reef-safe sunscreen, rash guard and hat
  • Snorkel mask (resorts lend, but fit matters)
  • Modest clothes covering shoulders and knees for local islands and Malé
  • Small USD notes for tips
  • Motion-sickness tablets for speedboats
  • Waterproof phone pouch

Do not bring / prohibited to import

  • Alcohol (confiscated at customs)
  • Pork products
  • Vapes and e-cigarettes
  • Religious idols or material for distribution
  • Drones without CAA permission

Practical

Plugs: Types D and G (resorts often have universal sockets); 230V 50Hz

Water: Resorts provide desalinated/filtered drinking water; on local islands drink bottled or filtered water.

Traffic: drives on the left

Mobile and eSIM: Dhiraagu and Ooredoo tourist SIMs at Velana airport; resort Wi-Fi varies.

Apps: WhatsApp, Maldivian (domestic flights), Windy, Google Maps

Health: Healthcare beyond Malé is limited; resorts have a doctor or nurse, serious cases need transfer to Malé or abroad. Dengue occurs. Divers: Maldives has hyperbaric chambers but plan for no-fly time.

Insurance: Not required for entry; strongly recommended including diving and evacuation (seaplane/air ambulance is very expensive).

Emergency: Police 119; Ambulance 102; Fire 118; Coast Guard 191

Checked October 29, 2026 · Sources: gov.uk ↗, wwwnc.cdc.gov ↗

Entry rules change. Before your trip, check the website of the embassy or immigration service of the country.