Since the Maldivian borders re-opened on 15th July 2020, the destination has become one of the most desired ‘top of the mind’ choices for hundreds of thousands of travelers throughout the past few months. As a result of the stringent safety measures in place and the natural socially-distanced islands, Maldives is also gaining recognition throughout the world as a safe haven destination to travel to during the pandemic.

 In addition, the Maldives has maintained a healthy balance between comfort and stringent health guidelines, ensuring that travelers are able to enter the country with ease. 

Effective 20th April, travelers who have received the final dose of the vaccine 14 days prior to arrival in Maldives will be able to enter the destination without a negative PCR test. Travelers 

“Travel ease to #Maldives without a negative PCR test will be effective from 20th April for tourists who have got the final dose of their vaccine 14 days prior to arrival in #Maldives. Vaccine Certificate submission is via http://imuga.immigration.gov.mv prior to travel.” The Ministry of Tourism announced on Twitter yesterday. 

For tourists who have not received the final dose of the vaccine 14 days prior to arrival, they are required to fill an online health declaration form within 24 hours prior to their departure, as well as have a negative PCR test result, conducted 96 hours prior to their departure.

On 1st February 2021, Maldives initiated the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the government aims to provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all citizens and residents of Maldives in the upcoming months. In this regard, the Ministry of Tourism also launched an initiative to vaccinate people in the tourism sector to develop an even safer scenario for the industry. As of March 24th, 224,979 people have received the vaccine including 14,898 frontliner workers in the tourism industry. The initiation of the vaccination drive is bound to offer hope to the local population, as well as ensure the safety of tourists. This conveys the message that Maldives is a low-risk destination for travelers and will hopefully generate a surge in tourist arrivals.