Maldives Immigration grants a tourist visa on arrival to all nationalities, with no pre-approval (read 14 Oct 2026). To be admitted you need a machine-readable passport valid at least one month, a confirmed return ticket, a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered accommodation and enough funds for your stay, plus the free IMUGA Traveller Declaration submitted within 96 hours before your flight. Officers decide admissibility at the airport. The visa is usually given for 30 days (reported by travel sites).
Visa rules for Bangladeshi passport holders
| Item | What the official source says |
|---|---|
| Visa type | Tourist visa on arrival, all nationalities, no pre-approval |
| Passport | Machine-readable (MRZ), at least 1 month validity; extended-validity passports not accepted |
| Booking | Prepaid, confirmed booking at a registered facility |
| Return ticket | Confirmed return or onward ticket |
| Funds | Sufficient funds for the stay |
| Traveller Declaration | IMUGA form, free, within 96 hours before arrival flight |
The IMUGA form is free. Maldives Immigration warns that some websites charge for it — use only imuga.immigration.gov.mv.
Bangladeshi travellers are sometimes questioned more closely at Malé, especially if the hotel booking is unpaid or the return ticket is missing. Carry printed copies of everything.
How much does a budget trip cost?
| Cost item | Approximate range (per person) |
|---|---|
| Return flight Dhaka–Malé | Tk 35,000–60,000 |
| Local-island guesthouse (Maafushi, Thulusdhoo, Hulhumalé) | US$40–90 per night (room, often shared by two) |
| Food (local cafés) | US$15–30 per day |
| Public ferry / speedboat transfer | Public ferry a few dollars; speedboat US$25–60 each way |
| Excursions (snorkelling, sandbank trip) | US$25–60 per trip |
| Resort stays | US$200+ per night — not budget travel |
Cost figures are Eduvisa's rough planning ranges per person (October 2026), based on typical published fares and prices seen online — not quotes, and not checked against any official tariff. Taka amounts move with the exchange rate. Tourist taxes and Green Tax on accommodation apply (reported by travel sites).
When is the best time to go?
- December–April: dry northeast monsoon, calm seas, peak prices
- May–November: southwest monsoon, more rain and wind, cheaper guesthouses
What should you see on a budget?
- Maafushi and Thulusdhoo: budget local islands with bikini beaches set apart
- Snorkelling: reefs, turtles and sometimes manta rays
- Sandbank picnics and sunset dolphin trips
- Malé and Hulhumalé: fish market, mosque, beach walk — easy first/last night
Sample 4-day budget itinerary
- Day 1: Fly Dhaka–Malé, ferry or speedboat to Maafushi
- Day 2: Snorkelling and sandbank excursion
- Day 3: Beach day, sunset dolphin trip
- Day 4: Back to Malé/Hulhumalé, fly home
Pay for your guesthouse in advance and print the receipt — "prepaid confirmed booking" is an entry condition. Local islands follow Maldivian law: no alcohol, and modest dress outside designated beaches. Check ferry timetables — public ferries don't run every day on every route. Carry US dollars; cards work at most guesthouses.
What does a 4-day Maldives trip cost in Taka?
Direct answer: staying on a local island such as Maafushi, a 4-day, 3-night Maldives trip costs roughly Tk 59,000–1,20,000 per person including the flight. The visa is free; the real costs are the flight, the transfer from Malé and excursions. Resorts are a different budget altogether.
| Item (4 days, 3 nights, per person) | Rough estimate (Tk) |
|---|---|
| Return flight Dhaka–Malé | 35,000–60,000 |
| Visa on arrival | 0 |
| Local-island guesthouse, 3 nights (twin share) | 7,500–16,500 |
| Food, 4 days | 7,500–14,500 |
| Speedboat or ferry transfer, return | 3,000–14,500 |
| Two excursions (snorkelling, sandbank) | 6,000–14,500 |
| Total | ≈ 59,000–1,20,000 |
Rough estimates only, per person, prepared October 2026 at a planning rate of about Tk 122 per US$. Fares and prices move with season and exchange rate; they are not quotes.
Which flights go from Dhaka to Malé?
US-Bangla Airlines has operated direct Dhaka–Malé flights of roughly four hours; one-stop options connect through Colombo and other regional hubs. Direct flights are not daily, so plan your guesthouse dates around the schedule rather than the other way round.
- Book the return flight before paying the guesthouse — a confirmed return ticket is an entry condition.
- Choose arrival times that let you catch a speedboat to your island the same day.
- Submit the free IMUGA Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before your flight.
- Keep printed copies of the ticket, booking and payment receipt for Malé immigration.
What do Maldives immigration officers check?
They check that you meet the official visa-on-arrival conditions: valid passport, confirmed return ticket, prepaid confirmed booking at a registered tourist accommodation and enough funds for the stay. Maldives Immigration publishes these conditions, and admission is decided at the airport, so the paperwork you carry matters more than anything you did before.
- Passport: machine-readable, valid at least one month beyond your stay.
- Booking: paid in advance at a registered guesthouse or hotel, with the receipt.
- Funds: a card and some US dollars; officers may ask how you will pay for the stay.
- Declaration: the IMUGA QR code on your phone or printed.
How do you get from Malé to a local island?
By public ferry (cheapest, slower, not every day) or by scheduled speedboat (faster and more frequent). Your guesthouse usually books the speedboat and meets you at the jetty near the airport.
What does a detailed budget itinerary look like?
- Day 1 — Arrive Malé: clear immigration, take the shared speedboat to Maafushi, sunset on the tourist beach.
- Day 2 — Reef day: morning snorkelling trip for reef fish and turtles, afternoon sandbank picnic.
- Day 3 — Slow day: beach and swimming, then an evening dolphin-spotting boat trip.
- Day 4 — Return: morning speedboat to Malé, a short walk around Malé or Hulhumalé if time allows, fly home.
Share excursions with other guests — prices drop per head when the boat is full. Choose guesthouses that include breakfast. Drink tap-filtered or bulk water rather than many small bottles. Travel in May–November for lower guesthouse rates, accepting more rain.
How should you carry money from Bangladesh?
Short answer: endorse your dollars on your passport before you fly, carry a mix of clean US$ notes and an international card, and change only what you need.
- Dollar endorsement: buy foreign currency from a bank or licensed money changer and have it endorsed against your passport under your annual travel quota, which Bangladesh Bank sets. Keep the encashment certificate with your passport.
- International card: a dual-currency debit or credit card from a Bangladeshi bank is the safest way to pay hotels and withdraw rufiyaa or dollars. Ask your bank to enable it for international use and note its per-transaction and daily limits.
- Clean notes: new, untorn US$ notes (series 2013 or later where possible) get the best rate and are accepted everywhere; old or marked notes are often refused.
- Exchange smartly: change a small amount at the airport for transport, then use city money changers or ATMs. Avoid changing Taka abroad — it is rarely accepted outside Bangladesh.
- Keep records: card slips and the endorsement receipt make your travel history clean when you later apply for UK, Schengen or study visas.
Why get one-to-one help instead of doing it yourself?
Because one person who knows the rules checks your whole plan before you pay for anything. Most trips that go wrong do so for small reasons: a passport that expires too soon, a booking that does not match the visa form, a fee paid on an unofficial site, or a return date that clashes with an exam or job. Doing it alone is possible — the official links on this page are all you need — but a second pair of experienced eyes makes the process clearer, quicker and far less likely to go wrong.
What does Eduvisa's one-to-one service include?
- A dedicated adviser who handles your file from first conversation to return, so you never repeat your story.
- A document checklist made for your case — passport, photos, bank papers, bookings, letters — reviewed before anything is submitted.
- Budget and itinerary planning with realistic costs from Dhaka, timed around holidays and fare peaks.
- Application support on official portals only, with every fee and receipt recorded.
- Travel-history planning so this trip strengthens future UK, Schengen or study visa applications.
What is the Eduvisa membership card?
Every student or tourist client receives an Eduvisa membership card with a personal client ID. The card's website line reads getbesthost.com/eduvisa: sign in there with your client ID to track your processing status, see all your documents in one place and view every payment you have made.
How can you check progress and verify payments?
Our verified client portal at getbesthost.com/eduvisa shows how far your work has progressed, step by step, and lets you confirm that each payment was received and recorded. You always know where your file stands without having to call and ask — and you can show family members exactly what has been paid and why.
The Maldives is open to everyone, but entry is still decided at the airport. We can check that your booking, ticket and funds evidence meet the official conditions before you fly, so there are no surprises at Malé.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Maldives visa free for Bangladeshis?
Yes. Maldives Immigration grants a free tourist visa on arrival to all nationalities who meet the entry conditions.
What is IMUGA?
The free online Traveller Declaration run by Maldives Immigration, submitted within 96 hours before your arrival flight at imuga.immigration.gov.mv.
Can I stay on a local island instead of a resort?
Yes. Registered guesthouses on local islands like Maafushi and Thulusdhoo are the budget way to visit; local laws such as no alcohol apply there.
How much cash should I carry?
For a 4-day trip, a card plus about US$200–400 in clean notes covers food, transfers and excursions in this rough plan.
Is the Maldives safe for first-time travellers from Bangladesh?
It is a common first trip; preparing the booking, ticket and funds evidence in advance is what makes arrival at Malé smooth.
- Maldives Immigration — Tourist Visa (On Arrival) — read 14 Oct 2026
- Maldives Immigration — IMUGA Traveller Declaration — read 14 Oct 2026
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives — Maldives Visa — read 14 Oct 2026
- IATA Travel Centre (Timatic-based passport/visa check) — read 14 Oct 2026
- Visit Maldives — official tourism board — read 14 Oct 2026
- Department of Immigration and Passports, Bangladesh — e-Passport — read 14 Oct 2026
- Bangladesh Bank — foreign exchange and travel quota — read 14 Oct 2026
Visa rules and fees quoted here come from the official government pages listed in the sources and were read on 14 Oct 2026. Costs are rough planning estimates, not quotes. Where a point comes only from travel sites, we say so. Eduvisa clients get their plan checked against the latest rules as part of the one-to-one service.
Related guides: Budget destinations from Bangladesh · Sri Lanka tourist visa
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