Maldives Post marks its 119th anniversary today, a milestone that traces back to 9 September 1906, when postal services began nationwide and the islands first used Ceylon stamps overprinted “MALDIVES”. Over a century later, the national operator has evolved into a modern logistics and digital-commerce partner connecting every inhabited island to the world.
On September/1/1906, the first Maldives stamp was issued-Ceylon postage stamps overprinted with “MALDIVES” and it was used until 15th May 1909.
Launched in the early 20th century to move letters across atolls and beyond, the postal system issued the first stamps inscribed “Maldives” in 1909, signaling a distinct national philatelic identity. That philatelic tradition remains a visible record of the country’s social and cultural history.
Institutionally, the service was corporatized as Maldives Post Limited in 1994, a 100% government-owned company mandated to provide universal postal service (USO). Today it operates a nationwide network of atoll post offices and about 170 agency post offices, giving island communities direct access to mail and parcel services.
The product suite has expanded well beyond traditional letter mail. Core offerings now include domestic and international parcels, Express Mail Service (EMS) for time-sensitive shipments, and online track-and-trace for customers monitoring deliveries.
To meet the surge in online shopping, Maldives Post operates eTukuri, a platform that enables both local marketplace purchases and “shop & ship” from international retailers, complete with assigned overseas addresses for Maldivian customers and last-mile delivery at home. Collect-at-post-office options add flexibility for islanders on the move.
Internationally, Maldives Post is the country’s designated operator in the global postal system, a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the EMS Cooperative. Its EMS performance has earned top recognition, including a UPU EMS Gold Award for results in 2022—a benchmark of delivery reliability and service quality against global peers.
119 years after its first overprinted stamps, Maldives Post is no longer just about letters. It is a national logistics backbone—linking atolls, powering online shopping, and carrying Maldivian parcels reliably across oceans—while remaining anchored in the global postal community.
