The short answer
Workers check a Maldives work permit on the government's Xpat system with the work permit number and their name or passport number. The work visa is now an e-Visa the employer gets in Xpat within 15 days of arrival, since stickers stopped being valid after 23 November 2025. Tourists get a visa on arrival after filing the IMUGA declaration.
In Bangla
মালদ্বীপের কর্মীরা সরকারি Xpat সিস্টেমে ওয়ার্ক পারমিট নম্বর আর নাম বা পাসপোর্ট নম্বর দিয়ে ওয়ার্ক পারমিট যাচাই করতে পারেন; কাজের ভিসা এখন ই-ভিসা, যা নিয়োগকর্তা পৌঁছানোর ১৫ দিনের মধ্যে Xpat-এ আবেদন করেন। পর্যটকরা অন-অ্যারাইভাল ভিসা পান, তবে আগে IMUGA ডিক্লারেশন জমা দিতে হয়।
Key takeaways
- Xpat's public Work Permit Verification needs the work permit number plus the employee's name or passport number.
- New workers enter on an Entry Pass (Work Permit) and the employer must obtain the Work e-Visa within 15 days of arrival.
- Only an approved e-Visa counts as a Maldives work visa; passport stickers stopped being valid after 23 November 2025.
- Xpat also has a public check of whether an employee must enrol fingerprints, using passport number and country.
- Tourists need no pre-approved visa but must submit the free IMUGA Traveller Declaration up to 96 hours before arrival.
A Maldives visa check means something different for a worker and a tourist. Workers, who make up most Bangladeshi searches, deal with the Xpat Online System, the Maldives government's platform for expatriate employment, where the work permit and the work e-Visa both live. Tourists get a visa on arrival and only need to file a traveller declaration. This guide covers the official checks for both and the changes of the last year that make older advice wrong.
Which Maldives check do you need?
- You have a job offer or work permit for the Maldives: use Xpat's Work Permit Verification, which anyone can open without logging in.
- You want to know whether your work visa is issued: the Work e-Visa appears in the employer's Xpat account, so ask the employer to show or send it.
- You are visiting as a tourist: there is no visa to check in advance; file the Traveller Declaration on Maldives Immigration's IMUGA portal before you fly.
How to verify a Maldives work permit, step by step
- 1
Open Xpat
Type
xpat.egov.mv. The home page shows Work Permit Verification, Regularization Verification and Fingerprint Requirement in the top bar; no login is needed for these. - 2
Choose Work Permit Verification
The page asks for the work permit number and the employee's name or passport number.
- 3
Enter the work permit number
It starts with WP followed by digits, shown on the page as e.g. WP00000000. Copy it from your work permit or Entry Pass.
- 4
Enter your name or passport number
The page's note asks for the work permit number and first name, and the box also accepts the passport number. Use the details exactly as the employer registered them.
- 5
Press Verify
If the details match, the work permit details appear below the form. If not, the page says Employee not found. Please Enter correct details.
- 6
Keep a record
Screenshot the result with the date showing and compare the employer's name and job with your contract.
What does the Maldives check tell you?
Xpat's public checks confirm a permit exists and match it to a person; the visa itself is managed in the employer's account. Combining what Xpat shows with Maldives Immigration's work visa rules, these are the situations you can meet and what each means.
| What you see or hold | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Work permit details shown on Xpat | A work permit exists for that number and person | Check the employer, job and dates against your contract |
| Employee not found. Please Enter correct details | No permit matched the number with that name or passport number | Recheck spelling and the WP number; ask the employer to confirm |
| Entry Pass (Work Permit) | Lets a newly arriving worker enter the Maldives | Travel with it; the employer then has 15 days to get your Work e-Visa |
| e-Visa logo in the employer's Xpat Visa section | The Work e-Visa is approved | Ask for a downloaded copy for your records |
| Visa shown as invalid | Maldives Immigration says visas tied to expired work permit fees appear as invalid | The employer must clear the work permit fees |
| A work visa sticker in your passport | Stickers stopped being valid after 23 November 2025 | Ask the employer to issue the Work e-Visa |
| Fingerprint enrolment required | Xpat's check shows you still need to give biometrics | The employer books a biometrics appointment |
Entry Pass, work e-Visa and the 15-day rule
Maldives Immigration has moved work visas to a fully digital e-Visa system. Its rules, as published on its work visa page: all Work Visa applications go through the Xpat Online System; newly arriving workers enter on a valid Entry Pass (Work Permit) issued by the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology; the employer or an authorised representative must apply for and obtain the Work e-Visa within fifteen days of the worker's arrival; and only an approved e-Visa is recognised as a valid Work Visa.
The e-Visa's validity follows the approved work permit, and a renewed Work Visa runs for a maximum of one year. Entering and leaving the Maldives needs a valid e-Visa, except for new arrivals on a valid Entry Pass. If your employer still talks about stamping a sticker, that process ended in November 2025.
Fingerprints and the biometrics appointment
Xpat's Fingerprint Requirement page checks whether an employee must enrol fingerprints, using the passport number and the country of the passport. Xpat's notices say biometric updates in the Greater Malé area are given only by appointment through the official appointment booking portal, between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM on working days, booked by the employer. Workers living outside Greater Malé are handled through their local council office. Xpat warns that employers who leave biometric updates pending face service restrictions in the system.
Agencies that send workers to resorts and building sites in the Maldives follow permit numbers, Entry Passes and e-Visa deadlines for every worker. Agencies that prepare files properly use software like Visolv to track every client's file and send status updates through the agency's own client portal and WhatsApp. It does not read Xpat by itself: a caseworker checks the official system and records the result, so the worker sees what the Maldives government shows.
Why the work permit check says employee not found
- The WP number is mistyped: check every digit after WP.
- The name does not match the registration: try your passport number in the same box instead of your name.
- The permit is not issued yet: the employer may still be working on quota or the application.
- You were given a fake number: if the employer cannot show the permit in its Xpat account, treat the offer with suspicion.
Visiting as a tourist: the declaration, not a visa check
Maldives Immigration grants a tourist visa on arrival with no pre-approval. You must meet its entry requirements: a machine-readable passport with at least one month's validity, confirmed return tickets, a prepaid confirmed booking at a registered facility, and enough funds for the stay or an approved sponsorship. Every traveller, children included, submits the free Traveller Declaration on IMUGA up to 96 hours before arrival and shows it at immigration. IMUGA also offers Edit and Verify QR Code options for a declaration already filed.
Fake Maldives job offers and visa sellers
- Real Maldives work permits can be verified on xpat.egov.mv. An offer whose WP number returns employee not found is not confirmed.
- The Xpat checks and the IMUGA declaration are free. Do not pay anyone to look up a permit or file a declaration.
- Official addresses end in .gov.mv; Maldives Immigration says links to official government websites end that way.
- Xpat's help line is 1485 and its email is [email protected]; Maldives Immigration's call centre is +960 1434.
For other worker routes, see the Singapore visa check and the visa check by passport number hub, which lists every official portal. Agency owners can see how tracked files work in our visa agency software guide. Verify your permit on Xpat before you pay or travel, and make sure your employer gets the Work e-Visa within 15 days of your arrival.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my Maldives work visa?
Maldives work visas are now e-Visas managed in the employer's account on the Xpat Online System, so ask your employer to show or send the approved e-Visa. You can verify the work permit yourself on Xpat's public Work Permit Verification page with the work permit number and your name or passport number. Only an approved e-Visa counts as a valid work visa.
Can I check a Maldives work permit by passport number?
Yes, together with the work permit number. Xpat's Work Permit Verification page asks for the WP number and accepts either the employee's name or passport number in the second box. A passport number on its own is not enough. Xpat's separate Fingerprint Requirement check uses the passport number and the passport's country to show whether you must enrol fingerprints.
What does Employee not found. Please Enter correct details mean?
Xpat could not match the work permit number with the name or passport number you entered. Check every digit of the WP number, try your passport number instead of your name, and confirm the spelling your employer registered. If the employer cannot show the permit in its own Xpat account, treat the job offer as unconfirmed and do not pay anything.
Is a Maldives work visa sticker still valid?
No. Maldives Immigration says work visa stickers in passports are no longer valid after 23 November 2025, and only an approved e-Visa is recognised as a valid Work Visa. The employer must apply for the Work e-Visa through the Xpat Online System within 15 days of a new worker's arrival on an Entry Pass.
Do Bangladeshi tourists need a visa for the Maldives?
Maldives Immigration grants tourists a visa on arrival without pre-approval, as long as they meet its entry requirements, including a machine-readable passport valid for at least a month, confirmed return tickets, a prepaid booking at a registered facility and enough funds. Every traveller must also submit the free IMUGA Traveller Declaration up to 96 hours before arrival.
Do I need to give fingerprints for a Maldives work permit?
Possibly. Xpat's Fingerprint Requirement page checks whether an employee needs to enrol fingerprints, using the passport number and country. In the Greater Malé area, biometric updates are given only by appointment, booked by the employer through the official appointment portal. Workers outside Greater Malé are handled through their local council office.
The Visolv team
Editorial team, Easital Technologies (Dhaka)
Visolv is software for visa agencies, made in Dhaka by Easital Technologies: an AI caseworker that reads and checks every paper in a client's file, writes the drafts and builds the upload pack under the agency's own brand. We write about what we see in real visa files from Bangladesh.
