India will Waive Visa Requirements for Maldivian Nationals Starting Oct. 15

The Indian High Commission has announced that Maldivian nationals would be permitted to travel to India without a visa.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid, had said last night that he was aware of the difficulties people faced in acquiring an Indian visa, and that discussions were underway to bring about a quick solution.

The sight of applicants spending several hours in queue outside the Indian High Commission in Male has been cause for public outcry and criticism for the past several months.

In a tweet published earlier today, the Indian High Commission said that, starting October 15, Maldivian nationals would no longer need a visa to travel to India. The tweet said that the Maldives would be the first beneficiary of visa-free travel since pandemic restrictions imposed by the government of India in 2020.

The tweet stated that "the move restores the bilateral visa-free agreement of [December] 2018". The agreement had been made a month after President Solih's inauguration.

Foreign Minister Shahid had tweeted a statement of gratitude to the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.