Maldives duty-free allowance

What arriving travelers can bring into Maldives without paying duty — from official customs guidance.

Alcohol

Prohibited

confiscated on arrival, even duty-free

Full rule

PROHIBITED - importation of liquor and alcoholic products without prior approval is banned (Law No. 4/1975, Import Prohibition Act); duty-free alcohol bought on the flight or en route is confiscated on arrival. Alcohol is served at licensed tourist resorts/hotels instead

Tobacco

200 cigarettes

or 25 cigars or 250 g tobacco · 18+

Full rule

200 cigarettes OR 25 cigars OR 250 g of tobacco products per tourist 18+; excess is retained by Customs up to 30 days and can be collected at the Velana International Airport departure counter when leaving

Goods & gifts

MVR 10,000

beyond ordinary personal effects

Full rule

Personal-use items (clothes, jewellery, watches, gadgets, toiletries, books) duty-free, plus MVR 10,000 worth of other personal items; goods valued MVR 10,001+ must be declared and duty paid. Returning residents/students get time-abroad allowances (MVR 9,000 / 11,500 / 14,000)

Cash · declare from

USD 10,000+

arrival and departure

Full rule

USD 10,000+ equivalent in any currency must be declared on arrival and departure (AML Act 10/2014); online declaration at customs.gov.mv/CashDeclaration

Depends on: 18+ for tobacco; returning-resident tiers by time abroad (6-12 months MVR 9,000, 1-3 years MVR 11,500, 3+ years MVR 14,000)

Good to know

Alcohol AND pork/pork by-products are import-prohibited for travelers (Islamic law based Import Prohibition Act) - do not buy duty-free alcohol en route, it is confiscated at the airport (held items can be reclaimed on departure). Also banned: pornography, idols for worship, materials offensive to Islam, dogs. customs.gov.mv blocks WebFetch (403) but serves curl with a browser UA

From Maldives's official customs guidance, checked 2026-08-01 ·verify at the source · Guidance, not law — allowances change and the customs officer has the final say. Verify before you fly.

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