Entry rules for the Maldives for Russians in 2025

The best time to visit the Maldives is from December to April. During this period, there is the most sun and the least precipitation. So start planning your vacation, prepare beach looks for photo shoots, and grab tickets to Male. In fact, no other serious preparation will be required, especially concerning visas. We'll tell you what documents you'll need to enter the paradise islands.

Do Russians need a visa for the Maldives?

You won't need to arrange anything in advance: all Russians arriving on the islands are granted a free tourist visa if their stay in the country does not exceed 90 days. So, for a couple of weeks' vacation, this is an ideal destination. Just get your tickets, book a hotel, and you're all set.

However, tourists with an Israeli passport are prohibited from entering the Maldives starting from 15.04.2025.

What documents are needed to enter the Maldives?

• a passport valid for at least 30 days from the date of entry into the country;
• confirmed round-trip air tickets;
• confirmed hotel booking (voucher);
• cash;
• medical insurance policy;
• a completed online health declaration, which we will discuss in more detail below.

How to fill out the Health Declaration

The declaration must be completed no earlier than 96 hours before arriving in the Maldives. This obligation applies to all tourists, even the youngest ones (for whom parents will, of course, fill it out). As a result, you will receive a QR code, which you will need to print or save on your phone, and then present at passport control. We recommend choosing both options in case your phone runs out of battery during the flight.

The declaration is filled out on the website. Step 1 – upload a scan of your passport. If you do this, personal data for subsequent forms will be automatically populated. If you don't have a scan or a readable photo, skip this step by clicking the Skip Upload button.

Step 2 – select the purpose of your visit. The option for tourists is Holiday, leisure and vacation-related travel.

Step 3 – personal data: first name, last name, gender, date of birth, passport number, passport expiry date, nationality, country of residence, email address, mobile phone number. Here you also upload your photo in JPG, JPEG, or PNG format. The file size should not exceed 6 MB.

Step 4 – detailed information about your arrival in the Maldives. Here you need to specify the country from which you are flying to the islands, the arrival airport, the date (from the options – today, tomorrow, day after tomorrow, in 2 days), flight number, booking number, and the number of days you plan to spend in the Maldives.

Next, you will be asked for accommodation details, where you need to specify the name of your hotel or guesthouse. If you plan to stay in several places consecutively, list all of them. The list is very long, so don't scroll, just start typing immediately.

The third part – details of your return flight: departure airport and date, the country you are traveling to from the Maldives.

Step 5 – here you are asked to answer a direct question about health (hooray): "Have you resided in or visited any of the above-mentioned countries within the last 6 days prior to arrival in the Republic of Maldives?" and a long list of African and South American countries where yellow fever occurs. Answer options are yes and no.

Step 6 – customs declaration. Be sure to correctly declare all items to avoid consequences. Here you can also see a list of prohibited items. From the data, you indicate the number of bags checked and answer two questions: "Do you have any prohibited, restricted, or excess items with you?" and "Will you be transporting any prohibited, restricted, or excess items?"

Click the Finish button and receive your unique QR code. The declaration can be corrected if you realize you made a mistake in the data.

Entry rules for children

Children are not allowed to enter the Maldives on a parent's passport; all young tourists must have their own passport. Russian citizens traveling with a minor child must have the child's birth certificate for border control in the Russian Federation. Otherwise, the documents are similar to those for adults.

Which bank cards work in the Maldives

MIR cards do not work, nor do domestic Visa and MasterCard. UnionPay cards from some Russian banks may sometimes work. Foreign bank cards are accepted almost everywhere.

Payment by QR code

But there must be some advantage, right? And there is! A number of hotels in the Maldives accept payments from Russian bank cards via QR code. The process is the same as always: open your bank's app, scan the code, and follow the further instructions. The list of such hotels includes – Jumeirah Maldives, Olhahali Island, Emerald, Cora Cora, Joali Being, Kaani Hotels, Grand Park, Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives, Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives, Kandolhu Maldives, and Waldorf Astoria Maldives.

How to get to the Maldives from Russia

By plane. There are both direct flights and options with layovers.

Aeroflot operates direct flights to Male. This option is not available from other Russian cities. The flight time is about 9 hours.

Flights with layovers can be found from many cities, including St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, and so on. Most often, an intermediate stop needs to be made in the UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah), Bahrain (Manama), Qatar (Doha). Such a flight will take more time, but you can find more affordable tickets or additionally visit another city along the way.