Maldives
Phone Code
+960
Capital
Male
Population
540,000
Native Name
Maldives
Region
Asia
Southern Asia
Timezone
Maldives Time
UTC+05:00
On This Page
The Maldives is an archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean made up of 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 ring-shaped atolls and stretching some 800 km north to south, southwest of Sri Lanka and India. It is the world's lowest country by elevation — average ground level around 1.5 m above sea level, with the highest natural point at 2.4 m on Vilingili Island — and an internationally recognised voice on climate adaptation and sea-level resilience. The capital, Malé, is one of the most densely populated cities on the planet, packed onto a 2-square-kilometre island; it is connected to the international airport island of Hulhumalé by the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge (2018) and serves as the main hub for transfers to the resort and guesthouse islands. The roughly 540,000 inhabitants are Sunni Muslim — Islam is the state religion and Maldivian citizenship is constitutionally tied to it — and speak Dhivehi, an Indo-Aryan language related to Sinhala. English is widely used in tourism, government and business, the legacy of the British protectorate that ended in 1965. Tourism, the country's main industry, follows a distinctive 'one island, one resort' model: each tourist resort is built on its own dedicated island, while the inhabited 'local' islands keep traditional Maldivian Muslim life largely separate. Since the 2009 reforms, locally run guesthouse islands (Maafushi, Hulhumalé, Gulhi, Dhigurah, Fulidhoo, Thoddoo) have opened a more affordable, culturally-engaged side of the country alongside the famous high-end overwater-villa resorts. Visitors come for the world-class reef and atoll diving — manta rays in Hanifaru Bay, whale sharks year-round in South Ari, the wrecks and channels of North Malé — overwater villas, surf breaks in the central atolls (Cokes, Sultans, Pasta Point), liveaboard cruises through the atolls, kite-surfing seasons, and one of the most consistent warm-water beach destinations in the world.
Visa Requirements for Maldives
The Maldives operates one of the most open visa policies in the world: a free 30-day tourist visa on arrival is granted to citizens of every country, with no advance application, no fee and no nationality-based discrimination. The visa is stamped at immigration on arrival at Velana International Airport (MLE) on Hulhulé island, opposite Malé, and takes 5–10 minutes to issue. Requirements are straightforward: a passport valid for at least one month from the date of arrival (most resorts and airlines insist on six months as a precaution), a confirmed booking at a registered resort, hotel or guesthouse for the duration of the stay, sufficient funds (around USD 100–150 per day, demonstrable by card or cash if asked) and a return or onward ticket. The mandatory IMUGA online traveller declaration must be completed within 96 hours before arrival at imuga.immigration.gov.mv — a short health and accommodation form that has replaced the paper arrival card. Extensions to a total of 90 days are available at the Department of Immigration in Malé before the 30-day visa expires for an additional fee. A separate Green Tax (currently USD 6 per person per night at guesthouses on inhabited islands and USD 12 at resorts) is charged via the accommodation. The Maldives does not issue tourist visas in advance abroad — every visitor comes in on the visa-on-arrival, regardless of nationality. The system is engineered around tourism, which generates roughly two-thirds of foreign-exchange earnings.
Common Visa Types
Free Visa on Arrival (30 Days)
Tourism for citizens of every country in the world — the Maldives' universal visa-free-on-arrival policy is the most open in tourism.
Visa Extension (Up to 90 Days Total)
Tourists wishing to extend their stay beyond the initial 30 days, to a maximum of 90 days in country.
Resort, Marine & Diving Work Permit
Long-term work at resorts, dive centres, surf camps, liveaboards and tourism services — the largest non-Maldivian workforce category in the country.
Business & Special-Purpose Visa
Short business visits, technical assignments, conferences, investor visits and other non-tourist purposes that go beyond the standard 30-day tourist visa.
Important Travel Information
Travel Guide
The Maldives is built around a few clear travel formats — a high-end resort week on a single island, a budget guesthouse-island stay around Malé Atoll, a liveaboard dive cruise across the central atolls, or a surf trip to the central atoll breaks — and each is surprisingly different in feel and cost. The classic format is the resort week: a private uninhabited island with one resort (50–250 villas), overwater bungalows, in-house dive and watersports centres and full-board or all-inclusive packages, reached by speedboat (15–60 minutes) or seaplane (30–50 minutes) from Velana International Airport (MLE). The most established resort areas are North and South Malé Atolls (closest to MLE, fast speedboat access), Baa Atoll (UNESCO biosphere reserve, manta-ray hotspot Hanifaru Bay), Ari Atoll (whale sharks year-round in the south), Lhaviyani and Raa atolls in the north, and the southern Addu Atoll near Gan international airport (GAN). Since 2009 the legalisation of guesthouses on inhabited islands has opened a much more affordable Maldives — Maafushi, Gulhi, Dhigurah, Fulidhoo, Hulhumalé, Thoddoo and Rasdhoo all have local guesthouses with day trips to sandbanks, snorkel safaris, dolphin cruises and short dive packages, at a fraction of resort prices, with the cultural compromise that bikinis are restricted to designated tourist beaches and alcohol is unavailable on local islands. Diving is the country's signature: manta rays at Hanifaru Bay (May–November), whale sharks year-round in South Ari Atoll, the channels and reef hooks of North Malé and Vaavu, and the wrecks of Hulhumale and Maaya Thila. Surfers come for Cokes, Sultans, Pasta Point and Honkys in the central atolls (April–October). Liveaboards (3–10 day cruises) connect the more remote atolls — Fuvahmulah for tiger and thresher sharks, Laamu and Gaafu Alifu for less-visited reefs — and combine diving with island visits. Malé itself is worth a half-day stop for the Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy), the National Museum and Local Market en route to or from your resort transfer. Cuisine — mas huni breakfast (tuna, coconut, lime), garudhiya tuna broth, fihunu mas grilled reef fish, and Sri-Lankan-influenced curries — is a quieter discovery alongside the international resort menus.
Ways to Experience This Destination
The Maldives' signature: a single resort on its own private uninhabited island, overwater villas with direct lagoon access, in-house dive and watersports centres, several restaurants and a spa. Resorts range from family-friendly five-star (Anantara, Constance, Conrad, Soneva, Six Senses, Waldorf Astoria) to ultra-luxury all-villa retreats. Most are in North/South Malé Atoll (15–60 min speedboat), Ari, Baa, Lhaviyani or Raa atolls (30–50 min seaplane); a few sit in the far south near Addu Atoll's Gan airport. Honeymoon, anniversary and dive-couple market.
World-class diving across the atolls: manta rays in Hanifaru Bay (Baa Atoll, May–November), whale sharks year-round in South Ari Atoll, channel and reef-hook diving in North Malé and Vaavu, the Fuvahmulah outer atoll for tiger and thresher sharks, the wrecks of Hulhumale and Maaya Thila. Most resorts run their own dive centres with two-tank trips daily. Liveaboard cruises (3–10 days) reach the remote atolls and combine the country's best sites in one trip. Best visibility December–April; manta and whale-shark season concentrate June–November.
Since 2009 locally run guesthouses on inhabited islands have opened a much more affordable Maldives: Maafushi (closest to Malé, large guesthouse scene, popular with Indian and European budget travellers), Dhigurah (whale-shark base in South Ari), Gulhi, Fulidhoo, Hulhumalé, Thoddoo (the only inhabited island with watermelon farms), Rasdhoo. Day trips to sandbanks, snorkelling with mantas and whale sharks, dolphin cruises and short dive packages at a fraction of resort prices. Bikinis on designated 'tourist beaches' only, no alcohol on the islands themselves (alcohol-cruise day boats moored offshore are the standard workaround).
The Maldives' surf season runs April to October, with the swells hitting the central atolls — Cokes and Sultans in North Malé, Pasta Point and Honkys near Lohifushi, Chickens, Jails, Ninjas and Ghosts spread through the central reefs. Resort surf packages (Cinnamon Dhonveli holds Pasta Point exclusivity), guesthouse-based surf trips from Maafushi and Thulusdhoo, and dedicated surf-charter boats serve the season. Reef breaks, warm water, no crowds compared with Bali or Mentawais, and a notably consistent shoulder season.
Liveaboard dive and snorkel boats (typically 3–10 nights) are the most efficient way to reach multiple atolls in one trip — the central Ari, Baa, Lhaviyani and Vaavu circuits for mantas, whale sharks and reef channels; the southern circuits for Fuvahmulah's tiger and thresher sharks; the remote far-north circuits in Haa Alifu and Haa Dhaalu. Dhoni-style and modern motor-yacht boats cover everything from budget to luxury. Standard package: 14–20 dives per week with a tender boat for site access, plus island-village stops and uninhabited-island lunches.
Most travellers transit Malé on the airport speedboat, but a half-day stop is worth the time: the 17th-century Friday Mosque (Hukuru Miskiy) carved from coral stone (UNESCO tentative list), the National Museum in Sultan Park, the Malé Local Market and the Friday afternoon waterfront. Cuisine — mas huni (tuna, coconut, lime, onion) for breakfast, garudhiya (clear tuna broth) with rice, fihunu mas (chilli-grilled reef fish), and Sri-Lankan-influenced curries — runs alongside the international resort menus and is a quieter discovery on the guesthouse islands.
Money & Currency
Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR), US Dollar (USD)
Currency code: MVR
Practical Money Tips
US Dollar (USD) is the primary tourist currency — resort bills, diving, excursions, and liveaboards are all priced in USD; Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) used in Malé and local island guesthouses
The Maldives operates a two-tier currency system for tourists. The Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) is the official currency, but the US Dollar is the de facto currency for all resort and tourist spending — accommodation, diving packages, water sports, spa treatments, boat excursions, and inter-island transfers are typically priced in USD. EUR is accepted at most resorts but usually at a less favourable rate than USD. MVR is essential for local island life: Malé city markets, guesthouses on budget islands (Maafushi, Thulusdhoo, Huraa), and the island ferry service. Currency exchange is available at Bank of Maldives (BML) and HSBC Maldives in Malé, and at resort front desks (at worse rates). Approximate rates: 1 USD ≈ MVR 15.5–16.0 (relatively stable, pegged to USD).
ATMs available in Malé and at most resort islands — Bank of Maldives is the main network; local island guesthouses are cash-dependent; withdraw USD before inter-atoll transfers or remote island stays
Bank of Maldives (BML) ATMs dispense both USD and MVR in Malé and at most inhabited resort islands. HSBC has a limited presence in Malé. The Male ferry terminal and Velana International Airport also have ATMs. Most large resort islands (Velaa Private Island, Soneva, Anantara) have ATMs or front desks that dispense USD. Local budget islands (Maafushi, Thulusdhoo, Fulidhoo) typically have one BML ATM each — these can run out of currency. Remote outer atolls (Laamu, Addu, Haa) have minimal banking infrastructure. Strategy: withdraw sufficient USD in Malé or at your resort before visiting remote areas or hopping between local islands. Foreign card fees: approximately MVR 25–50 (USD 1.50–3) per transaction.
Cards accepted at all resorts — Visa, Mastercard, and Amex standard; Apple Pay and Google Pay work at NFC-enabled resort terminals; cash needed for local island markets, guesthouses, and ferry tickets
Visa and Mastercard are accepted at all resort hotels, dive centres, and spas. American Express is widely accepted at five-star resorts. Apple Pay and Google Pay work at NFC terminals in premium resorts (Soneva, Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria Maldives, COMO Maldives). Local island guesthouses and shops on budget islands (Maafushi) accept card less reliably — bring USD cash for guesthouse check-outs, local meals at island restaurants, and inter-island speedboat tickets. No alcohol is available on local islands (Islamic country) — alcohol is served exclusively at resort islands and costs significantly more than in mainland restaurants.
Resort pricing is premium; local islands are affordable — resort room USD 200–800+/night; local island guesthouse USD 40–100; island restaurant meal MVR 80–200 (USD 5–13); speedboat transfer USD 20–80; resort spa USD 120–300/treatment
The Maldives has a vast price range. Resort accommodation is among the world's most expensive: overwater villas at top resorts (Niyama, Conrad, Cheval Blanc) run USD 800–3,000+ per night. Budget-conscious travellers stay on local guesthouses on inhabited islands (Maafushi, Huraa): USD 40–100/night with excellent snorkelling nearby. Local island meals (tuna-based Maldivian food, short eats, hedhikaa): MVR 80–200 per person. Resort buffet dinners: USD 80–150 per person. Speedboat transfer between local islands: USD 20–50. Seaplane transfers (for remote resort atolls): USD 300–600 per person one way. Resort diving: USD 60–100 per dive. Tipping: USD 1–2/day for housekeeping; USD 5–10 for diving instructors; optional but appreciated at all resort staff interactions.
Note: Always check current exchange rates before traveling. Currency exchange is available at airports, banks, and authorized money changers.
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