The Government of Indonesia announces the Maldives has been included in the list of 75 countries allowed to receive on-arrival visas.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih requested Indonesia to ease visa facilitation for Maldivian travellers during a meeting with the Ambassador of Indonesia to the Maldives Dewi Gustina Tobing in May. Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Menteri Luar Negeri for including the Maldives once again in the list of countries allowed to receive on-arrival visas.
Currently, Maldivians can travel to 88 countries without visas and discussions are being held to sign visa exemption agreements with 17 more countries. The government is also working to facilitate easier means by which Maldivians can obtain visas. The government has facilitated visa-free travel to six countries in the past three years, which include Kazakhstan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, Russia, and China.
The visa exemption agreements allow for the exemption from visa requirements for nationals of both countries, for single or multiple entries, exit, or transit for nationals of both countries, for a period of 30 days. Additionally, a permanent Schengen Visa Application Centre was established in 2020 to ease the difficulties Maldivians face while applying for visas to travel to Germany and the Czech Republic, and the government is working on allowing Maldivians to apply for visas via the centre to travel to other countries.
Furthermore, the Maldives passport has been recognised as the most powerful passport in the South Asia region, demonstrating a successful foreign policy of the government. The Maldives was ranked as one of the countries holding one of the most powerful passports in the region this year.