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

Yes, Nepalis can work in the Maldives: 5,958 got new labour approvals for it in 2023/24, up from 1,789 in 2017/18 (Nepal government). They included 1,155 waiters and waitresses, and 2,558 of them were women.

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 Nepalis

Resorts hire the most foreigners: 59% of the 55,874 resort staff at the end of 2022 were foreign (Employment in Resorts 2022). Those 1,155 waiters made the Maldives the fourth-largest destination for Nepali waiters in 2023/24, and it also took 535 office staff (labour migration report).

Most are skilled jobs: 70.1% of the 7,455 new and renewed Maldives approvals in 2023/24 were in the skilled category. The 2022 census counted 4,222 Nepalis in the Maldives (census), and Nepalis were 4% of migrant workers (employment report).

Some 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). Our work permit guide has the full list.

Search every vacancy on /jobs, or go straight to waiter, chef, room attendant and spa therapist jobs. Resort jobs are grouped by resort on /resorts, and a job alert tells you when new ones open. How to get a job in the Maldives explains how to apply.

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.

What you must do in Nepal before you fly

You need a labour approval (shram swikriti) from the Department of Foreign Employment before you leave. The Maldives is number 88 on DoFE's list of countries open for foreign employment (DoFE).

You can get the approval through a licensed agency, or on your own as an individual. Most Nepalis going to the Maldives apply on their own: 5,880 of the 5,958 new approvals in 2023/24 were individual (labour migration report).

DoFE lists these steps for a new approval you apply for yourself (DoFE FAQ):

1. 01Log in at feims.dofe.gov.np and fill in the online form.
2. 02Choose a pre-departure orientation training (PDOT) provider and attend the class. Orientation is compulsory under section 27 of the Foreign Employment Act.
3. 03Pay the health-check fee online and take the medical test.
4. 04When both results are in (about three working days), pay the insurance and fund contributions online.
5. 05Upload your documents and submit the form to the labour office you chose.

The documents DoFE asks for are:

• a passport valid for more than 90 days
• a valid visa
• a copy of your contract with the employer
• an email from your employer's official address to the labour office
• a signed self-declaration
• an English translation if the contract is not in English or Arabic

The welfare fund you pay into supports Nepali workers abroad, returnees and their families (Foreign Employment Act, section 32).

Plan to fly from Nepal. The Act says workers must leave through a Nepali airport unless DoFE approves a foreign one (section 22).

Before you travel, ask for your Maldives work permit number and check it on Xpat's Work Permit Verification page. You can also look up your own labour approval by passport number on DoFE's foreign job search.

Agents and fees

Only a DoFE-licensed agency may run a foreign employment business (Foreign Employment Act, section 10). An agency cannot send you on an individual approval; if it handles your job, the approval goes through the agency (section 21).

To check an agency and a job:

1. 01Search the agency's name or permission number on DoFE's licensed agencies list.
2. 02Check the job's pre-approval on the foreign job search page, under Search Pre Permission Detail.
3. 03If either is missing, do not pay.

The Government of Nepal may set a maximum service charge for each country, and the agency must give you a receipt (section 24). Under the same section you pay the agreed amount only after the agency tells you your visa has arrived.

We found no DoFE notice that applies Nepal's "free visa, free ticket" rule to the Maldives. Call DoFE on 1140 and ask what an agency may charge you for a Maldives job before you pay anything.

Refuse:

• any charge for your Maldives work permit, quota or visa: these are the employer's fees (MIRA)
• a job that starts on a tourist visa: the employer must get your entry pass before you travel (Xpat notice)
• paying an agency before your visa arrives, or without a receipt
• offers that come only by WhatsApp, TikTok or Facebook, with no contract signed by the employer

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 each job on /insights/salaries, for example waiter pay and chef pay.

Where to get help

Nepal has no embassy in the Maldives: the Embassy of Nepal in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is accredited to the Maldives (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The Maldives Foreign Ministry's list of honorary consuls has no entry for Nepal (list).

Contact the embassy at 19-A/2 Alfred Place, Colombo 03, on +94 11 268 9656 or 268 9657, or [email protected] (embassy). Its listed services include rescue and repatriation.

In Nepal, the Department of Foreign Employment in Tahachal, Kathmandu, has a toll-free line, 1140, and takes email at [email protected] (DoFE). Its office number is 01-4792671.

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).

Fees and rules change, so check your own case with DoFE or the embassy before you sign or pay.

Questions people ask

Is the Maldives open for Nepali workers?

Yes. The Maldives is on DoFE's list of countries open for foreign employment (DoFE). In 2023/24, 5,958 Nepalis received new labour approvals for jobs there.

Can I get a labour permit for the Maldives without an agency?

Yes. The Foreign Employment Act lets you apply on your own if you have the employer's approval letter and contract (section 21). Almost all Maldives approvals in 2023/24, 5,880 of 5,958, were individual.

Is there a Nepal embassy in the Maldives?

No. The Embassy of Nepal in Colombo covers the Maldives (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Call it on +94 11 268 9656, or take workplace problems to the Labour Relations Authority in Malé.

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). In Nepal you pay for your own medical test, insurance and fund contributions (see the table above).

Can I work in the Maldives without a permit?

No. Your employer must get your work permit entry pass before you travel (Xpat notice). You also need DoFE's labour approval to leave Nepal for the job.

What is the minimum salary in the Maldives?

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.