Maldives Visa for Indians 2026: Visa on Arrival and IMUGA

Indians don't apply for a Maldives visa in advance: Maldives Immigration grants a tourist visa on arrival with no pre-approval, and every traveller, children included, files a free IMUGA Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before landing. Our Maldives trips from Ahmedabad run from ₹44,999 to ₹1,19,999 per person with return flights (prices checked 16 Oct 2026).

Each of our four Maldives trips includes return flights from Ahmedabad, a prepaid stay with daily breakfast, speedboat or seaplane transfers and the listed experiences, so the confirmed return ticket and prepaid booking that immigration asks for are part of the package. We handle the visa steps where they apply. GST and TCS are shown in your written quote.

Prices checked 16 Oct 2026 from our live trip pages. Visa rules checked with Maldives Immigration (immigration.gov.mv) in October 2026.

Do Indians need a visa for the Maldives?

Not in advance. Maldives Immigration's tourist visa page (updated 10 Sep 2026, checked October 2026) says a tourist visa is granted on arrival and no pre-approval is needed. You still have to meet the entry conditions, and the page is clear that a complete itinerary does not guarantee entry: the immigration officer at the airport decides.

What do you need to get the visa on arrival?

Have these ready at the immigration counter in Male. All of them come from the Maldives Immigration tourist visa page, checked October 2026.

1. A passport with a machine-readable zone, the two lines of code at the foot of the photo page, valid for at least one month. A passport whose validity has been extended is not accepted, so renew rather than extend. Our trip pages ask for six months' validity, which leaves a margin.
2. A complete travel itinerary, including confirmed return tickets.
3. A prepaid, confirmed booking at a registered facility, such as a resort or a registered guesthouse.
4. Enough money for your stay, or a sponsorship approved by Maldives Immigration. The page does not give an amount.
5. The entry documents for wherever you fly next, if you are not going straight home.
6. A valid yellow fever vaccination certificate, but only if you are arriving from, or have recently travelled through, a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission. Check before booking whether your route counts; children under one are exempt.

For most families flying from Ahmedabad and back on one booking, items 2 and 3 are covered by the package itself. Carry them on your phone and on paper.

What is the IMUGA traveller declaration, and when do you file it?

IMUGA is the Maldives Immigration portal, at imuga.immigration.gov.mv. Every foreign visitor fills in a Traveller Declaration there before arriving.

• When: up to 96 hours (4 days) before you land. Filing it too early won't work, so set a reminder for three days before your flight.
• Who: each traveller files separately, including children and babies.
• Cost: nothing. Maldives Immigration says the form is free, and warns that some websites and individuals have charged for it; use only the official portal.
• What to have ready: your passport, your flight details and your hotel or resort booking.

On our trips we handle the visa steps where they apply, so ask your trip captain to go through the declarations with you before you fly.

How long can you stay, and is there a fee?

The Maldives Immigration pages we opened in October 2026 do not state a fee for the visa on arrival, or the number of days granted. Confirm both before you book, because travel sites quote figures that the official pages don't.

What is official: a tourist visa can be extended, and from 23 Apr 2026 extensions are applied for through the IMUGA portal, with a passport-size photo taken within the last 12 months, and are expected to be completed within 48 hours (Maldives Immigration news, 24 Apr 2026).

Our trips run 4 or 5 days, so the length of stay is rarely a question. If you want to add nights, tell us and we will check the rule for your dates before we change the booking.

What do children need?

Children need their own passport to enter the Maldives, and each child needs their own IMUGA declaration, filed by a parent. Children under one are exempt from the yellow fever certificate rule.

Our Maldives Family Water-Villa Escape is from ₹1,19,999 per person for 5 days and 4 nights: a family water villa for up to two adults and two children, a kids' club, glass-bottom kayaks and a guided first snorkel on a shallow, sheltered house reef. For two adults that is from ₹2,39,998 before GST and TCS, and the children are priced in your quote by age.

Which bookings and tickets should you carry?

Carry your passport, a copy of each IMUGA declaration, your confirmed return ticket, your prepaid hotel booking and, if you are flying on, the documents for your next country. Our trips exclude travel insurance, and we suggest you buy it.

Every trip below includes the return flights and the prepaid stay that immigration asks to see, as listed on 16 Oct 2026.

For a couple, that is from ₹89,998 on the budget trip, ₹1,09,998 on the long weekend and ₹1,89,998 on the honeymoon, before GST and TCS. The long weekend starting on a Friday uses two days of leave.

Things our trip pages flag

• Seaplanes fly only in daylight, so an arrival before 3pm IST is ideal, and we book the international flights around it.
• Alcohol is served only at resorts. On inhabited islands such as Maafushi, follow the local dress code away from the designated beach.
• For elderly parents, the long weekend and the family water-villa trip involve little walking and no strenuous excursions.

If you want a trip shaped around your own dates and pace, read our guide to customised travel plans, and see the Maldives guide for the islands and resorts.

How we help

We book the return flights, the prepaid stay and the transfers in one written quote, and help you with the IMUGA declarations before you fly. Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will price the trip with GST and TCS shown: start with a message.

Sources, checked October 2026: Maldives Immigration, tourist visa; Maldives Immigration, tourist visa requirements; Maldives Immigration, Traveller Declaration; Maldives Immigration, visa extension news.

FAQs

Do Indians need a visa for the Maldives in 2026? No visa is needed in advance. Maldives Immigration grants a tourist visa on arrival with no pre-approval, if you have a valid passport, confirmed return tickets, a prepaid booking at a registered facility, enough funds and a filed IMUGA declaration (checked October 2026).

Is the Maldives visa on arrival free for Indians? The official Maldives Immigration pages we opened in October 2026 do not state a fee, so check before booking. The IMUGA Traveller Declaration itself is free, and Immigration warns against websites that charge for it.

How many days can Indians stay in the Maldives? The official pages we opened do not state the number of days granted on arrival, so check before booking. Extensions are applied for on the IMUGA portal and, since 23 Apr 2026, are expected to be completed within 48 hours.

When should I fill in the IMUGA form for the Maldives? Within 96 hours (4 days) before you land, on imuga.immigration.gov.mv. Each traveller, including children, files their own declaration, and it is free.

What passport validity do Indians need for the Maldives? Maldives Immigration asks for a machine-readable passport valid for at least one month, and refuses passports with extended validity. Our trip pages ask for six months, to leave a margin.

Do children need their own passport for the Maldives? Yes. Each child needs their own passport and their own IMUGA declaration. Children under one are exempt from the yellow fever certificate rule.