Maldives updates customs rules for tobacco and rolling supplies

The Maldives Customs Service has amended rules regarding the importation of tobacco products and rolling supplies for personal use. Under the new regulations, passengers arriving from abroad can bring specific quantities of tobacco without submitting a goods declaration form.

Eligible passengers, defined as those aged 21 and older (specifically those born before 1 January 2007), may import up to 200 cigarettes—including heated tobacco units and bidis—20 cheroots or cigars, or 100 grams of unprocessed dry tobacco leaves. The updated policy also permits the duty-free entry of small manual rolling tools for single cigarettes, along with up to 50 rolling papers, 50 filters, and 50 empty tubes or pipes.

These exemptions do not apply to electronic cigarettes, vapes, shisha, flavored cigarettes, e-liquids, or other nicotine-related devices, which remain strictly prohibited from duty-free entry. The amendments replace the previous term ‘tourists’ with ‘passengers’ to extend the provisions to all incoming travelers meeting the age requirement.