All nations are given a tourist visa upon arrival in the Maldives. Therefore, a foreigner visiting the Maldives for vacation does not need to have their visa application approved in advance. The individual must, however, meet the minimal entrance criteria to get immigration clearance when they arrive. In the Maldives, there are more visa categories depending on the reason for travel, including employment, business, marriage, and dependent visas.
Reasons for Maldives visa denials
The following are grounds for the denial of visas in the Maldives:
Passport without the MRZ
All individuals requesting visas for the Maldives must possess a passport or other travel document with a Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ). The passport must be valid for at least one month. If these conditions are not satisfied, the visa will be rejected.
Lack of evidence of accommodations
Additionally, applicants for visas must provide documentation proving their housing arrangements in the country. Your visa will be rejected if you cannot demonstrate that you will have a place to stay when you arrive. This may be a letter of invitation from a friend or family if you’ll be staying with them, or it might be a pre-paid hotel reservation.
Lack of evidence of adequate cash
You must have enough money to endure for the duration of your desired stay before you may enter the country. A visa application will be rejected if this assurance cannot be shown. This entails presenting your bank statements or if you’re traveling to the Maldives as a dependent, the bank statements of your sponsor.
No further or return tickets
To demonstrate that you intend to leave when your visa expires, you must also be able to provide confirmed onward or return tickets to your home country or your place of residency. For your Maldives visa to be granted, the nation you want to travel to after leaving the country must issue you a visa.
Failure to fill the traveler’s declaration
Within 96 hours of the flight time, all passengers flying to or from the Maldives must complete and submit a Traveler Declaration form. The form must be submitted online through IMUGA. The visa will be refused if this declaration is not completed.
No proof of immunization against yellow fever
If applicants are coming from nations where yellow fever is a danger, they must submit proof of their yellow fever vaccine. Your visa will be rejected if this certificate isn’t provided.
Not having the necessary passport picture
Passport photos must be current and adhere to Maldives Immigration passport picture standards. The visa application is rejected as a consequence of the passport picture not being up to par.
Not in good health
Candidates should go through a medical examination and acquire a medical health screening given by a hospital or clinic that has been approved by the appropriate government agency. This demonstrates that the candidate is healthy and won’t have any negative health effects in the country. Before submitting a visa application, an expatriate should enroll for the Expatriate Medical Insurance provided by Allied Insurance Company. If you don’t follow them, your visa will be denied.
There is no proof of a connection
Those who go to the Maldives based on a connection with a citizen of the country must be able to provide documentation of such a relationship. The visa would not be issued if this evidence was not provided. For instance, a copy of the country citizen’s identification card must be submitted with the original and a copy of the marriage certificate between the foreign national and the national of the country. This also applies to visitors who are dependents of residents of the country. To establish the link between the sponsor and the dependent, documentation of the dependent status, such as a marriage license or birth certificate, must be provided.