Work in the Maldives from India: jobs, permits and pay (2026)

Yes, Indians can work in the Maldives: the 2022 census counted 32,971 Indian nationals there, one in four foreigners (Bureau of Statistics). Indians are the second-largest group of migrant workers after Bangladeshis, mostly in tourism, construction, schools and hospitals.

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.

Jobs open to Indians

Resorts hire the most foreigners: 59% of the 55,874 resort staff at the end of 2022 were foreign (Employment in Resorts 2022). In the 2022 census, Indians were 29% of all migrant workers, 24% of foreign tourism staff and 39% of foreign construction workers (Census 2022).

Schools and hospitals rely on Indian staff too. In 2022, 95% of about 1,700 expatriate teachers were Indian, says India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA brief, March 2024). The same brief says many doctors, nurses, paramedics and pharmacists are Indian.

Some of these jobs are closing to foreign workers under the new Regulation on Expatriate Employment, 2025/R-120. Quotas for electricians and accountants end two years after it took effect, nurses after three years and school teachers after five (Xpat summary, in Dhivehi). Check the dates in our work permit guide before you plan around them.

Browse every vacancy on /jobs, resort jobs on /resorts, or teacher and nurse vacancies. A job alert tells you when new ones open.

What your Maldives employer does

Your employer gets a quota slot and a work permit for you on the Xpat system, and pays the MVR 350 monthly permit fee (MIRA). You fly in on a work permit entry pass, and the employer applies for your Work e-Visa within 15 days (Immigration). Passport visa stickers stopped being valid after 23 November 2025; the full process is in our work permit guide.

Employers outside government must also have your contract attested by the High Commission of India in Malé. It checks salary, timely payment, permit renewal and repatriation terms, and charges the employer MVR 345 (High Commission).

What you must do in India before you fly

You need no emigration clearance for the Maldives, because it is not one of India's 18 ECR countries (eMigrate). Only ECR passport holders going to work in those 18 need clearance.

The 18 are Afghanistan, Bahrain, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, the UAE and Yemen. Nurses need clearance only for those countries too.

So you do not visit a Protector of Emigrants for a Maldives job. The 17 PoE offices include Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai (eMigrate). They grant clearance for ECR countries and act on complaints that the MEA helpline passes to them.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana insurance is compulsory only for ECR-category workers going to ECR countries (eMigrate). Ask your employer in writing what medical cover comes with the job.

Before you travel:

• get a written offer or contract that names the employer, the job and the salary
• ask for your work permit number and check it on Xpat's Work Permit Verification page with your name or passport number
• if you use an agent, check their registration on eMigrate (below)
• after you arrive, register with the High Commission if you stay longer than a month

Agents and fees

The most a recruiting agent may charge you is Rs 30,000 plus 18% GST, with a receipt (MEA advisory). The limit is the same for an agency in Kerala, Chennai or anywhere else in India.

You can apply to a Maldives employer directly; you do not need an agent. If you use one, the MEA says its licence is "mandatory for any recruitment for work abroad".

To check an agent:

1. 01Open emigrate.gov.in and choose "List of active RA" or Search, then Find RA.
2. 02Enter the agency's name or registration number. Registered agents display the number in their office and adverts.
3. 03If the agency is missing or inactive, do not pay it.

In Kerala, the state government's own recruitment agency, ODEPC, is registered with the MEA (ODEPC).

Refuse:

• any charge for your work permit, quota or visa: these are the employer's fees (MIRA)
• a job on a tourist or visit visa: the MEA says a valid offer lets you travel on an employment visa
• cash payments with no receipt
• offers that come only by WhatsApp or Facebook, with no contract signed by the employer

A "free visa" job in the Maldives simply means the employer pays the permit costs, which is the rule anyway. No "free visa" lets you work for anyone. A permit is tied to one employer, and changing employer is a separate Xpat application (Xpat notices).

More warning signs are in how to avoid fake Maldives job offers.

Pay

Resorts rarely advertise pay, so most advertised salaries come from government vacancies. Resorts must charge guests a service charge of at least 10%, shared among staff under an LRA regulation (LRA). Many resort listings say accommodation, meals and service charge are included: that is what the listing says, so check it in your contract.

The Maldives minimum wage does not cover you. The Minimum Wage Order applies to workers "other than expatriate employees" (Minimum Wage Order). Your employer must pay your salary into a bank account in your own name (Xpat notice).

See advertised pay for more roles on /insights/salaries.

Where to get help

The High Commission of India is at Lot No. 11499, Hithigas Magu, Hulhumalé Phase-I, on +960 400 4176 or 400 4177 (contact). In an emergency, call or message its Welfare Officer on +960 736 1452 or [email protected] (officials).

The High Commission also keeps a panel of lawyers in Malé whom Indians can hire at their own cost (legal assistance).

In India, the MEA's 24-hour Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra takes complaints about agents and employers (MEA advisory):

• toll-free from India: 1800 11 3090
• from abroad: +91 11 2688 5021
• WhatsApp: +91 74283 21144
• email: [email protected]

You can also file a grievance on eMigrate under Emigrant, then Submit Grievance.

In the Maldives, take unpaid wages and contract breaches to the Labour Relations Authority. The Employment Act covers expatriates as well as Maldivians (LRA FAQ). Use the online complaint form, call +960 332 8282, or visit Ma. Kan'dubalaage, Buruzu Magu, Malé (LRA).

Rules and fees change, so check your own case with the High Commission or the LRA before you sign or pay.

Questions people ask

Can Indians work in the Maldives?

Yes. The 2022 census counted 32,971 Indians in the Maldives. India also sent the second-largest number of work permit arrivals from 2013 to mid-2021 (Foreign Labour Statistics). You need a job offer first, because the employer applies for your permit.

Do I need ECR clearance to work in the Maldives?

No. Emigration clearance applies only to ECR passport holders working in 18 named countries, and the Maldives is not one of them (eMigrate). This is true for nurses as well.

What are free visa jobs in the Maldives?

The employer pays the work permit fee anyway, so every legal job is "free visa" in that sense (MIRA). Do not pay anyone for a visa. Refuse a "free visa" that promises you can work for any employer: permits are tied to one employer.

How much does a work permit cost in the Maldives?

The work permit fee is MVR 350 a month, and the employer is liable for it (MIRA). The employer also pays a yearly quota fee; our work permit guide has the current amounts.

Can I work in the Maldives without a work permit?

No. Your employer must get your work permit entry pass before you travel (Xpat notice). Since 15 September 2026, people on business or special visas cannot get a permit from inside the country. Treat a job offered on a tourist visa as a warning sign.

What is the minimum salary in the Maldives for Indians?

There is none for foreign workers. The Minimum Wage Order covers only workers "other than expatriate employees", so your contract sets your pay (Minimum Wage Order). Compare offers with the advertised pay on /insights/salaries.