Foreign Office Maldives travel alert as UK tourists warned 'within 96 hours'

You need to do one thing before you leave on a flight

British travellers jetting off to the Maldives are being warned they must do one thing before their holiday. The Foreign Office said that there is a certain form which must be completed by anyone travelling to the country.

All tourists are required to fill out a Traveller Declaration Form before their flight leaves the UK. In an update on October 17, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issued new guidance.

It said: "You must complete a traveller declaration form (IMUGA) within 96 hours before your flight to or from the Maldives." Maldives Immigration said there had been recent cases of people trying to charge for the Traveller Declaration Form.

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But it said the form is always free and can be filled out online. It said: "We would like to inform all travelers that the Traveller Declaration is a self-declaration form provided by Maldives Immigration and is completely FREE of charge.

"Recently, there have been reports of misleading activities where individuals are asked to pay for the submission of this form. To avoid any confusion, please remember the following points:

• The Traveller Declaration form is a self-declaration form that can be easily submitted on your own.
• You can access and fill out the form directly by visiting the official IMUGA portal at https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/.
• There are no fees associated with submitting this form through the official IMUGA portal.

"We strongly advise all travelers to use the IMUGA portal to fill out the Traveller Declaration form and avoid using any other websites that may charge a fee or provide misleading information. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we wish you safe travels."