30-day visa-free travel approved between Belarus and Maldives

Belarus and the Maldives signed a mutual visa-waiver agreement on Sept. 23, 2026, establishing a 30-day visa-free stay allowance that simplifies entry procedures once formally enacted.

Terms of the bilateral agreement

The intergovernmental treaty permits citizens of both countries to enter, exit and transit without obtaining a visa in advance. Stays under the agreement are capped at 30 days per visit, with a cumulative ceiling of 90 days in any single calendar year, Belarusian legal portal Pravo.by reported.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryžankoŭ and Maldivian Foreign Minister Iruthisham Adam signed the deal on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The terms mirror the draft framework authorized under Belarusian Presidential Decree No. 311, approved on Sept. 10, 2026.

The agreement applies strictly to short-term travel between the two nations:

• Visa-free entry, transit and exit for citizens carrying valid national passports

• A 30-day maximum stay for each individual entry

• A 90-day cumulative cap across a single calendar year

Operational rollout and existing border rules

While the agreement is officially signed, authorities haven't announced a formal effective date. Travelers can't use the visa-free policy at border checkpoints until both governments exchange diplomatic notifications or complete internal ratification steps, the foreign ministry indicated.

Belarusian passport holders heading to the archipelago must continue using standard entry procedures. Under current rules outlined in our Maldives travel guide, arriving tourists receive a free 30-day visa on arrival provided they meet standard border requirements.

Maldives Immigration requires incoming travelers to present:

• Machine-readable passport with at least one month of remaining validity

• Confirmed return ticket or onward travel booking

• Prepaid hotel reservation at a registered facility or verified local sponsorship

• IMUGA Traveller Declaration submitted online at no charge within 96 hours before arrival

• Proof of sufficient funds to cover the duration of the stay

Maldivian citizens traveling to Belarus must also continue obtaining standard visas until the Belarusian State Border Committee formally updates its border control databases to reflect the treaty.

Remote work boundaries and stay limits

The mutual waiver serves as a tourism and transit arrangement, not a permit for residency or local business activity. The signed text doesn't establish a digital nomad visa or grant work authorization for foreign nationals inside either country.

Nomads holding Belarusian passports can't rely on the agreement to work for local employers and the 90-day annual ceiling restricts repeated border runs. While the agreement permits multiple entries up to the 90-day annual cap, immigration authorities haven't clarified whether border officers will calculate the limit across rolling 12-month intervals or strictly by calendar year.

Remote workers planning extended stays in the Maldives should maintain accurate records of their entry and exit stamps to avoid overstaying the cumulative 90-day threshold once the agreement takes effect.