22.06.2022

Source: https://www.unwto.org/tourism-data/unwto-iata-destination-tracker-easy-travel

27.06.2022

COVID-19 UPDATES -

  Circular: Departure PCR for Tourists
  Approved Opening dates of Tourist Facilities and Transit Facilities [April 14, 2022]
  Guidance for International Travelers to the Maldives
  Circular: Revised PCR Test requirement [March 04 2022]
  Circular: Revised procedure for testing for Covid-19 and Quarantine durations [February 02 2022]
  Circular: Revised guidelines on Quarantine/Isolation duration [January 13 2022]
  Circular: Change in Re-testing policies of PCR test [January 08 2022]
  Circular: Update on Travel Restrictions regarding the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant [December 27 2021]
  Circular: Updated Travel Restrictions regarding the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant [November 28 2021]
  COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Criteria for Permitting Tourist Arrivals
  Circular: Update on Travel Restriction [July 23 2021]
  Circular: Inspection of tourist facilities accommodating South Asian tourists for transit purpose [July 16 2021]
  Circular: Update on Eases granted for Travel Restrictions [July 07, 2021]
  Circular: Update on Travel Restriction for South Asian Countries [July 02, 2021]
  Circular: Halting the issuance of Tourist Visa to travelers from South Asian countries [May 11, 2021]
  Circular: Update on Travel Restriction for South Asian Countries [May 08, 2021]
  Approved Opening dates of Tourist Facilities and Transit Facilities [May 5, 2021]
  Circular: Update on Negative PCR test for Covid-19 requirement on arrival [May 01, 2021]
  Circular: Implementation of additional measures towards Travelers from India [April 25, 2021]
  Circular: Revision to Ease of Travel Restriction [April 21, 2021]
  Circular: Ease of Travel Restriction [April 16, 2021]
  Circular: Travel to local islands for the Local Council Election [April 9, 2021]
  Circular: Emergence of the new strain of Covid-19 in South Africa [April 3, 2021]
  Approved Opening dates of Tourist Resorts, Yacht Marinas, Tourist Hotels, Tourist Vessels, Tourist Guesthouses, Transit Facilities and Foreign Vessels [March 16, 2021]
  Approved Opening dates of Tourist Resorts, Yacht Marinas, Tourist Hotels, Tourist Vessels, Tourist Guesthouses, Transit Facilities and Foreign Vessels [March 14, 2021]
  Approved Opening dates of Tourist Resorts, Yacht Marinas, Tourist Hotels, Tourist Vessels, Tourist Guesthouses, Transit Facilities and Foreign Vessels [March 08, 2021]
  Approved Opening dates of Tourist Facilities and Transit Facilities [February 28, 2021]
  HPA - Covid-19 latest updates
  Maldives: A Safe Haven for Travellers [Brochure]
  Maldives: A Safe Haven for Travellers [Brochure for India]
  Maldives: A Safe Haven for Travellers [Brochure in German]
  Maldives: A Safe Haven for Travellers [Brochure in French]
  Maldives: A Safe Haven for Travellers [Brochure in Russian]
  Maldives: A Safe Haven for Travellers [Brochure in Japanese]
  Updates on the COVID-19 Situation in the Maldives [November 26, 2020]
  Guideline for re-opening of tourist guest houses and hotels in Greater Male’ area [December 13, 2020]
   Public Health Interventions to Prevent COVID-19 Transmission in the Tourism Sector [September 28, 2020]

  Circular: Change of procedure for staff and worker's travel between Resorts [Jan 19, 2021]
  Circular: Increasing and Improving Security Measures at Tourist Establishments [December 25, 2020]
  Circular: Emergence of the new strain of Covid-19 [December 22, 2020]
  Circular: Random testing of staff in Tourist Facilities [November 07, 2020]
   Circular: Re-opening of Tourist Hotels & Guesthouses in the Greater Male' Area (Male', Hulhumale' & Villimale') [December 8, 2020]
   Circular: Air Suvidha and IMUGA Forms [December 5, 2020]
   Circular: Update on Negative PCR test cor COVID-19 requirement [October 15, 2020]
   Circular: Operation of Guesthouses and Hotels in Greater Male Area [September 15, 2020]
  Transit Facility Rules [September 14, 2020]
   Update Circular: Negative PCR test result requirement for tourists arriving to the Maldives [September 08, 2020]
   PROCEDURES FOR TOURISTS TRAVEL MOVEMENT BETWEEN INTER-TOURIST FACILITIES - FOR RESORTS
   Press Release: Introducing 'Split Stay' for tourists visiting the Maldives [August 31, 2020]
  COVID-19 PCR Testing [August 10, 2020]

STATEMENTS

  MMPRC - Press Release on Resuming Tourism in the Maldives with the Launching of "Rediscover Maldives...the Sunny Side of Life" [July 15, 2020]
  Ministry of Tourism, MMPRC and MACL - Statement on Maldives Welcomes Back First Tourists [July 15, 2020]
  MMPRC – Press Release on Reopening Maldives for International Tourists on 15th July 2020 [June 23, 2020]
  Ministry of Tourism - Statement on restarting Maldives Tourism [June 23, 2020]
  Phased opening of the tourism sector set for July [June 3, 2020]
  Circular: Covid-19: Employees Returning Back to Resort for Work [June 3, 2020]
  Statement on Restarting Maldives Tourism [May 30, 2020]
  Statement by the Minister of Tourism His Excellency Ali Waheed at the Commonwealth's Virtual Seminar on the Impact of Tourism [May 27, 2020]
  Statement on COVID-19 [May 5, 2020]
  Statement on COVID-19 [April 11, 2020]
  Situation Report on COVID-19 [April 29, 2020]

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

Maldives will be reopening its borders to tourists of all nationalities on 15th July 2020. There will be no further incoming travel restrictions to the country. Read the full statement by the Ministry of Tourism here.

RESTRICTIVE MEASURES WITHIN MALDIVES

• State of Public Health Emergency declared from March 12, 2020
• Travel between resorts. safaris and inhabited islands restricted from March 12, 2020
• All excursion activities within Maldives banned from March 13, 2020
• Tourist check in to guest houses and city hotels in Greater Malé Region (Malé, Villimalé and Hulhumalé) suspended from March 14, 2020
• Tourist check in to guest houses and city hotels nationwide suspended from March 17, 2020
• All non-essential travel between islands restricted from April 17, 2020
• Resorts, hotels and liveaboards located in uninhabited islands are to resume operations on 15th July 2020
• Hotels and guest houses located in inhabited islands are to resume operations on 1st August 2020

MAP OF MALDIVES

THE ISLANDS AND RESORTS ARE NATURALLY SELF-ISOLATED

IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19 WHILE IN MALDIVES, CALL

 1676

• If a case of COVID-19 is identified in a tourist facility, procedures are set in place for the property to work with the government of Maldives to ensure safe return of unaffected tourists to their home country.
• The government of Maldives is closely monitoring and enforcing measures to prevent any effective community spread of the virus.

Source: https://visitmaldives.com/en/covid19-updates

             https://www.tourism.gov.mv/covid19

29.03.2022

Maldives

sources:

Foreign travel advice, Gov.UK/ US State Dept. COVID-19 Country Specific Information/ OSAC Travel Advisories/ Ministry of Health/

Latest news: Health authorities remove Covid-19 testing requirement for international travelers (Sri Lanka Daily News, 18.03.2022)
International Restrictions:
*All travellers: You will need the following to enter or travel through Maldives as a visitor. All travellers to the Maldives must fill in a Traveller Declaration form 72 hours before departure to and return from the Maldives. A PCR test is no longer required to enter Maldives.
If you’re fully vaccinated: Entry requirements for Maldives are the same for all travellers, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.
Proof of vaccination status: You can use the COVID Pass to demonstrate your vaccination record when entering the Maldives.
If you’re not fully vaccinated: Entry requirements for Maldives are the same for all travellers, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.
If you’ve had COVID-19 in the past year: Entry requirements for Maldives are the same for all travellers, regardless of whether you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past year.
Children and young people: There are no specific requirements for children and young people.


Internal Restrictions:
*Travel in Maldives: Those who have completed vaccination doses can travel internally to islands and check-in to guesthouses without a PCR test.
Tourists (including accompanying vaccine ineligible children) who have not completed the full dosage of vaccination, will be allowed to check-in to guest houses on local islands, if and when the following vaccination requirements are met in the guesthouse island:
• (a) 60% of the island’s total population have completed 14 days since receiving the full dosage of vaccination
• (b) 95% of the tourism related service providers in the island have completed 14 days since receiving the full dosage of vaccination
• (c) 90% of the individuals above the age of 65 (sixty-five) living in the island have completed 14 days since receiving the full dosage of vaccination
Vaccination coverage of guest-house islands are published and updated by Health Protection Agency, with information provided by the Island authorities. You will be regarded as having completed doses only after 14 days have passed since you received the recommended dose(s) of a WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccine, or vaccines approved by the Maldives Food and Drug Authority.
Tourists can travel between islands and resorts that do not have COVID-19 cases and are not subject to monitoring for COVID-19 as normal.
*Accommodation: Resorts, guesthouses and city hotels are open for tourists.
*Public places and services: Wearing face mask is no longer mandatory in islands and areas without COVID-19 outbreaks. It is recommended that you wear a mask:
• if you have flu like symptoms
• in services where crowding takes place
• in transport vehicles where many people travel and when using public transportation
• in crowded places/gatherings
*If you test positive for COVID-19, you may need to stay where you are until you test negative. You may also need to seek treatment there.

Source: https://unwfp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/b9a95c1173be4b8f8bf40a4d5aa5054a

14.03.2022

Guidance for International Travelers to the Maldives

The Public Health Emergency for the COVID-19 Pandemic announced on 12th March 2020 has been revoked on 13th March 2022 by the Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem.

Following this, changes to COVID-19 preventive measures have been made: 

1. Pre-arrival PCR test is not required for all passengers arriving Maldives. However, All individual(s) except tourists and Maldivians are recommended to undertake PCR testing between 3-5 days after arrival. Travelers who have symptoms of COVID-19 may take an antigen test. 
2. Travel-related quarantine is no longer required
3. Wearing a mask is only mandatory under the following conditions: 
   • In all health facilities, regardless of outbreak status, staff, patients and visitors must wear mask.
   • In outbreak areas (where sample positivity is above 20%), masks must be worn in public areas as per current guidelines for outbreak areas.

Wearing a mask is recommended in:

1. Services where crowding takes place
2. Gatherings in confined indoor spaces
3. Transport vehicles where many people travel and when using public transportation such bus, ferry, taxi)
4. Crowded places/ gatherings
5. People who have symptoms of COVID-19

Persons who are high risk for COVID-19 or who live with/care for high risk people are advised to continue wearing masks when in public.

Even though the Public Health Emergency has been revoked, COVID-19 positive isolation, quarantining of contacts and testing before release will be continued as per current guidelines.

Source: https://covid19.health.gov.mv/guidance-for-international-travelers-to-the-maldives/?c=0

26.03.2020

 Initiatives and Action taken in response to COVID-19

In compliance with instructions of Health Protection Agencies of Maldives, MCS took several measures to mitigate spread of COVID-19. These include:

1)    Allocate the minimum time and staffs required to carry out the operations.

Under the directive number 26/2020 by the Deputy Commissioner of Customs, all the staffs working in non-operational sections were released from their normal duties and the operational sections made arrangements to provide the necessary services with the minimum number of staffs.

Under the announcement number (IUL) 14-PRS/1/2020/17, service times of all the operational sections were decreased.

2)    Officers over 55 years old, officers with underlying medical conditions and the pregnant are released from duty.

Staffs that are more susceptible to the virus due to their age, pregnancy or other medical conditions have been released from their normal duties.

3)    Use protective measures for our officers in high risk areas.

It has been made mandatory for the frontline officers working in the international airport and the seaport to take protective measure while at work. These include the use of face masks and gloves at all times. Furthermore, hand sanitizers have been provided to all sections and are kept near the finger-machine as well.

4)    Use Risk Management to the maximum to expedite process & release consignments.

In order to facilitate smooth and fast release of goods in to the market, all the physical examinations are based on risk management, enabling to examine only the necessary items.

5)    Government exempt duty on Masks, gloves & all protective equipment’s related to COVID-19. Customs processes and systems have been updated accordingly.

Import duty levied under the import export law (31/79) and the processing fee taken under the import export regulation (R-34/2012) have been waived by the President of Maldives. Changes to the declaration and documentation process and the related systems have been made accordingly.

6)    Faster release of medical equipment related to COVID-19.

Arrangements have been made in order to facilitate the hospitals and clinics and to ensure that medical equipment and tools imported are cleared as soon as possible.

7)    Finalized an SOP Customs will work on all stages for COVID-19 national alert level.

MCS have formed and finalized a Standard Operating Procedure with detailed step-by-step guidelines on how to move forward in different alert levels (White, Yellow & Red).

We are currently taking measures under White National Alert Level.

8)    Represent in the National Task Force team.

Volunteering officers have been representing MCS in the National Task Force that has been formed to provide assistance to the relevant authorities during the epidemic.

9)    Informing brokers, traders & all our Customers regarding the changes to the process

Customs media team has been working daily in order to update the relent stakeholders about the changes being brought such as the changes in service hours and import duty. These information are announced on various platforms, such as TV programs, online news and social media.

10) Face-to-face meetings are minimized and all trips abroad suspended.

In order to ensure the safety of the staffs and other involved, face to face interactions have been minimized and all the work trips planned for this period have been suspended. Moreover, arrangements have been made to use the designated duty mobiles for each section. These numbers in addition to our support center can be contacted to receive information and emergency services as well. In addition to that the use of our online portal is highly encouraged, enabling customers to declare, pay and request for many other services without visiting.