Maldives Updates Online Visa Extensions and Emergency Relief

The Maldives has streamlined its process for staying in the islands longer, moving all tourist visa extensions to the IMUGA portal. This shift to the unified digital gateway aims to cut processing times down to 48 hours. Alongside this digital upgrade, the government has active emergency measures to support travelers caught in the ongoing flight disruptions across Middle Eastern transit hubs.

These changes impact any traveler on a standard 30-day visa-on-arrival who wants to extend their stay up to the 90-day maximum. More specifically, the emergency relief applies to those flying through Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, or Bahrain on major regional carriers. If your flight was cancelled or rerouted, the government is providing free extensions and waiving all overstay penalties until normal flight operations resume.

For a standard extension, you must log into the IMUGA portal and upload a photo of your entry stamp. The fee is MVR 750 (roughly USD 49). If you are applying for the emergency waiver, you will need to provide:

• Your passport with the Maldives entry stamp
• Proof of a cancelled flight or airline notification
• A confirmed accommodation booking and an onward ticket
• Documentation showing your original route through a Middle East hub

Authorities have warned travelers to only use the official imuga.immigration.gov.mv website. Several unofficial sites have surfaced attempting to charge extra fees for these services. While the government manages the current travel backlog, they are also discussing new visa updates specifically for digital nomads and content creators to facilitate longer stays in the future.

Read our full Maldives guide for the complete picture.