Maldives visa for UAE residents: the checklist.
For almost everyone the answer is "no visa to arrange, but not no paperwork". Here is exactly what Maldives Immigration asks for, in the order you will need it.
The visa: a tourist visa is granted on arrival, free, for 30 days. You do not apply in advance.
The form you must not miss: the IMUGA Traveller Declaration, online, within 96 hours before you arrive.
The catch: it depends on your passport, not on living in the UAE.
The checklist
- A passport with a machine-readable zone and at least one month's validity. Check the expiry date before you book, not at the airport.
- A complete itinerary: a confirmed return ticket, a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility (a resort, hotel or guesthouse), and enough funds for your stay. A sponsorship approved by Maldives Immigration also counts.
- The IMUGA Traveller Declaration, filed free of charge on the official IMUGA portal up to 96 hours before arrival. Every traveller files their own, including children and babies. Keep the confirmation to show at immigration.
- The rules of your next destination. Maldives Immigration also asks that you meet the visa and passport-validity rules for wherever you go next.
- A yellow fever certificate, only if you are arriving from, or have recently travelled through, a country with yellow fever risk. Children under one are exempt. If you are flying from the UAE and have not been to a risk country, this normally does not apply.
UAE resident, or your passport?
This is the question people get wrong. The Maldives sets its rules by the passport you travel on. Living in the UAE does not change them, in either direction. GOV.UK and the US State Department both describe the tourist visa on arrival as free, for 30 days.
One exception is worth knowing: from 15 April 2025, Maldives Immigration states that entry will not be granted on Israeli passports.
Your UAE residence matters for something else. Your airline will want to see that you can come back, so travel with your Emirates ID and a residence visa that is still valid on your return date.
Staying longer, or things going wrong
- Extending. The 30-day visa can be extended through the IMUGA portal before it expires.
- Entry is not guaranteed. Maldives Immigration is clear that a complete itinerary does not guarantee entry, which is decided by officers at the port of entry.
- Keep your documents in one folder: passport, return ticket, resort confirmation and the IMUGA QR code, on your phone and printed.
Book the trip
- Flights. About four hours from the UAE to Malé. Compare Dubai to Malé flights.
- Mobile data. Airalo sells a Maldives eSIM you can install before you leave.
- Insurance. Not required for entry, but medical care on remote islands can mean a boat or a plane. EKTA travel insurance.
- The story behind the islands. The Maldives: shell money, Ibn Battuta and the trip from the UAE.
Questions people ask
Do UAE residents need a visa for the Maldives?
No visa has to be arranged in advance. A tourist visa is granted on arrival, free for 30 days. What you do need is a passport with at least one month's validity, a confirmed return ticket, a prepaid booking at a registered facility, enough funds, and the online IMUGA Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before you arrive.
Does it depend on my nationality or on being a UAE resident?
On your passport. The Maldives rules are set by the passport you travel on, not by where you live. Living in the UAE does not add or remove any requirement, but your airline will want to see that you can return.
What is the IMUGA Traveller Declaration?
A free online form on the official Maldives Immigration portal. Every traveller, including children, submits their own within 96 hours before arrival, and shows it at immigration.
How long can I stay in the Maldives on a tourist visa?
30 days. The visa can be extended through the IMUGA portal.
Is entry guaranteed if I have all the documents?
No. Maldives Immigration states that a complete itinerary does not guarantee entry, which is decided by officers at the port of entry.
Rules change, so check the official pages below before you fly. This page is research from official sources, not legal or immigration advice. The flight, eSIM and insurance links may earn me a commission through Travelpayouts, at no extra cost to you. The IMUGA and government links are plain links. Full disclosure.
Sources
- Tourist Visa, On Arrival, Maldives Immigration (official, updated 10 September 2026)
- Traveller Declaration, Maldives Immigration (IMUGA), official
- Maldives entry requirements, GOV.UK (the 30-day visa on arrival)
- Maldives travel advisory and entry information, US State Department