You work there.
A Maldivian employer applies for the work permit, the work visa follows. The route runs through the employer, not through you alone.
Maldives · Living and doing business
Arrive in the Maldives. With the right route and the right people.
Simply moving there, the way you might to Portugal or Thailand, does not work in the Maldives. For entrepreneurs and investors, though, there are real routes. I am Torsten Krußk, and in the Maldives everyone knows me as Toddy. I have spent thirty years there and will tell you honestly which route fits your plan and which one does not.
You can't simply move there.
The Maldives has no immigration programme open to everyone. On a tourist visa you stay briefly, and you are not allowed to work. A longer stay depends on a reason the country recognises: a job, a family, a company or an investment.
That sounds like a hurdle. It is also a filter. Those who arrive are welcome and have a plan.
Routes
Four reasons that count
You have a family tie.
If you are married to a Maldivian citizen, you have a residence route of your own.
You build a company.
Foreigners may set up businesses in many sectors, but not in others. You can see which further down.
You commit capital.
Investors can apply for the Corporate Resident Visa. The official key points are in the next section.
Capital
When capital is the reason
The Corporate Resident Visa has three possible routes. One is enough:
USD 1 million at least, invested in the last three financial years
USD 250,000 as a fixed deposit with a Maldivian bank, held for five years
USD 250,000 invested in a project approved by the government
- Usually granted for several years
- Renewal is generally possible
- Family possible depending on the case
What the number does not tell you
- whether your plan can be approved at all
- whether the structure you invest through really meets the requirements
- whether your funds can be documented the way the authority expects
- whether your partner on the ground delivers what they promise
A number does not get you into the country. Clean execution does.
As of October 2026. Rules in the Maldives change often. What counts is always what the competent authority says in your individual case.
The Maldives have to be understood, not just visited.
Honestly
Five ideas I hear all the time, and why they don't work as stated
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“I’ll open a café or a restaurant.”
Food and beverage service is closed to foreign investors.
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“I’ll open a shop or an online store.”
Retail and wholesale are closed, online as well.
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“I’ll set up a travel agency or an agency.”
Travel agencies, tour operators, advertising and event agencies are closed.
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“I’ll enter as a business traveller and look for work on the ground.”
From a business or special visa you can no longer apply for a work permit inside the country.
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“I’ll buy a dive centre.”
You can hold at most 65 percent. The rest needs a Maldivian partner.
That is no reason to give up. It is the reason to talk first to someone who knows where the doors are.
What works
Where foreigners may set up and take a stake
A selection.
| Sector | Foreign share up to | Investment from |
|---|---|---|
| Guesthouses | Foreign share up to49 % | Investment fromUSD 250,000 |
| Dive centres and dive schools | Foreign share up to65 % | Investment fromUSD 250,000 |
| Agriculture (commercial) | Foreign share up to100 % | Investment fromUSD 500,000 |
| IT and software | Foreign share up to75 % | Investment fromUSD 1 million |
| Healthcare (hospitals) | Foreign share up to100 % | Investment fromUSD 1 million |
As soon as foreign ownership is capped, you need a Maldivian partner. For guesthouses, the partner even holds the majority. In my experience this is the most common reason projects fail: the wrong partner. Finding the right one is what you have me for.
View the full official list (PDF)
Source: Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Maldives, Foreign Investment Entry Requirements, published 8 October 2025.
Working together
From your idea to a plan that holds
Listen
You describe your plan. What do you want to build, how much time do you have, where do you live today, who belongs to your family? We clarify whether there is a basis before we go into detail.
Assess
I tell you which of the doors above are realistic and which are not. Even if the answer is that this route does not fit you.
Use my network
For legal, tax, banking and authority matters I work with specialists on the ground. I connect you with them and accompany the process. They give the professional answers, not me.
What I am not
I am not a lawyer, not a tax adviser and not an investment adviser. I promise no approval and no return. I make sure you know the route and do not walk it alone.
Who is writing
I am Toddy.
I have been on the road in the Maldives for thirty years. In that time I have seen how the country has developed, how governments came and went, and what that means for business and rules. Those years produced contacts that go deeper than an address book, in business and law, with people I trust and who trust me.
The Maldives attracts many, and many find no access. What matters to me is the whole picture: the country, the culture, the religion and the way business gets done here. I am the interface between you and the people on the ground, and I translate in both directions.
Describe your plan
Tell me what you have in mind
A few lines are enough. I will get back to you personally, usually within two working days. The first conversation is free. We clarify whether your plan fits in principle and whether I am the right person for it. If we go deeper (assessment, structure, partners), that is an engagement we agree on clearly beforehand. Whether it becomes one, we decide together, only after we have spoken.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can I just move there and work remotely?
No. For a longer stay you need a recognised reason, for example a job, a family, a company or an investment.
Do I need a Maldivian partner?
In many sectors yes, because foreign ownership is limited. In some, no. It depends on the sector.
Is there a minimum amount?
Depending on sector and route from USD 250,000, often considerably more. A concrete amount depends on your plan.
Do you give legal and tax advice?
No. For that I work with lawyers and tax specialists and coordinate the process.