Maldives Issues New Guidelines For Travelers From India and Other South Asian Countries

The Ministry of Tourism, Maldives on Thursday issued new guidelines for passengers from India and other south Asia countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The country already announced that travel restrictions placed on South Asian tourists will be lifted from 15th July and Maldives will resume issuing Visa on Arrival for tourists from those countries.

It’s worth mentioning that amid the huge surge in coronavirus cases in South Asian Countries, the Maldives has announced the suspension of tourist visas starting from 13th May 2021.

Guidelines For Tourists

Tourists traveling from South Asia will be issued on-arrival tourist visas and allowed to stay in Tourist Resorts effective from 15th July 2021.

However, inbound tourists from South Asia may be accommodated in Guesthouses in Local Islands, effective from 30th July 2021.

Effective 8th July 2021, individuals who have completed two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine 2 weeks prior to the travel date, may be exempted from the mandatory travel quarantine (within the Maldives) given that a Negative PCR test (taken 72 hours prior to travel) is presented.

However, approval should be obtained through “HAALUBELUN PORTAL” and it shall be ensured that none of the respective islands/tourist establishments are under monitoring status before travel.

Also Read: Indians Can Now Travel To Saudi Arabia And Other Restricted Countries; Here Is How!

Guidelines For Work-Permit Holders

1. Quarantine Period

• Mandatory quarantine period for Work Permit Holders shall be reduced to a period of 7 days, given that they present a Negative PCR test taken 96 hours prior to departure AND have completed 2 doses of a WHO recognized Covid-19 vaccine 2 weeks prior to the travel date. Individuals who do not fulfill this requirement shall complete 14 (fourteen) days of quarantine.
  
• Those undergoing the quarantine period shall only be released after completion of a PCR test followed by a confirmed Negative Result.
  
• In the case a group of individuals are quarantined together and one of them tests positive, the quarantine period for the remaining individuals shall also be extended. If the positive individual remains with the direct contacts, then the direct contacts shall complete their 14 days of quarantine from the date of recovery of the positive individual. If the positive individual is isolated, quarantine period for the direct contacts shall start from the date of isolation of the positive case.

2. Place of Quarantine

• Designated facilities for quarantine of Work Permit holders by HPA.
  
• Quarantine facilities set up by Private employers, Resorts (re-opened under the new normal) and Government Entities in accordance with HPA guidelines, allocated for the quarantine of their respective staff members.
  
• The HPA shall be sharing an updated list of approved quarantine facilities in the below link; https://covid19.health.gov.mv/guest-houses-allocated-as-quarantine-facilities-7-7-2021/?c=0

3. Pre-requisites on arrival to the Maldives

• A Negative PCR test, for which the sample was taken within a maximum of 96 hours prior to departure en route to the Maldives.
  
• Complete the IMUGA form prior to departure.
  
• E-mail a request to [email protected] 24 hours prior to travel, requesting for quarantine. This request may be sent by the employer or employee themselves.
  
• If vaccinated, official documents proving the vaccination completion shall be submitted along with the request mentioned in 3.3. Additionally, a detailed confirmation of where the individual will complete their quarantine period shall be submitted as well. It is advised that all these documents are kept on-hand as well during travel.

4. Post-Travel to the Maldives

• All expenses relating to the quarantine facility (including transfers etc.) shall be borne by the Work-Permit holder OR their Employer.
  
• Individuals shall register on the Haalubelun Portal within 24 hours of travel to the Maldives.
  
• Individuals must undergo a PCR test within 48-72 hours of arrival to the Maldives, as well as a PCR test at the end of the quarantine period. All costs for testing shall be borne by the Work permit holder or Employer.
  
• If an individual experiences any symptoms of Covid-19 during the quarantine period, this shall be reported immediately to the HPA hotline at 1676. A PCR test shall be conducted if symptomatic.
  
• All aforementioned procedures shall also be applicable to family members arriving with Work permit holders.

Also Read: Inter-State Travel: These States Not Require Negative RT-PCR Test Report For Travel