Maldives Work Visa and Employment Approval
An employer-sponsored work permit issued against an expatriate quota the Maldivian employer must already hold, with a work e-Visa that mirrors the permit.
The paperwork is not the hard part; the quota is. A signed offer letter is not the start of the process. The employer applies in the Xpat Online System for an Employment Approval against unused quota for that occupation, and until that is granted there is nothing to travel on.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | A foreign national with an offer from an employer holding unused quota |
| Route family | Skilled-work |
| Validity | Professional and managerial 1 to 3 years, non-professional 1 year, domestic 1 to 2 years |
| Stay per entry | Mirrors the Work Permit; Entry Pass valid 120 days, entry within 90 days of issue |
| Threshold | No salary floor and no savings test. Employer pays MVR 2,000 per 12 months of quota and MVR 350 per month, about USD 130 a year and USD 23 a month at MVR 15.4 per USD (2021 figures) |
| Renewal | By the employer in Xpat, annual or multi-year, renewals capped at 1 year |
| Settlement | None |
| PR clock | None |
| Citizenship clock | 12 years of continuous residence, Muslim faith, age 21, ministerial discretion. Unconfirmed |
| Family | Partial. Dependants only on a professional category permit |
| Local employment | Sponsor only. One employer, one occupation, one worksite per permit |
| Tax headline | No personal income tax. Confirm with an accountant |
| Processing | Quota and Employment Approval, then the Entry Pass; Work e-Visa within 15 days of arrival |
Application flow
- The employer confirms unused quota, or applies for it.
- The employer files the Employment Approval in Xpat.
- A Work Permit Entry Pass issues, valid 120 days and used within 90 days.
- You enter the Maldives and the employer obtains the Work e-Visa within 15 days.
- The permit is renewed before expiry, with the fee paid first.
Good fit
A hire into a resort, guesthouse group or Male office in a professional or managerial role, where the employer already holds quota, has filed before, and is not on the phase-out list.
Poor fit
Anyone arriving to look for work, since a visit cannot be converted without an employer and a quota. Anyone wanting to change employer freely. Anyone whose occupation is on the 2025 phase-out list, since the permit may lapse before they settle in.
Watchpoints
- The quota belongs to the employer. It is granted against a sector ratio and exceeding it is unlawful, so a company at its ratio cannot hire you.
- The 15 day clock starts on arrival. Miss it and you face a fine plus a 15 day extension. If the visa still is not issued, the Entry Pass is revoked.
- One employer, one occupation, one worksite. Moving between resorts, or to a Male office, is a fresh application. After a voluntary revocation, a new permit needs a 6 month gap and written no-objection.
- The 2025 regulation deletes occupations. New quotas are banned for nurses, pilots, sea captains, imams, photographers and entertainers, and phase out over 2 to 5 years for hairdressers, electricians, tour guides, accountants, divers, engineers and schoolteachers.
- Non-professional permits end at five years, with a 2 year gap before re-issuance. This is what ends long careers here.
- Your status depends on the employer’s solvency. Board, accommodation and repatriation are the employer’s obligation, funded from a ministry deposit. If the company folds, the permit goes too.
Sources
- Maldives Immigration, work visa page, checked 2026-10-22
- Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology, Regulation on the Employment of Expatriates 2025/R-120, checked 2026-10-22
- Sun Online, phase-out occupation list, secondary reporting, checked 2026-10-22