Maldives: currency, shopping
The national currency of the Maldives is the Maldivian Rufiyaa (Mrf) = 100 Laari.
The following banknotes are valid and in circulation in the country:
- 5
- 10
- 20th
- 50
- 100
- 500 billion
Coins are available in the following denominations:
- 1 mrf
- 2 mrf
- 1 Laari
- 2 Laari
- 5 Laari
- 10 Laari
- 25 Laari
- 50 Laari
Conversion rate
You can find a currency converter here:
www3.forium.de
Bank opening times
- Monday – Thursday, Saturday: 8 a.m. – 1.30 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: closed
Shop
Shop opening times
Shops in the Maldives close five times a day for a quarter of an hour during Islamic prayer hours. Shops on the tourist islands are open all day and also in the evening.
- Monday – Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 8.30 a.m. – 11 p.m.
- Friday: 1.30pm-11pm
Inexpensive or country-specific goods, souvenirs
Typical souvenirs are pieces of jewelry made of black coral and shells, lacquered wood goods and wickerwork.
Tourist office
Maldives Tourism Promotion Board
3rd Floor H. Aage, 12
Boduthakurufaanu Magu Malé
Tel: 00960 – 332 32 28
Fax: 00960 – 332 32 29
E-mail:
Maldives: entry and exit regulations
Formalities, visas
Tourists are only allowed to enter the country if they have a return ticket and sufficient financial resources to finance their stay in the country themselves. Tourist visas are valid for 30 days and are issued free of charge upon arrival at Malé Airport upon presentation of valid travel documents. An extension must be requested upon entry. Four passport photos and a fee of approximately US $ 70 are required to extend the visa.
The following is responsible for issuing visas in Germany:
Embassy Emanuel-Kant-Str. 16 61350 Bad Homburg Tel: 0049 – (0) 6172 – 86 78 33 Fax: 0049 – (0) 6172 – 86 78 33
Import and export of foreign currency
- Local currencyThe import or export of local currency is not permitted.
- Foreign currenciesThere are no restrictions on the import and export of foreign currencies.
Departure fee
In many countries, a fee must be paid when leaving the country. When leaving the Maldives, this fee is: The usual $ 10 airport fee has been included in the airfare since 2003.
Import and export of goods
The import and export of weapons, ammunition or explosives is strictly prohibited. In addition, the import and export of plants and animals protected under the Washington Species Protection Act is prohibited. Violation can result in severe penalties.
A health certificate from a qualified veterinarian is required for pets. An import permit is also required for dogs, which can be requested from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Male, Tel: (00960 – 32 38 41).
The export of mussels, black corals, various fish, turtle shells and products made from tortoiseshell as well as the export of Corals that have not been processed into pieces of jewelry are strictly prohibited.
Entry with pets
For the owners of dogs and other animals, when traveling abroad, the question arises whether they can even take their animals with them to the chosen travel destination, and if that is possible, then of course the question of the respective applicable conditions arises. Here with us you will find all the important information on this topic, seriously researched at the embassies or the Foreign Office.
A valid official veterinary health certificate is required to enter the Maldives with pets. This must be in the English language. The health certificate must contain information on the breed, name, microchip number, color, age and sex of the animal.
Dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies. Dogs also against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvivirosis and against dog coughs. Cats against enteritis as well as against infectious respiratory diseases.
For dogs, an import permit must also be applied for from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Male.
Pets in the airplane
When transporting pets in airplanes, there is the possibility that the animal flies together with an accompanying person (owner) or without such a person.
Transporting animals with an accompanying person (keeper)
In this case, proceed as follows: At the airport, the animal is locked in a transport box provided by the keeper beforehand. It must be ensured that the container is large enough that the animal can stand in it and turn around, and it must also be ensured that no liquids can run out (urine). This is done using suitable absorbent material, in the simplest case using a sufficient amount of newspaper.
There should also be a water bowl and, depending on the length of the flight, enough food. The transport container is handed over to the staff at the check-in counter. The transport fee depends on the weight of the animal. It is imperative to ensure that there is space for the animal for the flight booked, as the number of animals that can be transported is limited.
The animal is located in the machine in an air-conditioned area between the passenger deck and the cargo area. As a rule, no member of the crew takes care of the animal during the flight, not even to give water or food.
However, experience has shown that the stress of checking in and the take-off phase is so stressful for most animals that they sleep for most of the flight. The administration of sedatives before check-in is not only not recommended, as their effects cannot be foreseen under these conditions, but is even prohibited for reasons of security (smuggling). Many airlines also exclude a number of dogs (attack dogs) from transport.
Animal transport without an accompanying person
In this case, a specialist company must be commissioned with the transport, which then takes care of everything else. However, it should be ensured that the animal is picked up at the arrival airport by someone who is familiar to the dog. And of course all import regulations for pets for the country have to be explored beforehand and strictly adhered to.
Note
It has proven to be very helpful if you have accustomed the animal to such a transport container at home a few weeks before the intended flight.
Maldives: travel medicine, vaccinations and warnings
Infectious Diseases
In the Maldives, the following infectious diseases are to be expected in Germany and Central and Northern Europe:
- Malaria: There is no risk of malaria in the Maldives.
- Dengue fever disease
- Intestinal infectionsfrom contaminated food or water, including amoeba, lamblia, salmonella, shigella and worm infestation, as well as all kinds of viruses and bacteria
- Hepatitis A and B
- Typhoid fever, an infection risk only exists for travelers who come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
Recommended vaccinations
when traveling to the Maldives recommended vaccinations against the following diseases:
- Cholera– but only among travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
- Diphtheria– a vaccination against diphtheria should always exist, also in the home country.
- Hepatitis A and B
- Polio, polio– vaccination against polio should always exist, also in the home country.
- Tetanus– a vaccination against tetanus should always exist, also in the home country.
- Typhoid– but only for travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
Compulsory vaccination
For all persons older than one year and coming from a yellow fever infection area designated by the WHO, there is a compulsory vaccination against an illness with yellow fever.
Who pays for vaccinations in Germany?
Most children in Germany are vaccinated against a number of infectious diseases at an early age. However, the vaccination protection only lasts up to 10 years, in some cases even shorter. Therefore, before traveling abroad, you should carefully consider against which infectious diseases a vaccination is necessary or useful in the country concerned and whether the vaccination protection, if applicable, was not too long ago.
Most statutory health insurances have been reimbursing the costs for the following vaccinations since June 2007.
There is even no 10 € practice fee – but the insured usually have to pay the statutory additional payment, which is 10% of the vaccine price – that is at least 5 € and a maximum of 10 €. Under these conditions, the following vaccinations are free of charge:
- cholera
- diphtheria
- Early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE)
- Yellow fever
- Hepatitis A and B
- Meningococcal meningitis
- Pneumococci
- Polyo (polio)
- Tetanus (tetanus)
- rabies
- typhus
Some health insurance companies also reimburse the cost of malaria prophylaxis.
As a rule, private health insurance companies (inquire beforehand) also cover the costs mentioned.
Warning notices
Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany
Citizens’ Service
Telephone: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 2000
Fax: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 51000
www.auswaertiges-amt.de
Maldives: Transportation
How do you get to the Maldives?
From Germany you can reach the Maldives with the airlines Condor and LTU from Frankfurt/M., Düsseldorf, Munich and Berlin. The national airline of the Maldives Island Aviation Services flies to Europe, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar Airways flies from Frankfurt and Munich via Doha to Malé. Austrian Airlines and Lauda Air fly from Vienna to Malé. There are daily connections from Zurich with the airline Swiss.
Travel in the country
The traffic between the Maldivian islands is handled by boats and seaplanes.
Air connections
Domestic flights are offered by the national airline Island Aviation Services. There are also air taxi services.
Roads
The road network of the Maldives is approx. 10 km long.
Ferry connections
Traffic between the Maldivian islands is mainly carried out by boat.
International license plate
According to Abbreviationfinder, the Maldives’ international license plate is:
| MV |
Maldives: embassies, consulates
Visit Countryaah for a full list of Maldives embassies and consulates in each country around the world.
Representations of the Maldives in Germany
Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Maldives in Berlin
Pariser Platz 6 A
10117 Berlin
Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 22 48 80 40
Fax: 0049 – (0) 30 – 22 48 80 40
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Maldives in Bad Homburg
Emanuel-Kant-Str. 16
61350 Bad Homburg
Tel: 0049 – (0) 6172 – 86 78 33
Fax: 0049 – (0) 6172 – 86 78 33
Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Maldives in Kaarst
Maubisstrasse 44
41564 Kaarst
Tel: 0049 – (0) 2131 – 20 56 963
Fax: 0049 – (0) 2131 – 20 30 626
German representations in the Maldives
Embassy
The embassy in Sri Lanka is responsible
Honorary Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Malé
38, Orchid Magu
20213 Malé 20-02
Tel: 00 960 – 332 30 80
00 960 – 332 35 12
00 960 – 332 29 71
Fax: 00 960 – 333 22 58
E-Mail: iumaniku@unient.com.mv
Austrian representations in the Maldives
Embassy
The embassy in India is responsible
Honorary Consulate in Malé
39, Orchid MaguMalé 20-02 Malé
Tel: 00 960 – 33 23 080
Tel: 00 960 – 33 22 971
Tel: 00 960 – 33 23 512
Fax: 00 960 – 33 22 678
Fax: 00 960 – 33 20 274
E-Mail: hossen@unient.com.mv
E-Mail: mohamed.hossen@unient.com.mv
Representations of the Maldives in Austria
Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Maldives
Weimarer Straße 104
1190 Vienna
Tel: 0043 – (0) 1 – 369 66 44 0
Fax: 0043 – (0) 1 – 369 66 44 30
E-Mail: kauf@weidler.com
Swiss representations in the Maldives
Embassy
The embassy in Sri Lanka is responsible
Representations of the Maldives in Switzerland
Embassy of the Republic of Maldives
CH 1202 Genève (Geneva)
Postal address
Chemin Louis Dunant 15 B (2nd Floor)
Tel: +41 – (0) 22 – 732 63 37
Fax: +41 – (0) 22 – 732 63 39
Email iruadam @ maledivesmission.ch
