Maldives for Indians: visa on arrival and the IMUGA form, step by step

In short: The Maldives grants a tourist visa on arrival, so you do not apply in advance. You must, however, meet the entry requirements at the airport and submit the free IMUGA Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before arrival. A prepaid booking at a registered facility is one of the requirements, so a resort or guesthouse booking comes first.

The airport checklist

Maldives Immigration says visitors must satisfy the basic entry requirements to get immigration clearance on arrival:

• A passport with a machine-readable zone and at least 1 month's validity. Passports with an extended validity are not accepted.
• A complete itinerary: confirmed return journey tickets, a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility, and sufficient funds for the stay, or a sponsorship approved by Maldives Immigration.
• A yellow fever certificate, only if you arrive from, or recently transited, a risk country. Children under one year are exempt.

The IMUGA Traveller Declaration

• Who: every traveller, including children and minors, with an individual declaration.
• When: within 96 hours before your flight's arrival.
• Cost: free. The site warns about third-party websites that charge a fee.
• Where: imuga.immigration.gov.mv.

Step by step

1. Book a registered facility (resort, hotel or guesthouse) and pay for it in advance.
2. Book return tickets and keep proof of funds.
3. Check your passport: machine-readable, at least 1 month valid.
4. Submit the IMUGA declaration for each traveller within 96 hours of arrival. Save the confirmation.
5. At the airport, show passport, return ticket, booking and funds to get the visa.

Extending your stay

Since 23 April 2026, tourist visa extensions are applied for by logging into the IMUGA portal. Maldives Immigration expects them to be completed within 48 hours. You upload a passport-size photograph taken within the last 12 months. The fee and the maximum extension are not stated in the announcement we read.

What we could not confirm

• The length of the tourist visa and whether it is free: the official page we read gives neither.
• Whether Indians are treated differently: the page says tourists of all nationalities, and does not name India.

How we checked this

We read the Maldives Immigration tourist-visa page, the IMUGA traveller page and the immigration news item of 24 April 2026 on 10 November 2026. Confirm on the official site before you fly. More on our Maldives visa guide.