The printing and issuance of national identity cards and passports has been established across all atolls of the Maldives, fulfilling President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s pledge to make these essential services available to every Maldivian citizen.
The expansion of ID card and passport issuance service to all atolls across Maldives was marked with the introduction of passport issuance service in Mahibadhoo of Alifu Dhaalu Atoll on Tuesday. The service was inaugurated by the Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusan, as part of the President’s ongoing tour of the atoll.
Historically, identity cards and passports have long been part of Maldivian administration. ID cards were first introduced 41 years ago, while the earliest known international travel document is believed to have been issued in the 1950s under the British protectorate. The first official Maldivian passport was issued on 20 April 1964, in the name of the Maldivian State.
Over the years, these services have undergone significant modernisation, and the efficiency and speed at which the service is delivered have improved significantly. Although the services are now provided at a modern and internationally recognised standard, residents of islands had long faced challenges in accessing them as the services were largely centralised in Male’.
The opportunity to apply for both services online was introduced during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The online passport application was launched in 2020, followed by the online ID cards service in 2021. However, even with these changes, many citizens continued to face challenges in accessing the services. The process had long been a burden for residents of many islands across Maldives, with most islanders required to travel either to Male’ City of the nearest island offering the services, often ending up having to make the costly journey to Male’. Even with the introduction of online applications, the connection between island councils and the Department of National Registration was disrupted during the pandemic, forcing people once again to travel to Male’ to collect their ID cards. Passport services, meanwhile, remained available in only very few locations.
Even after the global COVID-19 pandemic ended, the ID card service was not restored to their previous arrangement, and the former administration made insufficient efforts to make the service more accessible to the public.
When the current government assumed office, more than 3,000 people were still without ID cards. The administration prioritised making ID card and passports services accessible to everyone, ensuring that all those without ID cards were issued them. The previous online application system was discontinued and replaced with a dedicated portal titled Naares that enables residents to apply for ID cards directly through their island councils.
On November 16 last year, the President launched a special project to expand passport and ID card services to all atolls across the Maldives by the end of 2025, as pledged at the official Republic Day ceremony.
"As promised, work has now begun to establish facilities in each atoll to issue ID cards and passports locally, so residents no longer need to travel to other atolls. I will officially launch this initiative very soon. As pledged, ID card and passport service will be available in all atolls, as well as in Male’, Villimale, Hulhumale’ Phase I, Phase II of Male’ City, without the need to travel to Male’, by the end of next year,” the President had said.
To honour the promise, efforts were launched to establish ID cards and passport services in every atoll of the country. The government's commitment to the initiative is demonstrated by the completion of the project three months ahead of the President's target of providing these services to all citizens by the end of this year. ID card printing and issuance facilities have been established in every atoll, and passport services are now available through Maldives Immigration offices nationwide.
On 19 September, during the President’s tour of the inhabited islands of Vaavu Atoll, he visited Felidhoo and commenced ID card printing service in the island. While the President is currently on a tour of Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, he visited Mahibadhoo and inaugurated the passport issuance service, marking the completion of the nationwide rollout. With the establishment of passport issuance in Mahibadhoo, the President has successfully fulfilled his pledge to make these services available across all atolls. During a meeting with the Mahibadhoo community, the President was presented with a commemorative plaque to mark the successful completion of the project. The plaque was presented to the President by Homeland Security Minister Ihusan.
Beyond the nationwide rollout, the government is also working on establishing ID card services in some countries frequently visited by Maldivians, with plans underway to launch the service in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and the United Kingdom.