Passportly

South Asia · ordinary Indian passport, tourism

MaldivesVisa on arrival

How long you can stay

30 days per visit

Checked 16 August 2026 · 7 official sources

Visa at a glance

Visa fee
Free
Entries
Not stated
Extendable
Yes
Passport validity
1 month

On the day you enter

What you need to enter

  • Return or onward ticket

    Required

  • Proof of accommodation

    Required

  • Proof of funds

    Required

    No published figure. The Act requires proof of "sufficient funds for daily subsistence and accommodation" for the period of stay; Maldives Immigration accepts a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility in its place.

  • Travel insurance

    Not stated

  • Blank passport pages

    Not stated

  • Vaccinations

    Yellow fever certificate, only if arriving from or transiting a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Travelling directly from India it does not apply. Children under 1 year are exempt.

  • Arrival form

    Required

    https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/traveller

“Not stated” means no official source we checked addresses it either way — not that it is unnecessary. Carry it if in doubt.

When to go

Pick a month to see what the weather actually does.

Each month shows the best of Maldives's 3 regions — the region is named with it. Peak season is December, January, February, March, April — expect higher prices and crowds.

JanuaryPeak season

Excellent in Northern atolls · the best month to go

Average
28°C
Rainfall
45mm
Rain days
3

Peak dry season and peak prices. The northern atolls are at their best; the south is having its wettest stretch, so book north or central if you are going now.

  • Central atolls: Good · 28°C · 114mm over 6 days
  • Northern atolls: Excellent · 28°C · 45mm over 3 days
  • Southern atolls: Fair · 28°C · 234mm over 12 days

Where you go changes the answer

How Maldives's regions differ, and when it matters

The Maldives is 820km long from north to south, and the grid above rates all three groups of atolls rather than averaging them. Temperature is effectively constant everywhere — every station sits between 30°C and 32.6°C by day in every month of the year — so the only variable that matters is rain, and it varies a great deal by latitude. The northern atolls have a real dry season: Hanimaadhoo averages 34–59mm across January to April, on 3 to 5 rainy days a month. The southern atolls barely have one: Gan records 110mm or more in every month and rain on at least 9 days, because it sits close to the equator where the monsoon reverses with little pause. Malé and the central atolls, where most resorts and nearly all Indian arrivals are, sit between the two. Two practical consequences. Resort islands are single islands with no shelter or alternative, so a wet week is felt more sharply than it would be on a mainland beach. And because the difference is rain rather than heat, an off-season trip is not spoiled — it is cheaper, greener, and the diving is often better, with the caveat that seas are rougher and speedboat transfers can be cancelled.

What it costs

₹₹₹ · per person per day

  • BudgetHostels, street food, public transport
    ₹6,000
  • Mid-range3-star hotels, restaurants, some activities
    ₹18,000
  • Luxury4–5 star hotels, private transport, experiences
    ₹85,000

Excludes international flights. Our estimate, not an official figure — reviewed 16 August 2026. A typical trip runs 4–7 days.

Where to go

  • Maafushi

    The local island that opened the Maldives to travellers who are not on a resort budget. Guesthouses, a designated bikini beach, and day trips to sandbanks and dive sites for a fraction of resort prices. About 90 minutes by speedboat from Malé.

  • Malé

    One of the most densely populated cities in the world, packed onto two square kilometres. The fish market, the coral-stone Hukuru Miskiy and the Maldives National Museum fill a half-day between flights, and it is the one place you see the country as somewhere people live rather than visit.

  • Baa Atoll

    A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and home to Hanifaru Bay, where manta rays and whale sharks gather to feed between May and November. Snorkelling there is permit-controlled and time-limited, which is why it still works.

  • Ari Atoll

    The most established diving atoll, with a resident whale shark population in the south year-round and a long list of manta cleaning stations. A good choice if the diving matters more than the villa.

  • Addu Atoll

    The far south, connected by causeways so you can actually cycle between islands — unusual in a country of separate islands. The British-era RAF Gan base, the wreck of the British Loyalty, and far fewer visitors than the central atolls.

The full rules

Everything official, quoted rather than summarised.

The detail

Conditions in full, fees, entries, and extending your stay
  • The 30 days are free and granted on arrival. Section 10(b) of the Immigration Act states a visitor "may remain in the Maldives for a period not exceeding 30 days from the date of entry of that visit, without the payment of any fees".
  • This is a visa granted at the border, not a visa waiver. Maldives Immigration's wording is "Tourist visa is granted on arrival to the Maldives" and "a foreigner travelling to Maldives as a tourist does not require pre-approval for the visa". There is nothing to apply for and nothing to pay before you fly.
  • The 30 days is a maximum, not a guarantee. The Act frames it as "not exceeding" 30 days, and immigration officers decide admissibility at the border under Sections 7 and 8.
  • You must complete the IMUGA Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before your flight, both arriving and departing. It is free. Maldives Immigration warns that sites charging for it are not official — use imuga.immigration.gov.mv only.
  • Entry can be refused under Section 8(a)(1) of the Act to anyone "unable to prove that they have sufficient funds for daily subsistence and accommodation for their period of stay". In practice a prepaid resort or guesthouse booking satisfies this.
  • Every visitor must have a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered tourist facility. The Maldives does not permit tourists to arrive without accommodation arranged, and resort islands are private property reached by the resort's own transfer.
  • A per-guest, per-night Green Tax is charged on tourist accommodation and is separate from the visa. The President's Office describes it as "taken from every guest for every day of their stay, at tourist resorts, integrated tourist resorts, resort hotels, hotels, tourist guesthouses, tourist vessels". We could not read the current rate from an official source in this session — the tax authority's site is behind a browser challenge — so no figure is published here. Budget for it and confirm with your accommodation.
  • The MVR 750 extension fee comes from the Annex to the 2007 Act as published in English by Maldives Immigration. A second amendment (2020) and a third (2025) exist but are published only in Dhivehi, so we cannot confirm the fee has not been revised. Treat it as indicative and confirm before relying on it.
  • Entry is not granted on Israeli passports, under the third amendment to the Immigration Act, effective 15 April 2025. This does not affect Indian passport holders and is recorded only because it is the one nationality rule the Maldives publishes.
Extending your stay
Possible. Section 10(c) of the Immigration Act gives the Controller of Immigration and Emigration discretion to let a visitor remain for up to 90 days from the date of entry — so an extension buys a further 60 days on top of the free 30, not a fresh 90. It is discretionary, not an entitlement, and the fee in the Act's Annex must be paid. Applications are made after you arrive, through the IMUGA portal.
Number of entries
Not stated by official sources.
Visa fee
Free.
Cost of extending
  • Up to 90 days total from arrival — MVR 750

Charged by the destination in MVR, at the counter that grants the extension.

Common questions

Do Indians need a visa for Maldives?
Indian ordinary passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival to visit Maldives for tourism. Last checked 16 August 2026.
How long can Indians stay in Maldives?
30 days per entry in Maldives.
How long must my passport be valid to enter Maldives?
Your passport must be valid for at least 1 month on the date you enter Maldives. Renew before you travel if it expires sooner.
Do I need to fill in an arrival form for Maldives?
Yes. Maldives requires an arrival form from travellers before they arrive, separately from any visa. Submit it at https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/traveller before you travel.
How much money do I need to show to enter Maldives?
Officials may ask you to show funds on arrival. No published figure. The Act requires proof of "sufficient funds for daily subsistence and accommodation" for the period of stay; Maldives Immigration accepts a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility in its place.
When is the best time to visit Maldives?
January, February, March, April, June and December. These ratings are based on climate normals measured at Malé, Hanimaadhoo, Gan, Addu Atoll. Maldives has more than one climate — a month counts as good if any region is, so check the month-by-month breakdown to see which one before booking.
How much does a trip to Maldives cost per day?
Roughly ₹6,000 per day on a budget, ₹18,000 mid-range, or ₹85,000 for luxury travel — per person, excluding international flights. Estimated 16 August 2026.

Sources

Every visa fact on this page comes from one of these. Verified by Rahul Chhabrani on 16 August 2026.

  1. Maldives Immigration — Tourist Visa (On Arrival): granted on arrival, no pre-approval, entry requirements

    Government · read 16 August 2026 · source last updated 27 August 2025

  2. The Maldives Immigration Act (Law No. 1/2007), English text published by Maldives Immigration — Section 10 tourist visa, Section 8 entry conditions, Annex fees

    Government · read 16 August 2026

  3. IMUGA — Traveller Declaration: mandatory for all travellers, within 96 hours of the flight, free of charge

    Government · read 16 August 2026

  4. President's Office — ratification of the 14th amendment to the Maldives Tourism Act, describing Green Tax as charged per guest per day of stay

    Government · read 16 August 2026 · source last updated 5 November 2024

  5. WMO World Weather Information Service — Malé climate normals (Maldives Meteorological Service)

    Intergovernmental · read 16 August 2026

  6. WMO World Weather Information Service — Hanimaadhoo climate normals, used for the northern atolls zone

    Intergovernmental · read 16 August 2026

  7. WMO World Weather Information Service — Gan (Addu Atoll) climate normals, used for the southern atolls zone

    Intergovernmental · read 16 August 2026

Before you book

This page covers ordinary Indian passports, for tourism only. Rules for business, study, transit and diplomatic or official passports differ and are not covered here.

Visa rules change without notice. Everything here was checked against official sources on 16 August 2026. The final decision on entry always rests with immigration officers at the border. Confirm with the embassy before booking anything non-refundable.

See the 7 sources behind this page →