Bonded warehouses in private residences prohibited

The government has prohibited the allocation or operation of bonded warehouses in private buildings.

While bonded warehouses in private properties have been prohibited, the case of stored cigarettes in a warehouse getting lost was recently reported to local authorities.

In a post on X, the Minister of Homeland Security Ali Ihusan said the cigarettes were lost from a bonded warehouse located in a private residence in Male’ City. While Ihusan noted that the warehouse operator had begun additional works in the warehouse without the knowledge of Maldives Customs Service, the authority has demanded the warehouse operator to pay duties for the stored goods in the warehouse that appear on Customs’ records.

Both Customs and Maldives Police Service are investigating the case to take legal action against culpable parties.

Ihusan highlighted that bonded warehouses have been developed and operated in private buildings for years, but the government had decided, and implemented regulations that require all bonded warehouses to be moved to designated locations under full control of Customs to enhance safety of stored goods.

Bonded warehouses are government-permitted storage units where imported and transshipment goods are stored temporarily, and are operated under the mandate of Customs while the goods stored are primarily duty exempt.