The Maldives Customs Service has announced that it is working to reform its services to allow individuals to self-declare goods they bring into the country. During a press conference held by the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology to disseminate information on the ongoing work of enforcement agencies under its purview, Commissioner General of Customs Fathimath Dhiyana shared details of the changes being implemented to make customs services more accessible and convenient. She stated that a significant change currently planned is to enable individuals to independently declare dutiable goods they import.
Dhiyana highlighted that currently, there is no system for individuals to self-declare their goods, which often leads to prolonged service delivery times. However, she affirmed that with this new initiative, arrangements will be in place to facilitate declarations through the Customs portal. The service will be launched in two phases, with preparations underway for the first phase to commence on January 1st of the upcoming year. Commissioner General of Customs Fathimath Dhiyana further elaborated, stating, “This service is planned to be introduced in two phases. Initially, it will be rolled out for tourists arriving in the Maldives. The declaration process for dutiable items brought in by individuals via orders will be available for use in the first quarter of 2026. Additional information regarding this service will be published by Customs.”
Customs stated that this service aims to further strengthen the services it provides, in line with the Maldives 2.0 policy, by digitizing and streamlining the department’s services. Under the government’s digitalization policy, the National Single Window “TradeNet,” designed to provide easy access to services from a single platform for parties importing and exporting goods in the Maldives, was officially launched on April 20th of this year. With the introduction of the TradeNet portal, customs services related to imports and exports have now been transitioned to and are being provided through this portal.
The government has committed to addressing the challenges faced in importing and exporting goods to and from the Maldives. In this regard, the President has decided to enable the clearance of air cargo within 24 hours.
