This page doesn't add new facts — it's a single checklist pulling together everything else in our Plan section, roughly in the order you'd actually need it.
Well before you fly
- Confirm visa-free eligibility and passport validity — see visa & entry requirements.
- Sort travel insurance, specifically checking diving and medical evacuation cover — see travel insurance.
- Book any resort-arranged transfers (seaplane in particular) alongside your accommodation, not as an afterthought — see getting around the atolls.
- Start a packing list — reef-safe sunscreen especially, since it's not always easy to buy locally — see what to pack.
In the final week
- Submit your IMUGA Traveller Declaration — required within 96 hours of travel.
- Check current drone and photography rules with your specific resort if you're bringing one — see drone & photography rules.
- Sort a data plan — local SIM at the airport, or an eSIM before you fly — see internet & connectivity.
At the airport and on arrival
- Have your IMUGA confirmation, onward ticket and accommodation proof ready for immigration.
- Look for your resort's welcome desk in the arrivals hall — most transfers are coordinated from there.
- Carry some small USD notes for tipping boat crews and guides — see money & tipping.
First trip to the Maldives? Read our best islands for first-time visitors guide before this checklist — it'll save you second-guessing the atoll and resort decision once you're already deep into logistics.