Wedding on the Maldives

For people who are not Moslems it is not possible to have a civil marriage. There are no Christian churches on the Maldives.
We recommend to get married in Germany and to spend your honeymoon on the Maldives.

German woman gets married with a Maldivian man

• You need to proof that the German woman is not married.
• She needs to proof her economic situation (debit proof)
• All proofs have to be in English and have to be sent to the German Embassy in Colombo / Sri Lanka.
• Wedding confirmation by a Maldivian court. The wedding have to be made by Islam law (Sharia)
• According to the Sharia law, the wife can decide if she wants to take over her husband’s name.
• Children of this marriage will only have the Maldivian citizenship (according to the Maldivian law).

German man gets married with a Maldivian woman

• The German has to convert to Islam. All above mentioned rules accordingly.

Maldivian citizen is visiting German citizen in Germany

A Maldivian citizen, who wants to visit Germany has to apply for a international passport at Maldivian authorities. The Schengen visa has to be applied for at the German Embassy in Colombo/Sri Lanka.

For both applications, the Maldivian citizen needs an official form of his German host in German and English. This form has to explain that the German host would like to invite the Maldivian citizen to Germany for an indicated period of time. Furthermore the form has to declare:

• That the host will carry all costs for his guetsts (board and lodging)
• that the Maldivian citizen will travel back to Maldives after the indicated time of his visit
• that the host will carry possible other costs for his guest, i.e. necessary medical treatments

The host has to send this form to:

• the German Embassy in Colombo/Sri Lanka, together with a short covering letter, annoucing the visa application of his Maldivian guest
• he Maldivian guest to submit at Maldivian authorities and at German Embassy

Jobs on the Maldives

On the Maldives there is no central employment agency. Currently there are only job offers in the tourism branch (F&B, diving and surfing clubs). For your job search we recommend to ask the local incoming agencies or the management of the different hotel islands.

Since this can take a long time we recommend getting in contact during one of your holiday stays on the Maldives. An entry for job search is not possible – you could be sent back home.

Before foreign nationals start a job they need a permission of the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Labour, Male. In general you get permission for a stay of 6 months.

Investments on the Maldives
All questions about investments on the Maldives have to be sent to the Foreign Investment Service Bureau of the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Labour in Male.
Documents can also be ordered at the Honorary Consulate General in Bad Homburg, Germany.

Rent or buy an island
All islands of the Maldives belong to the state and can be rent to Maldivian citizens.
Permissions are only given to foreign nationals, if they want to invest in tourism and if the islands are foreseen for tourism projects. Another chance may be that a current lease contract is about to expire. The lease contract is agreed on a minimum of 10 years.
For further information please contact the Ministry of Tourism in Male.

To open a business on the Maldives
Basically it is only possible to open a business on the Maldives if you have a Maldivian partner. It is absolutely necessary that all signed contracts are registered at the court in charge. Questions concerning import licences as well as taxation have to be agreed with the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Labour. It is important to know that nearly all goods for daily use have to be imported from Sri Lanka, India, Singapore or Europe (transport and customs duty!)

Fishing on the Maldives
Fishing is only allowed on the non-tourist islands, since otherwise there could be problems with divers and snorkelers.
Big game fishing can be booked on various islands, including the needed equipment.

Is it possible to bring dogs to the Maldives?
Due to religious reasons it is not allowed to bring your dog to the Maldives. There are no dogs on the Maldives. You can apply for a special permission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Boduthakurufaanu Magu, in Male.

Camping
There are no camping sites on the Maldives