Maldives travel guide: visas, taxes, transfers and when to go

🏝️ OVERVIEW

The Maldives is a country of about 1,200 coral islands spread across 26 natural atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-west of India and Sri Lanka. It is best known for its reefs, lagoons and island resorts, but since guesthouses opened on local islands, it has also become possible to visit on a much smaller budget. Readers of the American travel magazine Travel + Leisure ranked the Maldives the world's second-best island destination in 2026, behind Koh Samui in Thailand.

📋 QUICK FACTS

✅ Capital: Malé

✅ Language: Dhivehi, with English widely spoken in tourism

✅ Religion: Islam

✅ Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR); US dollars widely accepted at resorts

✅ Main airport: Velana International Airport (MLE), on Hulhulé next to Malé

✅ Visa: free 30-day tourist visa on arrival for all nationalities

✅ Green tax: USD 12 a night at resorts, USD 6 at small guesthouses

✅ Best months: December to April for the calmest, sunniest weather

✈️ GETTING THERE

Most visitors arrive at Velana International Airport, which has direct flights from the Middle East, Asia and Europe and many one-stop connections through hubs such as Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Colombo and Singapore. This winter, Qatar Airways is moving to three daily Doha–Malé flights from 25 October, and Virgin Atlantic's direct London service returns on 27 October.

🛂 ENTRY RULES

Maldives Immigration grants a tourist visa on arrival, with no need to apply in advance. Visitors need a machine-readable passport valid for at least one month, a confirmed return or onward ticket, a confirmed prepaid booking at a registered tourist establishment or proof of enough money for the stay, and must meet the entry rules of their next destination. Every traveller must also complete the free Traveller Declaration on the official IMUGA portal (imuga.immigration.gov.mv) within 96 hours before their flight. Immigration warns that some websites charge for this form, but it is free on the official portal. Since 15 April 2025, entry is not granted on Israeli passports.

💵 TAXES AND FEES

Since 1 January 2025, the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority charges a green tax of USD 12 per person per night at resorts, tourist hotels, liveaboard vessels and large guesthouses, and USD 6 per night at guesthouses on inhabited islands with 50 rooms or fewer. Children under two are exempt. Foreign passengers leaving by economy class also pay a USD 50 departure tax and a USD 50 airport development fee, which airlines normally include in the ticket price. Resorts and guesthouses also add a service charge and Tourism Goods and Services Tax to bills.

🚤 GETTING AROUND

Each resort arranges its own transfers from the airport. Resorts in North and South Malé atolls are usually reached by speedboat, while those further away are reached by seaplane or by a domestic flight followed by a boat. Seaplanes fly only in daylight, so late-night arrivals at distant resorts may need a night in Malé or Hulhumalé. Guesthouse islands are reached by speedboat, domestic flight or the slower and much cheaper public ferry.

☀️ WHEN TO GO

The Maldives is warm all year, generally between about 26 and 31 degrees Celsius. The dry north-east monsoon, roughly December to April, brings the calmest seas and most sunshine and is the busiest and most expensive season. The south-west monsoon, roughly May to November, brings more rain, wind and short storms, but also lower prices, and some of the best surf and manta ray sightings.

🕌 LOCAL CUSTOMS

The Maldives is a Muslim country, and the rules differ between resort islands and local islands. On local islands, alcohol is not available, visitors are asked to dress modestly away from the beach, and swimwear such as bikinis should be worn only on designated tourist beaches. Public displays of affection are frowned upon. Bringing alcohol, pork products or religious material for proselytising into the country is not allowed, and bags are scanned at the airport. Resorts are licensed to serve alcohol, and resort dress codes are relaxed.

🏨 RESORTS OR GUESTHOUSES

Resorts each occupy their own island and are generally all-inclusive in practice, since there is nowhere else to eat. Water villas, house reefs and private transfers come at a high price. Guesthouses on local islands such as Maafushi, Thoddoo, Dhigurah or Fulidhoo cost far less and give visitors a view of everyday Maldivian life, with excursions to sandbanks, reefs and nearby resorts for a day visit. Many travellers now combine a few nights on a local island with a stay at a resort.

🤿 THINGS TO DO

Snorkelling and diving are the main attractions, with reef sharks, turtles, manta rays and, in South Ari Atoll, whale sharks. Other popular trips include sandbank picnics, sunset dolphin cruises, night fishing and surfing in the atolls near Malé. In Malé itself, visitors can see the Old Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy), the National Museum and Sultan Park, and the fish and fruit markets near the harbour.

💳 MONEY AND PRACTICAL TIPS

Cards are accepted at resorts and most guesthouses, and US dollars are widely used, but rufiyaa is useful for small purchases on local islands. Power sockets are mostly the British three-pin type. Friday is the weekly day of rest, when many shops and offices in Malé close for prayers.