Maldives Travel Guide 2026: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go

Every nationality qualifies for a free 30-day visa on arrival at Velana International Airport outside Malé, with no advance application and no visa fee — among the most open entry policies of any country. You will need a passport valid at least a month beyond your departure date, proof of onward travel, proof of accommodation for your stay, and to submit an online IMUGA Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before arrival.

The part most first-time visitors underestimate is what happens *after* landing: unlike almost any other beach destination, the airport does not sit beside your hotel. A resort stay almost always requires a separate speedboat or seaplane transfer booked on top of the room rate, and that transfer is a real cost and time factor, not a minor add-on.

Speedboat transfers serve resorts within roughly 60km of Malé (North and South Malé Atoll), run 24 hours a day, take 15-90 minutes, and typically cost in the $150-400 per person round-trip range. Seaplane transfers, run by operators flying Twin Otter aircraft, serve more distant atolls (Ari, Baa, Noonu, Raa, Lhaviyani among others), take 25-50 minutes in the air, and cost more — commonly $450-800 round-trip — with a hard daylight-only flying window, generally around 6am to 4:30pm.

That daylight restriction matters for trip planning: a late-arriving flight can mean an unplanned overnight in Malé or Hulhumalé before a seaplane resort transfer is even possible the next morning. Always confirm which transfer type your specific resort uses, and whether it's included or billed separately, before you finalize flights.

A resort island is typically one entire island leased to a single operator, with its own rules on alcohol, dress and pricing — a self-contained bubble, often the only way most travelers picture the Maldives. A local island, like Maafushi, is an inhabited Maldivian community where ordinary rules of a conservative, majority-Muslim country apply: no alcohol for sale (though Maafushi has an offshore bar boat), and modest dress required outside a single designated bikini beach.

Local islands are dramatically cheaper and let you experience actual Maldivian daily life rather than an engineered one, but they come with real behavioral expectations that a resort island doesn't impose. See our full resort-vs-local-island guide before booking, since picking the wrong one for your travel style is the single most common Maldives planning mistake.