Maldives Immigration has announced temporary changes to passport services to ensure Maldivians can continue travelling while a new stock of passport booklets is being delivered.
The changes will take effect on August 28.
Immigration said the German company supplying Maldivian passport booklets faced technical problems with its printing machinery. The problems have now been fixed, but the recovery process took longer than expected.
As a result, the new passport booklets are now expected to arrive by the end of September 2026.
Until then, Maldivians living in the country who need to renew an expired or expiring passport will not receive a new booklet. Instead, Immigration will extend the validity of their existing passport until June 30, 2027.
The extension will be provided free of charge.
Immigration will also issue free Emergency Passports to first-time applicants making short trips to common destinations such as India and Sri Lanka.
The Emergency Passport has eight pages, is valid for one year and can be read by machines at immigration checkpoints. It also meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
Immigration said the German company has supplied Maldivian passport booklets since 2016 and had not faced a similar problem during the past 10 years.
The measures are temporary and are intended to manage the remaining passport stock until the new shipment arrives.
Maldives Immigration assured the public that the changes will not prevent Maldivians from travelling abroad.
