Maldives Grants Visas on Arrival to Citizens of 5 African Countries
- The Maldives published details of its visa-on-arrival policy, listing only five African countries as eligible for the scheme
- Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco are the only African nations whose citizens can enter the Maldives without a prior visa
- Eligible travellers from these five countries can stay for up to 30 days and are not required to pay a visa-on-arrival fee
The Maldives has confirmed that only five African countries qualify for its visa-on-arrival scheme, a policy detail outlined on the country's official visa information platform.
Source: UGC
According to the published policy, nationals from the five countries are the only people on the African continent who can arrive in the Maldives without applying for a visa in advance.
Citizens of all other African nations are excluded from the scheme.
The list includes:
- Kenya,
- Tanzania,
- South Africa,
- Egypt, and
- Morocco.
Maldives' permitted stay and visa fees
Travellers from the five eligible countries are allowed to remain in the Maldives for a maximum of 30 days under the visa-on-arrival arrangement.
Notably, the Maldives does not charge a fee for this privilege, meaning qualifying African nationals can enter at no visa cost.
The visa-on-arrival benefit is not limited to Africa. Several countries across Asia, Europe, and Oceania also appear on the Maldives' eligible list, though the five named African nations are the only ones from the continent to be included.
Requirements for entry into the Maldives
While the visa-on-arrival is free of charge, the Maldives has set out a number of conditions that travellers must satisfy before they are permitted to enter the country.
Eligible visitors are required to hold a valid passport and present confirmation of their accommodation in the Maldives.
They must also demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to cover their stay and must complete the IMUGA Declaration, which is an arrival declaration form used by Maldivian authorities.
Additionally, travellers must hold a return or onward ticket and satisfy all applicable health requirements at the time of travel.
Nationals of the five eligible African countries who plan to visit the Maldives are advised to ensure all these conditions are met before departure to avoid being denied entry upon arrival.
Portugal confirms visa-free entry for 59 countries
Similarly, YEN.com.gh reported that Portugal had also released the full list of 59 countries whose citizens can enter the country without a visa.
Travellers from countries on Portugal's visa-free list are expected to hold a valid biometric passport to gain entry.
African nations were largely absent from Portugal's visa-free list, which was dominated by European, Asian and American countries.
Spain confirms visa-free entry for 60 countries
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also published an official list of 60 countries whose nationals can enter the country without a visa.
Just like Portugal, Spain's list included nations from across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania and Europe, covering a wide range of regions.
Spain also maintained a separate list of countries whose citizens must obtain a visa before travelling to the country.
Source: YEN.com.gh
