United Kingdom passport → Maldives

Maldives visa for British citizens

Visa on arrival

Visa on arrival · 30 days

British citizens need a visa for the Maldives, but can get it on arrival, for stays of up to 30 days. Tourists get a free 30-day visa on arrival with a prepaid hotel booking, return ticket and enough funds. Everyone, including children, files the free IMUGA traveller declaration within 96 hours before arrival.

Official details are shown in English.

Status
Visa on arrival
Max stay
30 days
Last checked
30 October 2026

What it means in practice

30 days is about a month. If you arrive on 1 November 2026, your last legal day is 30 November 2026, because the arrival day is day one. Use the stay calculator for your own dates.

For a longer base you need an extension, if one exists, or a different visa from the start. Repeated back-to-back entries are at the officer's discretion.

How the Maldives counts your stay: 30 days from entry on a tourist visa.

For United Kingdom passports: 30-day tourist visa on arrival.

Before you go

Official details are shown in English.

  • Tourist visa on arrival — Cost: Free; Processing: Issued at immigration on arrival; Validity: From the date of entry; Stay: 30 days; can be extended to a total of 90 days. Apply on the official site
  • IMUGA Traveller Declaration — Up to 96 hours (4 days) before arrival; a declaration is also filed within 96 hours before departure; Free. Mandatory electronic form on the official IMUGA portal. Each traveller, including children, needs their own declaration; show it at immigration on arrival. Official site
  • Prepaid accommodation and return ticket — Before departure; Depends on bookings. Immigration requires a prepaid booking at a registered tourist facility, a confirmed return ticket and enough money for the stay (or a sponsorship approved by Maldives Immigration). Official site

At the border

Official details are shown in English.

  • Machine-readable passport valid for at least 1 month; damaged passports and passports with extended validity are not accepted
  • IMUGA traveller declaration for each traveller
  • Prepaid accommodation booking, confirmed return ticket and sufficient funds
  • Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a country with risk of transmission
  • Importing alcohol, pork, idols for worship, non-Islamic religious materials, weapons and e-cigarettes is prohibited

How to avoid overstaying

  • Go by your stamp or visa. The date the officer gives you is the one that counts, even if it is shorter than the maximum.
  • Plan to leave a day or two early. With 30 days, book your exit before the last legal day so a cancelled flight doesn't push you over.
  • Extend before you run out. A tourist visa can be extended up to a total stay of 90 days through Maldives Immigration.
  • Penalties. Our data does not list the overstay penalty for the Maldives. Ask the immigration authority before you risk it: fines, deportation and entry bans are common elsewhere.

Good to know

Official details are shown in English.

  • Departure tax of USD 50 is due before an international flight; it is usually included in the airfare.
  • Visiting uninhabited islands or islands outside the tourism zone requires permission from the Maldivian authorities.

Questions

Do British citizens need a visa for the Maldives?

British citizens need a visa for the Maldives, but can get it on arrival, for stays of up to 30 days.

How long can British citizens stay in the Maldives?

Up to 30 days, according to Bordr's data. 30 days from entry on a tourist visa.

Can I extend my stay in the Maldives?

A tourist visa can be extended up to a total stay of 90 days through Maldives Immigration.

What do I need at the border in the Maldives?

Machine-readable passport valid for at least 1 month; damaged passports and passports with extended validity are not accepted; IMUGA traveller declaration for each traveller; Prepaid accommodation booking, confirmed return ticket and sufficient funds.

When was this checked?

Bordr last checked the entry rules for the Maldives against official sources on 30 October 2026. Rules change: confirm with the official source before you travel.

Sources and last check

Entry rules for this destination were last checked against official sources on 30 October 2026. Visa-free days come from the passport matrix in the Bordr app, corrected where the official rules differ.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Entry rules change and border officers have the final say. Check the official government source for your destination before you travel.

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