Maldives Employment Act in plain English: leave, hours, overtime and notice (2026)

The Employment Act (Law 2/2008) gives you 30 days' paid annual leave after a year, 30 days' paid sick leave and a 48-hour normal week. Overtime is paid at 1.25 times your hourly pay, or 1.5 times on a Friday or public holiday. In Dhivehi the Act is the vazeefaa aa behey gaanoonu.

The Labour Relations Authority publishes an unofficial English translation that includes amendments up to the 7th (September 2022). The 8th amendment (September 2024) and 9th amendment (March 2026) exist only in Dhivehi in the Government Gazette. This page includes both, and the Dhivehi text is the one that counts.

Who the Act covers

The Act covers everyone employed by the State or the private sector, Maldivian or foreign, except the military and police (section 2). A contract can give you more than the Act, but any term that takes away a right in the Act is void.

Employment contract and probation

Your employer must give you a written employment contract and a signed copy of it (section 13). The 6th amendment of September 2020 made the signed copy compulsory (President's Office). An employer who fails to provide it can be fined MVR 2,000 to MVR 20,000.

• The contract must state your pay, how it is calculated, pay day, leave, disciplinary rules and how you can be dismissed.
• A fixed-term contract can last at most two years. If it is renewed past two years in total, it becomes a permanent (indefinite) contract.
• You must get a written job description within one month of starting (section 15).
• Probation can last up to 3 months. Either side can end the contract without notice during probation, but you keep your other rights, including the minimum wage (section 14).

Working hours

You cannot be required to work more than 48 normal hours a week (section 32). After 6 days in a row you must get 24 hours off. Overtime is extra to the 48 hours.

• At tourist resorts, tourist vessels and industrial islands, the contract can let weekly days off build up and be taken later.
• Staff at those places can work 2 extra hours a day, but those hours must be paid as overtime.
• You must get at least a 30-minute meal break after 5 hours of work (section 35).
• You are allowed 15 minutes for each prayer, or a 15-minute break every 4 hours (section 36).
• Your employer cannot force you to stay at the worksite, island or vessel after your working hours (section 34-1).

Emergency workers, ship and aircraft crews, mosque staff, people on call and senior managers are exempt from these rules (section 34).

Overtime rate

Overtime is paid at 1.25 times your hourly pay on a normal working day and 1.5 times on a Friday or public holiday. The rates are in section 37. Since the 9th amendment of 14 March 2026, overtime can only be worked under an agreement between you and your employer (Law 2/2026).

Public holidays

The Act's official holidays include every Friday and, since 14 March 2026, International Workers' Day on 1 May (9th amendment, section 97). The full list is:

• every Friday
• National Day, the Prophet's Birthday and the day the Maldives embraced Islam
• Independence Day, Victory Day and Republic Day
• the first day of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Hajj Day and Eid al-Adha
• International Workers' Day

Annual leave

You get 30 days of paid annual leave after each completed year of employment (section 39). Your employer sets the start date after talking to you, within 12 months of earning it (section 41).

• If a public holiday falls during your leave, you get an extra day.
• Your employer cannot ask you to work while you are on annual leave (section 40).
• Leave cannot be swapped for pay, except unused leave, which must be paid when you leave the job.
• Any agreement to give up your annual leave is void.

Sick leave

You get at least 30 days of paid sick leave a year (section 42). Normally you show a medical certificate from a licensed doctor on your first day back.

Since the 6th amendment of September 2020, 15 of those 30 days can be taken without a certificate. Each such absence can last no more than 2 days in a row.

Maternity leave

Women get 60 days of paid maternity leave on a doctor's certificate showing the expected birth date (section 43). Up to 30 of those days can be taken before the birth, and your salary is paid on the normal pay day.

• A further 28 days are allowed if a doctor certifies that you or the baby are unwell. The employer does not have to pay for them.
• You have the right to return to the same job on the same terms (section 44).
• Since the 9th amendment, you get two paid 30-minute breaks a day to care for your child until the child turns two (section 45). Before March 2026 this ended at age one.
• After maternity leave, either parent can take up to a year of unpaid leave (section 46).

Paternity and family leave

Fathers get 3 days of paid leave from the day their child is born (section 48). Every employee also gets 10 days of paid family responsibility leave a year, for example to care for a sick relative (section 47). There are also 5 days of paid leave for a child's circumcision (section 49).

Pay, payslips and deductions

You must be paid at least once a month (section 50). Each payment must come with a statement of your total pay, deductions and the reasons for them (section 54).

• Deductions are allowed by law or court order, and for leave, medical costs, insurance or a provident fund.
• With your written permission, your employer can deduct for housing, goods, loans or advances, up to one third of your wage (section 55).
• Your employer cannot make you pay back salary or sign for more than you received.
• Everything you are owed must be paid within 7 days of your job ending (section 57).

Service charge

Tourism businesses must add a service charge of at least 10% and share it equally among all staff who help provide the service (section 52). That includes staff who help indirectly.

The employer can keep no more than 1% as an administration fee. Each month's service charge must be paid out by the end of the next month. The service charge guide has more detail.

This rule follows the 6th amendment. The Service Charge Regulation of 16 March 2021 applies it to resorts, hotels, guesthouses, tourist vessels, yacht harbours and private islands. Other businesses may charge a service charge too, and the Act's equal-sharing rule covers that money as well.

Termination notice

Since the 9th amendment of 14 March 2026, notice periods apply to both sides (section 22). Your employer must give notice to dismiss you, and you must give notice to resign, in writing.

• No notice is needed during probation.
• Either side can end the contract by paying the other the pay and benefits for the notice period instead (section 25).
• Your employer may dismiss you without notice only for unacceptable conduct, such as fraud (section 23).
• Notice cannot be counted while you are on leave.
• Your contract can give longer notice from the employer or shorter notice from you.

If your job is made redundant, the notice is longer (section 21). It is 1 month if you have worked less than a year, 2 months for one to four years, and 3 months after that.

Your employer must have a reasonable cause to dismiss you and must prove it (sections 21 and 27). If you believe you were dismissed unfairly, you can complain to the Employment Tribunal within 3 months (section 28).

Minimum wage

The minimum wage order in force since 1 January 2022 covers Maldivian employees only, at rates that depend on the employer's size (minimum wage guide). The 6th amendment of 2020 set up the system and the Minimum Wage Advisory Board (section 59).

The 7th amendment of September 2022 requires the minister to announce a date for applying the minimum wage to foreign workers (President's Office).

Rules for foreign workers

Since the 8th amendment of 1 September 2024, a foreigner may work in the Maldives only with authorisation (section 65). The employer must first register the worksite and get a quota and a work permit (section 65-2). An employer who neglects a foreign worker can be fined MVR 50,000 per worker (section 65-7).

• Neglect includes not paying salary, not providing the basics set by regulation and exploiting the worker. Making them do a different job from the one they were brought for also counts.
• An employment agency may charge the employer, but no fee can be taken from a job seeker, directly or indirectly (section 70).
• A foreign worker, or someone acting for them, can complain to the Employment Tribunal about a breach of their contract (section 66).

Permits, fees and the work e-visa are covered in the work permit guide.

Where to complain

Contact the Labour Relations Authority first: Ma. Kan'dubalaage, Buruzu Magu, Malé, phone 332 8282 or 332 4545, email [email protected]. It is open Sunday to Thursday, 08:00 to 14:00, and takes complaints through an online form.

Disputes about dismissal, discipline or your contract go to the Employment Tribunal. This page is a summary, not legal advice, so check your own case with the Labour Relations Authority.

Questions people ask

How many days of annual leave do you get in the Maldives?

30 days of paid annual leave after each full year of work. Your employer cannot make you give it up or pay you instead, except for unused leave when your job ends.

What is the overtime rate in the Maldives?

1.25 times your hourly pay on a normal working day and 1.5 times on a Friday or public holiday. Since March 2026, overtime must be agreed between you and your employer.

How much sick leave can I take?

At least 30 paid days a year. Up to 15 of them can be taken without a medical certificate, if no absence lasts more than 2 days in a row.

How long is maternity leave in the Maldives?

60 days of paid leave, with up to 30 days before the birth. A further 28 days are allowed if a doctor certifies ill health, but they can be unpaid.

How much notice do I have to give to resign?

Since 14 March 2026, you give the same notice as your employer. That is 2 weeks in your first year, 1 month up to five years, then 2 months. Your contract can allow you shorter notice.

Is service charge mandatory in Maldives?

Yes, for tourism businesses such as resorts, hotels, guesthouses and tourist vessels. They must charge at least 10% and share it equally among staff, keeping no more than 1%.