🇮🇱→🇲🇻Israel→Maldives

Leisure travel and tourism to the Maldives. No business activities or paid/unpaid work permitted.

• Granted free of charge on arrival to all nationalities except Israeli passport holders (ban effective 15 April 2025).
• Requires: MRZ-compliant passport with minimum 1 month validity, return/onward ticket within 30 days of arrival, confirmed accommodation or proof of funds (min USD 100 + USD 50/day), completed IMUGA Traveller Declaration (via imuga.immigration.gov.mv, up to 96 hours before arrival).
• Yellow Fever vaccination certificate required if travelling from endemic countries (children under 1 exempt).
• Extendable in-country up to 60 additional days (total 90 days) by applying to Maldives Immigration before expiry.
• Extension process streamlined effective April 23, 2026 under Maldives 2.0 Initiative.
• Azerbaijan ordinary passport holders receive 90 days visa-free under bilateral agreement (signed Sept 2025).

Temporary multiple-entry visa for foreign nationals visiting the Maldives for business-related purposes.

• Temporary multiple-entry visa granted for 30 to 90 days at a time, not to exceed a total of 180 days per calendar year.
• Applied online only via the Business Portal (business.egov.mv); not issued on arrival.
• Applications are first reviewed by the Ministry of Economic Development, then verified and processed by Maldives Immigration.
• Requires a passport with minimum 6 months validity and a recent photograph (within 3 months); applicant must not hold a visa type under Article 9 of Law No. 1/2007 nor fall under the entry prohibitions in Article 8.
• Fees and processing times not published on the official page.
• Distinct from the tourist visa, which prohibits business engagements.

On-arrival short-stay visa for foreign nationals whose primary purpose is attending a meeting, conference or convention held in the Maldives.

• Effective 14 May 2023: a 14-day on-arrival short-stay visa granted to foreign nationals attending a meeting, conference or convention in the Maldives, provided general entry requirements are met.
• Non-extendable; the holder cannot obtain a Business Visa while in the country.
• A Traveller Declaration must be submitted electronically via IMUGA (imuga.immigration.gov.mv) within 96 hours before flight departure.
• Fee not published on the official page.
• Verified on the official Maldives Immigration Meeting Visa page (2026-07).

For foreign nationals holding an approved Work Permit to reside and work in the Maldives.

• Validity mirrors the associated Work Permit; renewed visas have a maximum validity of 1 year.
• Must be obtained within 15 days of arrival in the Maldives on a valid Work Permit.
• As of 23 November 2025, physical visa stickers are no longer valid - only the digital e-Visa via the Xpat Online System (xpat.egov.mv) is recognized.
• Employer or authorized representative submits the application.
• Requires valid Work Permit from Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology.

For immediate family members (dependents) of expatriates in professional categories working in the Maldives.

• Issued to immediate family members of expatriates employed in professional categories in the Maldives.
• Fee MVR 750 plus MVR 50 card fee (approx. USD 52 total).
• Applied online via the IMUGA portal.
• First-time entrants must arrive under a Sponsorship Declaration (filed at least 5 working days before arrival), then apply for the Dependent Visa after arrival.
• Requires application form IM23, passport copy and photo, proof of relationship, a medical report, health insurance, and the sponsorship declaration.
• Duration, entries, and processing times not published on the official page.

For foreign nationals enrolled at a recognised educational institution in the Maldives.

• Issued by Maldives Immigration to enrolled international students.
• Two-stage process: (1) before travel, the sponsoring institution files a Sponsorship Declaration (form IM21) that must be approved before entry; (2) after arrival, the student applies for the Student Visa (form IM23) within 30 days.
• Approved health and travel insurance (e.g., MVR 800 / approx. USD 52 annually) is mandatory for the visa duration.
• Applied via the IMUGA portal (imuga.immigration.gov.mv).
• There is no dedicated public Student Visa page on immigration.gov.mv; the process is documented by The Maldives National University (public university, mnu.edu.mv/international-students).
• Application fee not published on official pages.

For foreign nationals married to Maldivian citizens, allowing long-term residence in the Maldives.

• Issued for 1 year on a new application; extensions issued for up to 5 years per renewal (extension requires a minimum of 3 months remaining before expiry).
• MVR 50 card fee (approx. USD 3).
• Applied exclusively online via the IMUGA portal (imuga.immigration.gov.mv).
• Those marrying in the Maldives must first obtain Sponsorship Declaration approval before arrival, then register the marriage legally, then apply for the visa.
• Requires passport copy, marriage certificate, a Family Court-stamped form, and (first-time only) medical screening and health insurance.
• Confirmed on the official Maldives Immigration Marriage Visa page (re-verified 2026-07).

Pre-arrival permit requested by a Maldivian citizen or a professional-category visa holder to bring a foreign national into the Maldives (for visiting, dependency, or other approved purposes); prerequisite step for Dependent, Student and Marriage visas.

• Not a stay-granting visa itself but the pre-arrival sponsorship approval required before a foreign national travels under a non-tourist category.
• Applied online via the IMUGA portal (form IM21); the applicant must not be in the Maldives when applying.
• The sponsored person must arrive within 30 days of approval; a pre-arrival sponsorship approval slip is issued on the portal.
• A company seal is required if the sponsor is an employer.
• Fees, duration, and processing times not published on the official page.
• Verified on the official Maldives Immigration Sponsorship Declaration page (2026-07).

Long-term residence in the Maldives; per the official Resident Visa page, granted to a foreign national married to a Maldivian citizen.

• The official immigration.gov.mv/visa/resident page describes the Resident Visa as granted to a foreign national married to a Maldivian citizen: initial validity 1 year, renewable up to 5 years, MVR 50 (approx. USD 3) card fee, applied online via the IMUGA portal, requiring pre-arrival sponsorship and completed legal marriage registration before applying.
• This is the same marriage-to-Maldivian residence route also captured in the Marriage Visa entry.
• The Corporate Resident Maldives program (permanent-residency card for qualifying foreign investors) and the Pearl Residence by-investment program are tracked separately under rbi.
• Verified on the official Maldives Immigration Resident Visa page (2026-07).