Maldives Immigration has said that passport stock levels have yet to return to normal, despite previous assurances that the shortage—caused by technical issues with printing machinery at the German supplier—would be resolved by the end of last month.
Speaking to Adhadhu, Immigration confirmed that while a shipment of passport booklets has been received, the supply remains below standard operational levels. However, the department expressed optimism that the situation would stabilise within the coming week.
"We have received some stock now. We anticipate that operations will return to normal by next week," an Immigration official said.
To manage the current inventory, Immigration noted that they are prioritising passport issuance based on the urgency and travel schedules of applicants.
The department previously explained that repairs to the supplier's machinery took longer than anticipated, leading to delays in the scheduled delivery of booklets to the Maldives.
To mitigate the impact of the shortage, Immigration has implemented the following temporary measures:
- For Maldivians residing locally whose passports have expired, the validity of existing passports can be extended until June 30, 2027, free of charge, instead of issuing a new booklet.
- First-time applicants travelling for short durations to frequent destinations such as India and Sri Lanka will be issued an eight-page "Emergency Passport," valid for one year, free of charge.
Immigration highlighted that the German contractor responsible for supplying the booklets has maintained an unblemished record for the past decade. The company has been the official provider of Maldivian passport booklets since 2016.
Despite these adjustments to the issuance process, Immigration provided full assurance that no Maldivian citizen will be hindered from travelling abroad.
Due to the depletion of e-passport booklet stocks in May this year, Immigration has been issuing standard non-electronic passports to all applicants. This follows a similar period earlier in 2024 when the issuance of e-passports was also suspended for an extended period.
E-passports feature an embedded chip containing biometric data, such as photos and fingerprints, allowing travellers to use automated e-gates for self-check-in and faster border clearance without queuing for manual processing.
