Passport services will be introduced on every inhabited island that has an airport and at least 1,000 residents, Minister of Homeland Security, Labour and Technology Ali Ihusaan said at a press briefing at the President's Office.
The service is available on 39 islands, plus Malaysia and Sri Lanka, compared with just five locations before President Mohamed Muizzu took office. Four more islands need it, and the work is due to finish by the end of February 2027. The government is also working to extend passport and national ID card services to more islands.
The Maldives has relied on one German printer for passport booklets for the past ten years. The government will keep it as the supplier but hold a reserve stock to avoid future shortages.
Immigration is working through about 2,646 pending applications and, with new booklets, aims to clear the backlog within five days. It receives an average of 350 applications a day.
