Is Alcohol legal in Maldives?
- Legal status
- Prohibited on inhabited islands / tourist-resort exception — alcohol (ethanol) is banned for the general public and on all local islands; licensed sale is confined to tourist resorts, resort hotels and some liveaboard vessels.
- Consequences if caught
- Possession, consumption or public intoxication outside a licensed resort brings arrest, fines and deportation; importing alcohol (even duty-free) is barred and confiscated on arrival.
- If prescribed or medical
- n/a — a beverage, not a medicine.
- Documentation
- Tourists drink only inside licensed private-island resorts; no alcohol on Malé or inhabited islands, in guesthouses on local islands, or at the airport. Personal import is illegal.
Drug laws and enforcement change and vary within a country. This is not legal advice. Always confirm with Maldives’s embassy or official drug authority before traveling; penalties can be severe, including imprisonment.
Before you travel
Verify current rules with the destination country’s official drug authority and your own country’s embassy before traveling. Find the destination’s U.S. embassy & official country guidance →
Non-U.S. travelers: check your own government’s travel advisory and embassy.
If you’re detained or arrested abroad
Contact your own country’s embassy or consulate in the destination immediately — not the destination’s authorities. U.S. citizens: contact the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate and the U.S. State Department at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad). If a U.S. citizen is arrested or detained abroad →