Hiring foreign workers in the Maldives: quota, work permit and fees (2026)

Hiring a foreign worker in the Maldives costs MVR 2,000 a year for a quota and MVR 350 a month for the work permit. First you register the worksite and advertise the job to Maldivians for at least 7 days. The rules are in Regulation 2025/R-120, in force since 14 December 2025, and every fee is yours.

1,599 vacancies are open in the Maldives on CareersMV as of 7 Oct 2026: 1,096 at 123 resorts and 398 in government and the public sector.

Which rules apply

Regulation 2025/R-120 is the rulebook for employing foreigners from 14 December 2025. It came into force on the day it was published in the Government Gazette and repealed Regulation 2023/R-111 (Articles 83 and 84).

Regulation 2021/R-16, which many older guides still quote, is no longer in force. The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade's laws page lists it as repealed. The rules are applied by the Department of Foreign Labour at the Ministry of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology, through the Xpat system.

It has been amended three times:

• 17 December 2025 (2025/R-122): babysitter taken off the list of jobs being reserved for Maldivians.
• 1 April 2026 (2026/R-19): no quota fee for micro, small and medium businesses with 20 quotas or fewer.
• 25 August 2026 (2026/R-69): foreign employees must be paid into a bank account in their own name, from 30 days after publication.

The regulation is published in Dhivehi. The steps below summarise it; they are not legal advice.

The steps, in order

You need three things before a foreign worker arrives: a registered worksite, a quota and a work permit (Article 13). The order is:

1. 01Register on Xpat. Since 1 September 2025 every user logs in with a verified eFaas account (Xpat notifications).
2. 02Register the worksite. A foreigner may work only at a worksite the ministry has registered and approved (Articles 14 to 16). Worksites include business premises on any island, vessels and households (Article 15).
3. 03Advertise the job to Maldivians. Post it on the National Job Center for at least 7 days. You can use a quota only if no suitable Maldivian applied (Article 56 and Schedule 2, Article 18).
4. 04Get the quota. Apply through Xpat and pay the quota fee before you use it (Articles 25 to 28).
5. 05Apply for the work permit. Upload the documents listed below and pay the security deposit. The ministry then issues a Work Permit Entry Pass (Article 34 and Schedule 4).
6. 06Receive the worker at the port. You must meet the worker on arrival and arrange their accommodation (Article 60).
7. 07Complete the work permit within 30 days. Medical, insurance, accommodation, verification of the worker and the first month's fee (Article 36). A further 15 days can be given, with penalties.
8. 08Get the work visa. Immigration asks the employer to apply within 15 days of the worker's arrival on the entry pass (Maldives Immigration).

The ministry weighs your request against the Maldivians you employ, the Maldivians available for the job and your finances (Article 21). It checks your finances against your tax records.

Days in the regulation are counted without government holidays (Article 83).

Fees and deposits

The regulation puts every fee for these permits on the employer (Article 77).

The quota and work permit amounts are also written into the Employment Act itself (section 65, as amended in 2020). Quota and work permit fees are not refunded.

Paid fees decide how long a permit lasts. A work permit is valid for the period you have paid for (Article 38). A quota lasts for the period its fee covers (Article 29).

Documents for the work permit

Schedule 4, Article 11 of the Regulation lists what to upload:

• a colour copy of the passport data page, and of any previous passport
• a digital passport photo
• a letter of appointment with the details in the ministry's template (Schedule 9)
• education certificates accredited by the Maldives Qualifications Authority, if the job needs them
• a licence or permit, if the job needs one from a government office
• a work permit medical
• a police report from the worker's home country, less than 6 months old
• details of the accommodation you have arranged
• proof of the vaccinations set by the Ministry of Health

The medical and the health insurance must come from providers registered with the ministry (Schedule 4, Articles 13 and 14).

What you owe the worker

Your duties start at the port and run until the worker goes home.

• Accommodation: for the whole employment, to the standard in Schedule 6 (Article 60). Professional-category staff may arrange their own.
• A written contract: within 45 days of arrival, signed by both sides, with a copy to the worker (Article 58). The Employment Act, section 13, lists what it must contain.
• A job description: in writing, within 20 days of the worker starting (Article 59).
• Pay into the worker's own account: at a bank registered with the Maldives Monetary Authority. This applies from late September 2026, 30 days after the third amendment was published on 25 August (2026/R-69). The Labour Relations Authority treats salary as paid only if it went into that account (Gazette notice).
• The advertised pay: a quota worker gets the salary and benefits your National Job Center advert offered (Schedule 2, Article 18).

If the work permit fee goes unpaid, the worker gains the right to move to another employer without your consent. After 6 months unpaid, the ministry can cancel the permit and send the worker home (Schedule 4, Article 18).

Jobs being reserved for Maldivians

Regulation 2025/R-120 phases out quotas for named jobs over five years. Existing quotas for these jobs are cancelled at the deadline and no new ones are issued (Schedule 2, Article 26). The deadlines count from 14 December 2025.

Some jobs get no quota at all (Schedule 2, Article 26). They include taxi drivers, aircraft co-pilots, sea vessel captains, photography, entertainment and cashiers at fruit and vegetable shops. The Department of Foreign Labour's summary lists the same timetable.

The Employment Act adds two rules for workplaces with more than 50 employees. Your most senior human resources employee must be Maldivian, and so must 60% of senior management (section 74-1).

These came from the Sixth Amendment of 22 September 2020, which gave employers five years to comply. The Labour Relations Authority can fine up to MVR 100,000 for not complying.

Penalties

Fines run from MVR 50,000 to MVR 100,000 per violation. A proven violation costs MVR 50,000 the first time, MVR 75,000 the second time and MVR 100,000 the third time (Schedule 7, Article 5).

Neglecting foreign workers you brought in costs MVR 50,000 for each worker affected, and the ministry can publish your name (Schedule 7, Article 10). Other breaches can be fined up to MVR 100,000. The ministry can also suspend your use of Xpat services (Xpat notifications).

Changes to watch

Three dated changes affect hiring now:

• 23 November 2025: work visa stickers in passports stopped being valid; only approved e-visas count (Maldives Immigration).
• 15 September 2026: people on a business or special visa can no longer switch to a work visa in the country (Gazette notice). You cannot apply for their work permit through Xpat.
• Late September 2026: salaries of foreign employees go into their own bank accounts, under the third amendment to R-120.

For your own case, call the Department of Foreign Labour on 1485 or check the Xpat notifications before you apply. Fees and deadlines change by amendment.

For the worker's side of the same process, see the work permit and work visa guide. To advertise the job before you apply for a quota, see where to advertise in the Maldives and how to write a job vacancy.

Questions people ask

How much does a work permit cost in the Maldives?

The work permit fee is MVR 350 a month, paid by the employer through Xpat, at least one month in advance. On top of that, the quota costs MVR 2,000 a year, unless you are a small business with 20 quotas or fewer. You also pay a refundable security deposit set by the worker's nationality.

Can I ask the worker to pay the permit fees?

No. Regulation 2025/R-120 says the employer pays the amounts charged for permits under the regulation (Article 77). The security deposit is also the employer's to pay.

Do I have to advertise to Maldivians before hiring a foreigner?

Yes. The job must be advertised on the National Job Center for at least 7 days. You can use the quota only if no suitable Maldivian applied.

You must use the quota within 3 months of the advert, and pay the foreign hire what the advert offered.

How long does a work permit take?

The regulation sets deadlines, not a processing time. Once the worker lands on the entry pass, you have 30 days to complete the work permit, with a possible 15 more. Immigration asks for the work visa application within 15 days of arrival.

Can someone on a business visa start working and switch to a work visa later?

No. From 15 September 2026 the ministry stopped accepting work permit applications for people in the country on a business or special visa. A Work Permit Entry Pass must be issued before the worker travels.