Alcohol regulations in Maldives

Licences needed

None issued (domestic manufacture is prohibited)

Who can import

Only licensed tourist resorts, authorized bonded warehouse operators, and registered safari vessel operators holding special quotas/permits (commercial import for local public distribution or personal import by travellers is strictly prohibited)

Licences or registrations

Special Permit to Import Restricted Goods (Alcohol and Pork Permit) and registration with Maldives Customs Service

Authority

Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, in coordination with Maldives Customs Service

Documents

Importer registration, tourism establishment/vessel operating license, import permit application with allocated quota, commercial invoice, bill of lading/air waybill, and packing list

Fees

1% revenue fee on customs value; permit administration fees apply per regulatory schedule (specific fee not confirmed)

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Required: no Process: No separate brand or label registration system (such as US COLA); approval is granted on a per-shipment import permit basis through the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and customs clearance…

Importation is restricted to approved quota holders and bonded channels. Personal importation by incoming passengers (including duty-free purchases) is prohibited and confiscated upon arrival at ports of entry. Shipments must be…

25% ad valorem plus MVR 50 specific duty per litre (under the Export-Import Act)

Customs duty of 25% + MVR 50/litre; 1% customs revenue fee; Tourism Goods and Services Tax (TGST) of 17% applied at point of retail consumption in tourist establishments (increased from 16% on 1 July 2025)

Exclusively sold through licensed bars, restaurants, and room services on private resort islands, registered liveaboard safari boats, and transit facilities (such as the Hulhulé Island Hotel and international departure…

banned (e-commerce, remote sales, and domestic delivery of alcoholic beverages are strictly illegal)

Standard international commercial packaging indicating alcoholic strength by volume (ABV), brand name, net contents, and origin is accepted; no unique Maldivian excise stamp or Dhivehi health warning label is mandated

Total ban; all commercial advertising, promotion, and public sponsorship of alcohol products are prohibited nationwide across media and public platforms

not confirmed (the Maldives does not maintain separate statutory standards of identity for spirits and accepts recognized international Codex Alimentarius standards and country-of-origin definitions)

All inhabited and local islands (including the capital city Malé and Hulhumalé) as well as public beaches and streets nationwide are 100% dry; consumption and possession are legally restricted to designated resort islands and…

Increase of the Tourism Goods and Services Tax (TGST) rate from 16% to 17% effective 1 July 2025 under the Seventh Amendment to the Goods and Services Tax Act (Law No. 10/2011), raising tax burdens on alcohol sold in resorts…

Commercial demand is concentrated exclusively in high-end international tourism, offering strong potential for premium and luxury distilled spirits brands supplying resort hotel groups and licensed bonded distributors.

1. Maldives Customs Service Tariff & Export-Import Act Amendments
2. Seventh Amendment to the Goods and Services Tax Act - MIRA Factsheet
3. Ministry of Finance Maldives - Tax and Duty Overview
4. Export Import Act of the Maldives (Act No. 31/79 Translation)