Latest news: Government of Maldives bans travel from South Asia (Al Jazeera, 12.05.2021). Non-essential travel between some islands will be banned starting 4 May because of COVID-19 (Xinhua, 03.05.2021).
International Restrictions:
*Screening on arrival: Maldives reopened its borders on 15 July 2020. Effective from 16 December 2020, all visitors must present a negative PCR test for COVID-19 on arrival to Maldives. The test and negative PCR certificate must be issued no more than 96 hours prior to departure. You should arrange to take a private test. All travellers to the Maldives must fill in a Traveller Health Declaration form 24 hours before departure to and return from the Maldives. All passengers and airline crew need to complete an Immigration Arrival Card when arriving in the Maldives.
Temperature checks and screening procedures will be in place on arrival. Quarantine facilities have been set up to isolate any suspected cases of COVID-19. Travellers presenting symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival will be subjected to a PCR test at the traveller’s cost or at the cost of the tourist facility where the traveller is booked to stay in the Maldives. Additionally, local health authorities may conduct random testing, at no cost to travellers.
*Quarantine requirements: All non-tourist passengers travelling from the UK (includes 12-hour transit) to the Maldives (such as residents, work visa holders and returning students) need to self-isolate for 10 days and register on the Haalubelun portal. During the 10 day quarantine period, visitors must also get tested for Covid-19 after 5 days and again after 10 days.
These requirements do not apply to tourists and the government has said it has no plans to quarantine tourists on arrival.
*Data collection: All visitors to Maldives are encouraged to install the contact tracing application ‘Trace Ekee’ upon or before arrival into the country.
*Testing on departure: Testing services are available in the Maldives for tourists who need COVID-19 test results to return to their countries of origin or another destination.
Internal Restrictions:
*Travel in Maldives: A Public Health Emergency is in place until 3 June 2021. A curfew is in place in the Greater Male’ area from 4pm to 8am. A permit must be obtained through Maldives Police Service for all movements during non-curfew hours. Inter-island travel is restricted to essential needs and medical services only throughout the country. When travelling from Greater Male’ (but not including the airport) to other islands, a negative PCR test must be obtained and there is a mandatory 14 day home quarantine upon arrival at your destination. Use of masks is mandatory while travelling by air and sea.
Tourists can travel between islands and resorts that do not have COVID-19 cases and are not subject to monitoring for COVID-19, but need prior approval for inter-island travel from splitstays@tourism.gov.mv. If you have stayed at a tourist guesthouse (as opposed to a resort island) at any point during your stay in Maldives, you need to conduct a PCR test 72 hours prior to your scheduled departure from Maldives.
*Accommodation: Some resorts reopened to tourists from 15 July. Guesthouses opened in July for local residents on COVID-19 free islands. Guesthouses reopened for tourists from 15 October.
*Public places and services: Social distancing measures are in place. Public and mass gatherings are banned throughout the Greater Male’ region, including parties and rallies. A distance of three feet must be maintained with others when going out, and groups of no more than 5 are allowed outside. Use of masks is mandatory on all inhabited islands when going out in public. Public spaces such as parks or sports grounds in the Greater Male’ area are closed.