Passport validity to be extended without fee due to stock delays

Maldives Immigration announced states it will extend the validity of expiring passports, as the arrival of a new supply of passport booklets is expected to take approximately one month.

In a statement on Thursday night, Immigration said the German contractor responsible for supplying Maldivian passport booklets had reported that it was unable to meet the scheduled delivery date due to technical issues at its printing facility. According to Immigration, the new shipment of passport stock is expected to arrive by late next month.

As a result, Immigration has introduced temporary measures to its passport issuance services. Individuals applying for new passports may have their existing passports extended free of charge until the end of June next year. In addition, first-time applicants intending to undertake short-term travel to common destinations such as India and Sri Lanka will be issued emergency passports.

An emergency passport is valid for one year.

Despite these temporary measures, Immigration has assured the public that Maldivian citizens traveling abroad will not experience any significant disruptions.

The issuance of e-passports has been suspended since May 9. At the time, Immigration stated that the suspension was caused by delays in the shipment of passport booklets required for printing.