Honorary Consulate of Germany in Maldives temporarily shuts down

The Honorary Consulate of Germany in the Maldives has temporarily shut down

According to a statement issued by the German Federal Foreign Office, the consulate will remain closed until further notice. During this period, individuals requiring emergency assistance have been advised to contact the German Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The German Embassy in Colombo stated that, as there is currently no German representative in the Maldives, it can only provide advice and guidance. Accordingly, German citizens planning to travel to the Maldives have been urged to take note of the situation. The embassy also cautioned that providing practical, on-the-ground assistance in emergencies involving German nationals in the Maldives may be challenging at this time.

Meanwhile, Maldivians seeking to travel to Germany typically submit their Schengen visa applications through the VFS Center in Malé. However, the embassy has not clarified whether the temporary closure of the consulate has resulted in any changes to the existing visa application procedures.

It is very worrying that the German government has decided to close the German Consulate office in the Maldives. This is again due to the government's misguided approach. The government wanted to replace the Honorary Consul to the Maldives with a person of its own liking, and Germany had reservations about this. https://t.co/2Y3dCU9FqX

— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) October 13, 2026

Germany remains an important source market for the Maldivian tourism industry. According to statistics from the Tourism Ministry, 101,366 German tourists had visited the Maldives by early October this year, making Germany the country's fourth-largest tourism source market after China, Russia, and the United Kingdom. More than 167,000 German tourists visited the Maldives in 2025.

In addition, Visit Maldives has entered into a special agreement with Germany-based Diethelm Travel aimed at further increasing tourist arrivals from the German market.

The Honorary Consulate in Malé has operated for many years with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations and providing assistance to German nationals in the Maldives. The most recent appointment to the position was made in 2019. Prior to that, the position was held for many years by Dr. Ibrahim Umar Manik, who passed away in 2020. The German Federal Foreign Office has not yet announced a date for the reopening of the Honorary Consulate. As a result, consular services for German citizens are currently available only through the German Embassy in Colombo.