Photo Credit: Double Dot
The President of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih confirms that the country will reopen its borders from July 15, 2020, with a free 30-day tourist visa on arrival.
As the Maldives prepares for its reopening, the Ministry of Tourism has published a “Guideline for Restarting Tourism in the Maldives”, which unveils the final guideline to recommence tourism in the country. The effort to restart tourism and hospitality sector is much anticipated by the stakeholders with a focus on restoring industry confidence while ensuring health and safety of both tourists and locals.
The final guideline begins with a mandatory training stipulated for resort staffs regarding COVID-19 when the Maldives begins welcoming back tourists.
Booking Accommodation
- A confirmed booking in a tourist establishment registerd with the Ministry of Tourism, prior to travelling to the Maldives is mandatory.
- Tourist resorts, liveaboard vessels and hotels located on uninhabited islands are open for bookings starting from July 15, 2020.
- Guest houses and hotels located on inhabited islands will be open for bookings starting from August 1, 2020.
- However, guest houses and hotels located on inhabited islands will be allowed to accommodate transiting passengers waiting for domestic transfers under special permits. Transit arrangements can be made through the primary facility where the stay is booked.
- Tourists are advised to directly check offers and operational status with the preferred tourist establishments on their websites and mobile apps.
- Tourists who are visiting the Maldives during Phase 1 of opening shall book their entire stay in one registered establishment. Stays at multiple resorts and hotels are not permitted during this period. However, exemptions will be made for transit arrangements.
Entry to the Maldives
- Tourists will not be subject to any quarantine measures upon arrival to the Maldives.
- Tourists will not be required to submit any medical test results for entry to the Maldives. However, travellers presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 upon arrival will be subjected to a PCR test at the traveller’s cost. Additionally, local health authorities may conduct random testing, at no cost to travellers.
- A health declaration card will be required as part of the on-arrival procedure.
Testing services are available in the Maldives for tourists who require the Covid-19 test to return to their country of origin or another destination.
Furthermore, testing services are available in the Maldives for tourists who require COVID-19 test results to return to their countries of origin or another destination.
Regular official updates on travel to the Maldives are provided on the websites of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives.
