The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade has announced 25 areas in which foreigners are prohibited from doing business in the Maldives. This move is part of a broader effort to address the issue of illegal immigration and to prioritize local businesses.
Foreigners will be prohibited from working in these areas:
- Retail trade, including online business
- Wholesale trade, excluding construction materials
- Domestic logistics work
- Postal and courier services
- Food services, including operating cafes, restaurants, and bakeries
- Equipment rental businesses, including heavy construction machinery
- Employment agency and recruitment services
- Travel agency, tour operators, reservations, and related activities
- Landscaping work
- Public administration and national defense-related activities
- Conducting general tuition classes and Quran classes
- Operation of general clinics
- Repair of computers, common goods, and household appliances
- Programming and broadcasting work
- Legal services
- Photography and videography work
- Picnic island development and operation
- Driving a road vehicle on a commercial basis
- Manufacturing and selling souvenirs and handicrafts
- Manufacture of rubber and plastics
- Manufacture and sale of tobacco products
- Manufacture of wood products, excluding furniture
- Mining and quarrying
- Mining of sand
- Forestry
This decision comes as thousands of foreign workers, many of whom are illegal immigrants, are present in the country.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has pledged to resolve the issue of illegal immigrants. In a special operation conducted by the Maldives Immigration and the Maldives Police Service, a large number of expatriates were taken into custody. These individuals were identified as self-employed and conducting businesses without valid permits. Controller of Immigration Mohamed Shammaan stated that those detained would be deported following the set procedures.
The government plans to expand the operation nationwide over the next year and aims to consolidate the information of all immigrants into a single database. Additionally, the government has set a target to resolve the issues of illegal immigrants within three years.