Maldives Immigration · IMUGA portal
IMUGA Traveller Declaration
The Maldives requires an electronic Traveller Declaration from every passenger, on the way in and on the way out. We file it for you through the IMUGA portal and check every field first.
- Checked A person reviews your data against your passport
- Filed Submitted inside the 96-hour window for each flight
- Delivered QR code emailed to you, ready for check-in
What we actually do
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You send the details once
Passport, flight, where you are staying. One form, no account to create, no portal to fight with.
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We check before filing
Names against the passport, passport numbers digit by digit, dates inside the window, accommodation spelled the way immigration expects.
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You get the QR code
Confirmation lands in your inbox. Save it offline and show it at check-in and at the immigration desk in Malé.
Common sticking points
- The portal will not accept my dates
- Almost always the 96-hour rule: the window opens four days before the flight that crosses the Maldivian border, not four days before you leave home.
- I already submitted and something changed
- A changed flight or hotel usually means a corrected declaration. Which one to fix and which to resubmit depends on what moved.
- I have a connection in Doha
- You declare the flight that lands in the Maldives, never the long-haul leg into your connecting airport.
- I am staying on a liveaboard
- The accommodation field still needs an answer. Dive boats and multi-island trips have their own convention.
Why the IMUGA portal trips people up
The Traveller Declaration itself is short. What catches people out is the portal around it: a submission window that opens on a schedule, validation that rejects a passport number without saying why, and an accommodation field that expects a specific answer when you are hopping between islands.
It is a window, not a deadline
The declaration can only be filed in the 96 hours before the flight it covers. Try it a week ahead and the form refuses the dates. That single rule explains most of the "the site is broken" complaints, and it is why a return trip needs two declarations rather than one.
The portal validates, it does not explain
An error message will tell you a field is invalid without telling you which character it dislikes. A middle name that appears on the passport but not the booking, a passport number typed with the letter O instead of a zero, a flight number for the codeshare rather than the operating carrier — all of these fail the same anonymous way.
Your details have to survive contact with the border
What you declare is read back at two points: the airline desk before boarding, and immigration at Velana International Airport. Anything that does not match the passport in the officer's hand becomes a conversation you did not plan for.
Where we fit
The declaration has no cost on the official IMUGA portal, and so is the 30-day visa on arrival. We are an independent agency and we charge for the work around the form: checking it, filing it on time, and being reachable when something needs fixing. If you would rather do it yourself, the official portal is linked at the bottom of every page on this site.
Answers
All answers →-
Arriving in Maldives by Cruise or Yacht
Cruise passengers and yacht crews also file the Maldives Traveller Declaration. What to enter with no flight number, and which ports admit foreign vessels.
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Maldives Green Tax and Airport Fees
A practical breakdown of the charges on a Maldives holiday: green tax per night, TGST on tourism services, airport fees inside your ticket and resort service charge.
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Maldives Entry Rules and Customs Restrictions
A practical guide to arriving in Maldives: passport validity, onward ticket and funds at the counter, then the customs rules that actually catch travellers out at Velana.
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IMUGA Health Section of the Declaration
A walkthrough of the health block inside the IMUGA Traveller Declaration: what it asks, why it exists, and how to prepare medication, insurance and evacuation cover.
Quick answers
Do I need an IMUGA account to submit?
You can complete a declaration without maintaining an account, but using an email address you can reach while travelling matters more — that is where the QR code arrives.
Why will the portal not accept my submission?
The most common causes are the 96-hour window, a passport number that does not match the document exactly, or a flight number belonging to the marketing airline rather than the operating one.
Can I change a declaration after sending it?
Often yes, before you travel. Whether you edit or file a fresh one depends on what changed — a hotel is not treated the same as a passport number.
Which flight do I declare if I have a connection?
The one that enters the Maldives. Your Madrid–Doha or London–Dubai leg is not the flight immigration cares about.
What do I put for accommodation on a liveaboard?
The vessel and operator, rather than an island address. Multi-island itineraries follow the same logic: declare where you are first checked in.
Does the declaration cost anything?
Not on the official portal. Our fee is for optional assistance, and we say so on every page.
Is the declaration a visa?
No. Most nationalities receive a no-cost 30-day visa on arrival, granted by the officer at the border, separately from the declaration.
What happens at the airport if something is wrong?
Usually a delay while it is corrected, and occasionally a problem at check-in before you even reach immigration.
The Maldives requires an electronic Traveller Declaration from every passenger, on the way in and on the way out. We file it for you through the IMUGA portal and check every field first.
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