Personalized to your trip — built for the real Maldives. Filter by travel month, stay type, transfer, activities and trip style, and we'll show only the items you actually need. Includes the customs gotchas (vape ban, alcohol, religious materials) and a seaplane baggage tracker that warns you before you overpack.
Part of our Maldives Vacation planning cluster. Pair with our seaplane checker and jet lag planner.
Toggle any filter and the list below updates instantly. Your checked items save automatically.
Your checked items are saved on this device. Export a copy to keep on your phone, share with a partner, or hand to your travel agent.
Already booked your resort? We can help with the things still to figure out — transfer timing, first-day resort program, special-occasion arrangements, baggage handling at MLE. Drop us a note and we'll reply within 4 hours.
The Maldives is friendly to travelers but firm on rules. These six gotchas are the ones we see most often at Velana International — none of them are dealbreakers, but all are avoidable with five minutes of planning.
All e-cigarettes, pods, vape pens and accessories are confiscated at customs. You won't be fined or denied entry, but your device is taken (returnable on departure with receipt). Don't pack any vape gear.
Picked up wine in Doha or Dubai? Customs takes it at MLE. Resort islands serve alcohol freely, so there's no need to bring any — and the duty-free purchase is wasted. Skip it.
Trans Maldivian Airways enforces 20 kg checked + 5 kg carry-on. Excess is $5/kg + 12% TGST. Couples can pool weights. Use the baggage tracker above to see if you're over.
Resorts are bikini-friendly. The capital and local-island guesthouses are not — knees and shoulders covered in public areas. A long sarong or scarf solves it.
No federal ban yet, but many premium resorts (Soneva, Six Senses, Joali) require mineral sunscreen on their reefs. Bring zinc-oxide based; chemical filters can be confiscated by some resorts at check-in.
Required within 96 hours before arrival. Free, takes 5 minutes at imuga.immigration.gov.mv. Skipping it slows down your immigration line significantly.
We're three minutes from Velana International. We meet US arrivals daily — we know which resorts forgive a 26-kg seaplane bag and which charge instantly, which atolls allow drones, which resorts run on island time. That's specialist work, not OTA work.
Three minutes from Velana International. We've stayed at the resorts, taken the seaplanes, and watched the seasons turn. Not a call center.
Late international flight + far seaplane atoll? We pre-book the airport island. Domestic flight rescheduled? We rebook from Malé in real time.
If your trip is too short to recover, we say so. If your arrival flight is wrong for your resort, we tell you before you book.
Same wholesale rate the OTAs use, without their 15–25% margin. The number we quote is the number you pay.
Most inquiries get a reply within 4 hours. Maldives is GMT+5 — morning emails from US travelers get same-day answers.
Registered Maldives travel agency. Maldives is the only destination we book — but we know it deeply.
Other tools and guides in our Maldives Vacation cluster.
The essentials: passport with 1+ month validity, IMUGA Traveller Declaration submitted within 96 hours of arrival, swimwear, reef-safe mineral sunscreen, light breathable clothing, a Type G plug adapter, and any prescription medication with a doctor's letter. Use the generator above for a full personalized list — it changes based on your trip type, season, transfer and activities.
Alcohol (including duty-free), vapes (banned since November 2024), pork products, non-Islamic religious materials (Bibles can be confiscated), pornography (broadly defined — includes some art books and sex toys), narcotics (life imprisonment penalty including for marijuana legal in your US state), spearguns and large knives, and drones without resort permission.
No. Alcohol is prohibited in Maldives customs — even duty-free purchased on your stopover. It will be confiscated at Velana International. Resort islands serve alcohol freely under special license, so there's no need to bring any.
No. Vapes, e-cigarettes, pods, and all related accessories were banned in November 2024. They're confiscated at customs (returnable on departure with receipt). Don't pack any vape device — leave it at home.
Modest clothing covering knees and shoulders in public areas. Bikinis only on designated "tourist beaches" at guesthouse islands. A long sarong or scarf is the most useful item to bring — it covers you for Malé visits, mosques, and conservative areas while doubling as a beach wrap.
Useful but not essential. Closed-toe water sandals (Keen, Teva style) help with reef walking, sandbank picnics and rocky entry points. Most beach days you'll be barefoot. Kids benefit more than adults — small feet on sharp coral is a real risk.
Personal mask if you have one (rentals work but personal mask seals better). Skip fins — bulky, heavy, and most resorts have quality rentals included. Skip your own snorkel unless you have a strong preference.
Soft-sided luggage if possible (easier to fit in the small cabin), under 25 kg per person total (20 checked + 5 carry-on), all valuables and medications in carry-on, one change of clothes in carry-on (in case bags are delayed). Use the baggage tracker above to estimate your weight before packing.
Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA): 20 kg checked + 5 kg carry-on per person, single bag max 32 kg. Excess: $5/kg + 12% TGST. Couples can pool weights — partner can be 23+27 if total is under 50 kg. Manta Air uses similar limits. Speedboat transfers have no specific weight limit beyond your international airline allowance.
Kids' UPF rash guards (Maldives sun is brutal), kid-safe mineral sunscreen, two wide-brim sun hats per kid (one will get lost), water sandals, swim diapers for under-3s, kids' medications in original packaging, and one favorite snack/comfort item from home. Most resorts have beach toys; don't bother packing those.
One or two photo-ready outfits (white or light colors photograph well against turquoise water), a marriage certificate copy if claiming honeymoon perks (some resorts require this within 12 months of the wedding), a soft pouch for rings, and a small surprise gift for your partner. Don't overpack on formal wear — most resort restaurants are smart-casual and many encourage barefoot dining.
If you're traveling May to November (southwest monsoon / wet season), yes — a light packable rain jacket and an extra dry bag for electronics. Tropical downpours are short but heavy. December to April (dry season) you can mostly skip it; April and December are transition months where a light rain layer is sensible.
Yes — that's exactly what we do. Different resorts have different policies on chemical sunscreen, drone use, dress codes and "island time" clocks. Send your resort name via WhatsApp and we'll confirm what's specific. We work directly with most major Maldives resorts.