Malé

The Maldives grants every nationality (Mongolians included) a free 30-day tourist visa at the airport. You need a passport with an MRZ valid for more than 1 month, a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered property, a return ticket and sufficient funds. Print your booking or keep it on your phone.

Submit the 'Traveller Declaration' at imuga.immigration.gov.mv within 96 hours before arrival, a separate one for every child and infant. It is free — beware of agent sites that charge a fee. File a departure declaration before leaving too.

Tip: Save the QR code on your phone and check it opens without internet before the flight.

Resort: one island, one hotel, alcohol and bikinis allowed, expensive transfers. Local island (Maafushi, Thulusdhoo, Dhigurah): cheap guesthouses among local people, but no alcohol and modest dress. Resorts usually arrange the transfer (boat or seaplane) themselves — agree your arrival time with the resort before buying flights.

At immigration show your passport, IMUGA QR code, accommodation booking and return ticket. Alcohol, pork, idols of other religions, pornography and drugs are prohibited — bags are X-rayed and alcohol is confiscated.

The public ferry from in front of the airport to Malé takes ≈10 minutes for MVR 15 (MVR 20 before 06:00), every 10–15 minutes by day. A taxi over the Sinamalé Bridge is ≈MVR 70–100 and 15–20 minutes; there is also a bus. Buses and taxis run to Hulhumalé.

A resort representative meets you in arrivals with a name board. Nearby resorts are 20–60 minutes by speedboat; outer atolls are 30–60 minutes by Trans Maldivian seaplane — they fly in daylight only, so if you land in the evening stay overnight in Hulhumalé. Seaplane baggage limits are strict.

Tip: If your flight is late, tell the resort at once — you may miss the last seaplane.

Dhiraagu and Ooredoo have counters in the arrivals hall; register with your passport and choose a tourist pack lasting 7–30 days. Both cover most islands and resorts; Dhiraagu is said to cover remote atolls slightly better.

If your phone supports eSIM, buy an international or operator eSIM before you go and you will be online as soon as you land. Resort Wi-Fi is fine for video calls.

MTCC public ferries leave Malé's Henveiru terminal for local islands: to Maafushi ≈1.5 hours for ≈$2. They don't run on Fridays and leave only once or twice a day, so check the timetable in advance.

Speedboats from the airport or Malé's Jetty 6 to Maafushi take ≈45 minutes for $20–40 per person, daily (Fridays too). Your guesthouse will book it for you. Private boats cost far more.

Malé is small, so you can walk to most places; taxis have fixed, low fares. Buses and taxis cross the Sinamalé Bridge to Hulhumalé. There is no Grab or Uber.

Resorts, guesthouses and boat trips usually price in US dollars and take cards or cash. Bring clean, small-denomination dollar notes. Cafés and shops in Malé and on local islands need rufiyaa — use ATMs at the airport or banks in Malé. Change is often given in rufiyaa.

Quoted prices usually get 17% tourism GST, a 10% service charge and a per-person nightly green tax added ($12 at resorts, $6 at small guesthouses, children under 2 exempt). Check the 'all taxes included' price when booking.

Mas huni (tuna, coconut and onion for breakfast with roshi flatbread), garudhiya (tuna broth), tuna curry and 'short eats' — small fried snacks such as gulha and bajiya. Malé's tea shops (hotaa) are cheap and full of locals.

There is nowhere else to eat on a resort island, so choosing a meal plan in advance (breakfast, half board, full board, all-inclusive) saves money. With children, ask about kids' menus and free-meal deals for kids. Local islands have no alcohol, but fresh juices and coconut water are everywhere.

Currents in the atoll channels are very strong. Snorkel with a buddy and a guide, use a life jacket and keep your distance from dolphins and sharks. Touching or standing on coral and taking shells or coral away is prohibited.

Emergency and police 911 (119 also works), ambulance (Greater Malé) 102, fire and rescue 118, Coast Guard 191, Tourist Police 1478. At a resort, call reception first.

Malé has IGMH and ADK hospitals; patients from remote atolls are moved by boat or seaplane, so get insurance that covers evacuation and diving. Use reef-safe sunscreen and a hat, and drink plenty of water.

In Malé and on local islands cover shoulders and knees. Bikinis and swimwear belong only on marked 'bikini beaches'; some islands fine offenders. Resorts are relaxed. Nude or topless sunbathing is banned everywhere.

Alcohol is served only at resorts and on licensed boats; it is banned on local islands and in Malé and cannot be brought through the airport. Shops and cafés close for Friday midday prayers; during Ramadan avoid eating and drinking in public by day.

IMUGA (arrival and departure declarations), Velana airport flight information, and the Dhiraagu or Ooredoo app (check and top up data). Save your hotel's and boat company's WhatsApp — almost everything in the Maldives is arranged on WhatsApp.

Offline Google Maps, a weather and tide app, and your dive-computer app if you dive. Some places in Malé take QR payments and cards.

Seaplanes fly only in daylight, so returning from a resort before an evening flight may mean several hours of waiting at Velana — the resort sets your schedule. From a local island by public ferry, remember there are no Friday sailings and keep a spare day.

File your departure declaration on IMUGA. The departure tax ($50 in economy) and the airport development fee are already in your ticket, so nothing is paid separately at the airport. Exporting coral, shells or turtle products is prohibited.