Maldives Visa-on-Arrival for Indians in 2026: 30-Day Free Tourist Stamp
By Ananya Singh (Ananya Singh writes step-by-step first-international-trip guides for Indians — passport rules, visa cascade timing, immigration walkthroughs, and the unglamorous logistics that separate a smooth trip from a stranded one.) · Published · 10 min read
Maldives visa-on-arrival for Indians in 2026 — free 30-day tourist stamp at Male, the mandatory Imuga Traveller Declaration, Green Tax, and how to extend up to 90 days.
Free 30-day visa-on-arrival — what Indians actually get
Indians do not need to apply for a visa before flying to the Maldives. On landing at Velana International Airport (MLE) in Male, every Indian passport holder is issued a free 30-day Tourist Visa at immigration. There is no application fee, no embassy visit, no online form for the visa itself (the separate Imuga declaration we cover later is mandatory but free).
This is the most relaxed visa policy in the region for Indians — easier than Sri Lanka's ETA, easier than Thailand's e-Visa, easier than Indonesia's VOA fee. The Maldives makes it this easy because tourism is roughly 30% of its GDP and Indian visitors became the #1 tourist nationality after 2020.
The 30-day stamp is single-entry. If you leave and want to come back, you simply get a fresh 30 days on the next arrival — there is no limit on how many trips you can make in a year.
Requirements at the Male immigration counter
Indian passport holders must present:
- Passport valid for 6 months beyond the date of entry, with at least one blank page
- Confirmed return or onward ticket — out of the Maldives within 30 days. Officers do verify this if asked; do not arrive with one-way tickets
- Confirmed accommodation — hotel, resort, guesthouse, or liveaboard booking for the entire stay. The Maldives is unusual because the resort/guesthouse must be a registered tourist accommodation; informal stays with locals are not allowed for tourists
- Sufficient funds — informal benchmark is USD 100 per person per day. Resort guests rarely need to prove this (the prepaid booking is taken as proof); guesthouse and city-hotel travellers should carry USD 500 to USD 1,500 in cash or have an international card with verifiable balance
- Completed Imuga Traveller Declaration — see next section, mandatory since 2024
Officers ask 3 to 5 questions max — purpose of visit, hotel name, length of stay. Whole counter process is 2 to 5 minutes for clean Indian arrivals.
Imuga Traveller Declaration — the mandatory pre-arrival form
Since 1 January 2024, every traveller entering or leaving the Maldives must submit an electronic Traveller Declaration via the Imuga app (or imuga.immigration.gov.mv on web). This is separate from the visa and is non-negotiable — without it, you cannot complete immigration.
Key rules:
- Submit within 96 hours (4 days) before your arrival flight — earlier submissions are rejected
- Submit a separate declaration for each traveller, including children of any age
- You also submit a fresh departure declaration within 96 hours of leaving
- The form takes 10 to 15 minutes per person — covers passport details, flight number, accommodation, contact details, and a basic health/customs declaration
- You receive a QR code on completion. Save it offline (screenshot) — airport Wi-Fi can be slow on landing
If you forget, there are kiosks at Male airport where you can complete it on arrival, but the queue is 30 to 60 minutes and you cannot exit until done. Do it before you board.
The Green Tax — what your resort or guesthouse charges
The Maldives has no visa fee but does charge a per-night tourist tax called the Green Tax:
- USD 6 per person per night at resorts and hotels
- USD 3 per person per night at guesthouses
- Children under 2 are exempt
The Green Tax is collected by the accommodation, not at immigration. You see it as a line item on your hotel bill at checkout — paid in USD by card or in Maldivian Rufiyaa. Across a 7-night resort stay for two adults, this works out to USD 84 (around INR 7,000) — budget for it separately from your booking price, because most online prices exclude it.
In addition to the Green Tax, resorts charge a 16% GST and a 10% service charge on the room rate. The total tax stack at a resort is around 26% of the room rate plus the per-night Green Tax. Guesthouses in Male and on local islands like Maafushi, Gulhi, and Thulusdhoo have lighter tax stacks (around 12% GST + USD 3 Green Tax) and are far cheaper overall.
Step-by-step arrival at Male (MLE) airport
- Submit Imuga declaration 96 hours before flight, save the QR code offline
- Land at Velana International Airport (MLE), deplane, follow signs to immigration
- Queue at the foreigner immigration counter — there is no separate VOA line because everyone gets the same on-arrival stamp
- Hand over passport + return ticket printout + hotel booking printout + show Imuga QR code on your phone
- Officer scans passport, asks 2 or 3 brief questions (purpose, hotel name, days)
- Officer stamps the 30-day tourist visa into your passport — free, no payment
- Collect baggage, exit through customs
- Find your resort transfer counter in the arrivals hall, or take a public ferry to Male city, or fly onward by seaplane if your resort is in a distant atoll
Total time from gate to exit for a clean Indian passport: 30 to 60 minutes. Peak times (mid-evening when most international flights land) can stretch the queue to 75 minutes.
Extending your Maldives stay — up to 90 days
Indian passport holders can extend the initial 30-day Tourist Visa for up to a total of 90 days in the Maldives. The extension is done at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Male (Henveiru area, walking distance from the ferry terminal) before your initial 30 days expire.
Documents needed for extension:
- Passport with the original 30-day stamp
- Completed extension form (free, picked up at the office)
- Confirmed onward ticket showing exit within the extended period
- Proof of accommodation for the extension period
- Funds proof (bank statement or cash equivalent)
- Extension fee — USD 50 to USD 100 per 30 days (paid in cash or by card at the office)
Processing is 1 to 3 working days. The office is open Sunday to Thursday (Maldives weekend is Friday-Saturday). Apply at least a week before your visa expires — leave buffer.
Overstaying is a serious offence — fines start at USD 500 plus a multi-year ban. If your extension takes longer than expected, stay in the country with your application receipt rather than leaving.
Why Indians occasionally get refused entry to the Maldives
Outright refusals are rare (under 1% for Indian passport holders) but they happen — usually traceable to:
- No confirmed accommodation — arriving with 'will book on arrival' is grounds for refusal. The Maldives strictly requires that tourists stay at registered accommodations and officers verify the booking before stamping in
- One-way ticket — without a confirmed onward flight, officers refuse entry. Buy a return or onward ticket before flying
- Suspected work intent — bringing too much equipment (camera kits, dive gear that looks commercial), unusual luggage for the declared trip length, or a job-search-shaped CV in carry-on. Tourists are tourists; work requires a separate Employment Visa
- Insufficient funds — for guesthouse stays where accommodation is not heavily prepaid, officers may ask for proof of USD 100 per day. Carry cash or have a card with verifiable balance
- Imuga declaration not done — you will be sent to the kiosk to complete it on arrival, costing 30 to 60 minutes but not usually causing refusal
If refused, you are placed on the next flight back at your cost. There is no formal appeal at the airport — but a Maldives refusal does not block you from re-applying or returning later with corrected paperwork.
Money, currency, and the resort-island reality for Indian travellers
The Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) is the local currency but you barely use it as a tourist. USD is the de-facto resort and tourist currency — printed prices in resorts, restaurants, dive shops, and seaplane operators are quoted in USD, and most card terminals charge in USD.
What works in 2026 for Indian travellers:
- International credit/debit cards — Visa and Mastercard are accepted at virtually all resorts, mid-range guesthouses, dive operators, and Male restaurants. Some smaller local-island guesthouses are cash-only
- USD cash — carry USD 200 to USD 500 per person for incidentals (tips, local ferries, small purchases on inhabited islands). Crisp bills only, no torn or pre-2009 notes
- UPI — not widely supported. A few resorts experimentally accept UPI for Indian guests via Indian payment partners, but treat it as a bonus, not the primary plan
- Indian rupees — not accepted; exchange to USD at Male airport or before travel
- ATMs — Bank of Maldives ATMs in Male and at MLE airport dispense MVR (occasionally USD). Withdrawal fees with Indian cards are USD 4 to USD 5 per transaction
Resort tipping is not mandatory but expected — USD 5 per night to housekeeping and USD 10 to USD 20 to your butler/dive guide at the end of stay is common. Service charge of 10% is already in your bill, so you are tipping on top.
Frequently asked questions
Do Indians need a visa for the Maldives?
No — Indian passport holders receive a free 30-day Tourist Visa on arrival at Velana International Airport (MLE) in Male. No application, no fee, no embassy visit. Just present passport, return ticket, hotel booking, and the mandatory Imuga Traveller Declaration QR code.
What is the Imuga Traveller Declaration?
Since January 2024, every traveller entering or leaving the Maldives must submit an electronic Traveller Declaration on the Imuga app or imuga.immigration.gov.mv within 96 hours before flight. It is free, takes 10 to 15 minutes, and is mandatory — without it you cannot clear immigration.
What is the Maldives Green Tax for Indian tourists?
The Green Tax is a per-night tourist tax — USD 6 per person per night at resorts and hotels, USD 3 per person per night at guesthouses, free for children under 2. It is collected by your accommodation at checkout, not at immigration.
How long can I stay in the Maldives on the tourist visa?
The initial visa-on-arrival is 30 days. Indian passport holders can extend it for up to a total of 90 days at the Department of Immigration in Male. Extension fee is USD 50 to USD 100 per 30 days. Overstaying triggers fines starting at USD 500.
Do I need to show proof of funds at Male immigration?
Informal benchmark is USD 100 per person per day. Resort guests rarely need to prove this — the prepaid booking is taken as proof. Guesthouse and city-hotel travellers should carry USD 500 to USD 1,500 in cash or have a credit card with verifiable balance.
Can I book a homestay or unregistered accommodation in the Maldives?
No — tourists must stay at registered tourist accommodations (resorts, hotels, guesthouses, or licensed liveaboards). Informal stays with local families are not permitted for tourist visa holders. Officers verify your booking is at a registered property before stamping you in.