A 30-day Maldives trip is planned differently from a 7-night holiday, and a 90-day stay differently again. The longer the stay, the more questions move from "where should we go" to "what must be checked": what your passport allows, how accommodation is priced across that span, which costs arrive separately, and what documentation you need before flying.
This article is a planning checklist for stays between roughly 30 and 90 days. Immigration rules change and depend on nationality, so verify everything official before you book anything non-refundable.
Immigration information last verified: 25 August 2026 (sources listed in the editorial notes).
Immigration first: the five separate things to check
Long-stay planning errors usually come from collapsing several distinct concepts into one. Keep them separate:
- Entry eligibility. Whether you may enter the Maldives as a tourist at all under current rules, including any nationality-specific restrictions or agreements.
- Visa granted on arrival. A tourist visa is granted on arrival to foreign nationals travelling as tourists; no pre-approval is required for the visa itself. Entry clearance is still decided by Immigration officers at the port of entry.
- Permitted initial stay. The length of stay granted initially depends on your circumstances and nationality; some nationalities' arrangements differ under bilateral agreements.
- Extension eligibility and process. Staying beyond your initial permitted period requires an extension applied for through Maldives Immigration's IMUGA portal, meeting their requirements, with applications currently expected to complete within about 48 hours of submission.
- Total permitted stay. Extensions are subject to eligibility and limits set by Maldives Immigration; the total you can reach is not something any property can promise.
Because each of these can change independently, check them against official Maldives Immigration sources for your own nationality at planning time. Under the general visitor framework in the Maldives Immigration Act, a tourist visit may be granted for up to 30 days, with Immigration having discretion to extend the stay to a total of up to 90 days. Nationality-specific arrangements can differ, so confirm the period granted for your passport.
Current entry requirements published by Maldives Immigration include: a passport or travel document with a Machine Readable Zone and at least 1 month validity; a confirmed return journey ticket; a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility together with sufficient funds for the stay, or a pre-approved sponsorship visa from Maldives Immigration; the Traveller Declaration submitted free of charge via IMUGA up to 96 hours before arrival; and a Yellow Fever certificate where applicable.
Where you stay matters for extensions too. Maafolhey helps long-stay guests with the extension process where required; no property can guarantee an immigration outcome.
Accommodation dates must match your immigration reality
Book accommodation only for periods you are confident you may occupy it, and understand what happens if plans shift. Two structural points help:
- Seasonal nightly pricing: At Maafolhey, ordinary bookings use seasonal nightly rates, while the approved 60-night product uses a fixed accommodation price;
- Fixed-price long-stay products, such as Maafolhey's 60-night option, lock the total regardless of which months the nights fall in.
Match whichever structure fits your certainty level. If your end date depends on an extension decision, ask the property how date changes are handled before committing.
Pricing across a long span
At Maafolhey, ordinary bookings use seasonal nightly rates, while the approved 60-night product uses a fixed accommodation price. When comparing options:
- Multiply each candidate's published rate across your actual calendar, month by month, rather than averaging;
- Confirm whether quoted rates include service charge and TGST;
- Note whether Green Tax is inside or outside the rate;
- Treat fixed long-stay products separately: they replace seasonal arithmetic with one number, and their terms do not combine with short-stay offers.
Maafolhey's 60-night product is the one approved fixed long-stay product here: USD 7,500 for the entire two-bedroom home across 60 nights, built on a USD 150/night reference basis with 10 complimentary nights (USD 125 effective per occupied night), Green Tax and transfers separate. No 30-, 45- or 90-night package price is implied by that offer; ordinary seasonal pricing applies outside the exact product and other approved stay offers.
Green Tax and other separate charges
Green Tax is a government charge applied per taxable guest per night, currently USD 6 at Maafolhey, and is billed separately from accommodation. Confirm whether any property you consider includes or separates it, because over 60+ nights the difference is material. The same applies to service charge and TGST: ask whether they are inside the quoted rate.
Getting there: transfers for a long stay
Depending on your itinerary you may make the airport journey more than once, so check how each leg is arranged and priced. Maafolhey uses scheduled speedboat transfer seats between Velana International Airport and Ukulhas: allow around 90 minutes, with some services taking longer depending on intermediate stops, weather and sea conditions. Current per-seat pricing is USD 50 per adult aged 11+, USD 25 per child aged 3–10, each way, infants 2 and under free without a seat. An airport colleague assists with the speedboat process on arrival, and a colleague meets you at the Ukulhas harbour.
Food and self-catering
Over a month or more, meal arrangements affect both budget and daily rhythm, so check them explicitly for each property: is a kitchen included and private; what equipment comes with it; are meals included, optional, or absent; where are shops and restaurants?
Laundry, luggage and living space
Ask whether a washing machine is available for guest use, and what housekeeping is provided: at Maafolhey, housekeeping runs throughout the stay, with cleaning and linen changes available on request and routine housekeeping otherwise provided every three days. These services affect how much you pack and how the property feels to live in over weeks. For groups, also confirm separate bedrooms and shared living space.
Documentation checklist
Before travel, assemble and verify:
- Passport validity per current Immigration requirements (MRZ document; check required validity);
- A complete travel itinerary including confirmed return journey tickets, a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility and sufficient funds for the stay, or a pre-approved sponsorship visa, according to the current Maldives Immigration requirements.
- Completed IMUGA Traveller Declaration within 96 hours before arrival;
- Yellow Fever certificate if applicable from your routing;
- For extensions: whatever current evidence IMUGA requests at application time (recent photograph, updated accommodation details where changed).
Requirements move; this list reflects the official position as verified above, but re-check each item against Maldives Immigration before booking.
What to verify before you commit money
In order:
- Your nationality's entry terms and initial permitted stay via official sources;
- Extension eligibility criteria and current process for your situation;
- That your accommodation booking structure tolerates date uncertainty (or locks it advantageously);
- The complete cost stack: accommodation, taxes, Green Tax treatment, transfers;
- Kitchen/laundry/housekeeping/living-space reality at the property;
- Cancellation or change terms if immigration timing shifts.
Working through these before paying reduces the risk of plans colliding with rules or rates.
Where fixed long-stay products fit
If your plan is close to two months and you want one clear accommodation price across the covered dates, the 60-night product provides that structure. See Maafolhey's Long Stays page for the complete offer, or send your dates to check availability and discuss extension-process assistance.