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Maldivian passport --

MALÉ: Maldives Immigration has introduced temporary measures to manage the nation’s remaining passport stock, offering free validity extensions and emergency travel documents after technical issues at its overseas supplier delayed new shipments.

The decision follows rumors circulating on social media regarding a shortage of passport booklets, which the authority formally confirmed in an announcement released last night.

According to Immigration, the stock shortage stems from technical machinery failures at the print house of the German company that has supplied Maldivian passports since 2016. Although the technical glitches have been resolved, the production downtime has disrupted delivery schedules. The supplier notified local authorities that the new shipment of passport booklets is expected to arrive by the end of next month.

To ensure uninterrupted travel service for citizens, Immigration has outlined key relief measures:

• Free Passport Extension: Expired passports or those expiring soon for citizens applying from within the Maldives will have their validity extended until June 30, 2027, free of charge.

• Emergency Passports: First-time applicants traveling on short trips to frequent destinations like India and Sri Lanka will be issued an 8-page emergency passport without any fees.

• Supplier Detail: The German manufacturing partner has supplied official Maldivian passport booklets continuously since 2016.

• Stock Arrival Timeline: The replacement shipment of official passport booklets is scheduled to arrive in the Maldives by the end of next month.

Immigration reassured the public that despite these temporary adjustments to processing, no Maldivian citizen will face barriers when traveling abroad, while offering an apology for any inconvenience caused during this period.