THE MALDIVES OPEN TO TOURISTS SINCE JULY 15

The Maldives are again open to international travellers. And that includes, this time, travellers from India, as the epidemic situation has dramatically improved in the country.

The government of the Maldives confirmed the reopening of the archipelago to all international tourists from July 15. Since that date, the government has resumed the issuing of “on arrival” tourist visas. Previous regulations have been reinstated, meaning that there is no mandatory quarantine on arrival to the Maldives. Non-tourist visitors travelling to an inhabited island are however required to undergo self-quarantine of 14 days upon arrival at the island. Travellers can again stay in multiple tourist resorts and/or tourist guesthouses, or combine both in one stay.

The Ministry has established a list of all the hotels allowed to welcome foreign travellers. 151 of them have been approved, representing close to 36,000 beds. Another 140 tourist boats have also been approved by the Ministry.

To ensure the safety of all — visitors or locals — the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has made it a mandatory requirement for all tourists to present a negative Covid PCR test on arrival . The test must be taken not more than 96 hours prior to the scheduled time of departure from the first port of embarkation en route to the Maldives. Infants aged less than one-year-old are exempt from the testing requirement.