- Kudafarufasgan’du, Miladhunmadulu Atoll – photo by yacht Starry Horizons
Assad Mohamed from yacht agency Real Seahawks Maldives, has been lobbying the government since 2010 to make the Maldives more cruiser-friendly. “Finally we have made it!” he reports to Noonsite. “I promised to many cruisers that we will make Maldives a cruiser/sailor friendly country. Now I believe that sailors will not hesitate to put Maldives on their ‘places to go’ list.”
Current Fees:
2010 saw the introduction of the Cruising Permit (Tourism Fee) at a cost of $325 for one month cruising in the Maldives. Once all other clearance costs are included a two-month stay exploring the Maldives would set you back approx. $1300.
Even a short 48 hour stopover to refuel and re-provision incurs clearance charges in the region of US$250.
For many yachts these high fees were just too prohibitive and so the Maldives have been given a miss by many Indian Ocean cruisers.
New Fees:
All that is about to change however on 1 April, 2020, when the following fees will be amended:
- Customs inward and outward clearance costs will be reduced from US$130 to US$30.
- Sanitation cost will reduce from US$65 to US$12
- There will be no anchoring fee for the first 30 days (currently the first 6 days are free).
- Vessels less than 15m LOA can stay up to 72 hours in the Port of Entry for refueling and provisioning without paying any government charges.
- It is expected (but not yet confirmed) that the Ministry of tourism will start issuing free cruising permits for sailors from 1st May 2020.
Less Restrictions:
Some restrictions have also been lifted, including the requirement to rent a tracking device for the duration of your stay in the Maldives. If a yacht has AIS on board, then tracking rental will no longer be required.
Crossing the Indian Ocean will definitely be easier next season now that a short stopover in the Maldives is cost-effective, and many may well decide to stay longer and explore this beautiful archipelago once the cruising permit fee has been abolished.
For more information contact:
Assad at Real Seahawks Maldives
assad@realseahawksmaldives.com
Our thanks to Assad of Real Seahawks for confirming these changes and new fees.
Related Content:
Eight Weeks Cruising the Maldives (May 2019)
Maldives: Welcome Amendments to the Rules for Visiting Yachts (2014)
