Lost or stolen passport in the Maldives: what to do, step by step

Losing your passport far from home is stressful, especially on an island nation where your country may not have an embassy. The good news is that the process in the Maldives is well established. Staying calm and following the steps in the right order will save you time. This guide covers what to do as a tourist and as a resident worker.

Step 1: Make sure it's really lost

Before starting official processes, check carefully:

• Your room safe, bags and pockets.
• Your resort or guesthouse reception: passports are sometimes kept after check-in, or handed in by other guests.
• The boat, seaplane or ferry company you travelled with.
• The airport's lost property, if you lost it on arrival.

If it was stolen, or you can't find it after checking, move to the next step straight away. Time matters if you have a flight soon.

Step 2: Report it to the police

Report the loss or theft to the Maldives Police Service. In Malé and Hulhumalé, go to a police station; on other islands, there is usually a police post or the island's police station. At resorts, staff can help you contact the police.

Ask for a written police report or a reference number. Your embassy and Maldives Immigration will usually want to see it. Bring any ID you still have, a copy of the passport if you have one, and details of your travel.

In an emergency, call the police on 119 or the national emergency number 911. See emergency numbers and safety.

Step 3: Contact your embassy or consulate

Only a limited number of countries have embassies or high commissions in Malé. Many others cover the Maldives from Colombo in Sri Lanka or another regional capital, and some have an honorary consul in Malé who can help with the first steps.

Find the right office on your government's foreign ministry website, or ask the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then ask about:

• An emergency travel document (sometimes called an emergency passport or temporary passport), which lets you travel home or onward.
• A full replacement passport, if you live in the Maldives and need one for your visa.
• What you need to provide: usually the police report, passport photos, proof of identity and citizenship, travel details and a fee.
• Whether you can apply online or need to send documents to the office abroad.

Processing times vary from a day or two for emergency documents to several weeks for full passports. Tell the embassy your flight date.

Step 4: Sort out your Maldives entry record or visa

Tourists

Tourists receive their visa on arrival, recorded against their passport. Your new document will not show the entry stamp, so contact Maldives Immigration with your police report, the new document and your travel details. Immigration can confirm your entry and, where needed, record the details on your new document so you can leave without problems. Ask about this before you go to the airport, especially if your flight is soon.

If waiting for documents means you might stay longer than your permitted stay, speak to Immigration early. See extending a tourist visa and overstays.

Work visa and other visa holders

If you live in the Maldives on a work visa, dependent visa or other long-term visa, your visa is linked to your passport. After you receive a new passport:

1. Give your employer (or sponsor) a copy of the new passport and the police report.
2. Your employer updates your details and transfers the visa to the new passport through the Xpat system, following Immigration's current procedure.
3. Keep the confirmation and any new visa card or document.

Don't travel out of the country until your visa is linked to your new passport, or you may have problems returning. See the work visa process.

Step 5: Tell your airline, hotel and insurer

• Airline: tell them your passport details will change. Some airlines need the new document number before check-in, and you may need to change the flight if your document isn't ready.
• Resort or guesthouse: they can help with transport to Malé for embassy or Immigration visits and may need to update their records.
• Travel insurer: many policies cover the cost of emergency documents, extra nights and changed flights. Keep every receipt and the police report.
• Bank cards: if your wallet was stolen with the passport, block your cards immediately.

Practical tips if you're at a resort

Resorts are often far from Malé, so every trip to the capital costs time and money. Ask the resort's front office to help you contact the police and your embassy by phone or email first. Many steps can be started remotely, and staff are used to arranging transfers when a visit in person is needed.

How to prevent it, or make it easier

• Keep your passport in the room safe, not in a beach bag.
• Carry a photocopy or photo of the passport photo page and your visa page.
• Store a scan in secure cloud storage or email it to yourself.
• Keep two spare passport photos when travelling long-term.
• Note your embassy's contact details before you travel.
• Residents: keep copies of your work permit card and visa details.

If your passport is damaged

A passport soaked by seawater or rain, or damaged in other ways, may no longer be accepted by airlines or Immigration. Treat a badly damaged passport like a lost one: contact your embassy and ask whether it is still valid for travel. Don't try to repair it yourself.

Children's passports

If a child's passport is lost, the same steps apply, but embassies usually require consent from both parents or legal guardians and the child's birth certificate. Bring both parents' IDs if possible.

What it may cost

Costs depend on your country and situation. Expect to pay for the emergency travel document or new passport, passport photos, transport to Malé (and possibly to Colombo if your embassy requires a visit), extra nights of accommodation and changed flights. Keep every receipt: travel insurance often covers these costs, and you will need proof to claim.

Checklist

1. Search thoroughly and ask your accommodation.
2. Report to the police and get a written report.
3. Contact your embassy or consulate for an emergency travel document or replacement.
4. Contact Maldives Immigration about your entry record or visa.
5. Residents: ask your employer to transfer your visa to the new passport.
6. Tell your airline, accommodation, insurer and bank.
7. Keep copies of everything.

Procedures can change. Confirm the current steps with Maldives Immigration and your embassy.