IMUGA scams and how to identify the official website

The official IMUGA portal is imuga.immigration.gov.mv. Anything else asking you to fill in or pay for a Maldives Traveller Declaration is not the government site.

Maldives Immigration warned travellers in May 2025 about websites charging for the free form. For the full entry picture, start with the entry and travel paperwork hub.

What do IMUGA scams look like?

They look like a quick, official service. The page uses Maldives colours, a flag or an emblem, and words like "official", "online" or "application" in the title.

The catch comes at the end. After you type in your passport details, the site asks for a card payment described as a processing, service or visa fee.

The May 2025 warning named sites presenting themselves as "IMUGA Application", "IMUGA Online" and IMUGAMaldives.net. New names appear when old ones are taken down, so learn the pattern rather than a list.

How to read a web address in ten seconds

The part of the address that matters is the domain, just before the first single slash. Read it from right to left.

The last row is the trick to watch for. A real government address ends in gov.mv, with nothing added after it except the path.

Payment scam warning signs

Payment is the clearest signal, because the official declaration is free. These signs, alone or together, mean you should close the page.

• A card, PayPal or bank transfer step anywhere in the form.
• "Express", "priority" or "guaranteed approval" options.
• A countdown timer or a warning that your "visa will be refused" without payment.
• The form arrives as a link in an unsolicited email, SMS or WhatsApp message.
• The site offers a "Maldives e-visa" for tourists. Malaysians get a free visa on arrival.
• Sponsored search results sitting above the real portal.

Read whether IMUGA is free for a list of the charges that are genuine on a Maldives trip and who collects them.

If you have already paid: what to do in Malaysia

Act quickly. Money is easier to stop or recover in the first hours.

1. Call your bank or card issuer using the number on the back of your card. Ask them to block further charges and explain the dispute options.
2. If money left your account by transfer, call the National Scam Response Centre on 997.
3. Take screenshots of the site address, the payment page, the receipt and any emails.
4. Make a police report if your bank asks for one, and keep the reference number.
5. File a correct, free declaration on imuga.immigration.gov.mv. A paid fake does not count as your declaration.

Step 5 matters most for your trip. The fake site may have taken your money without submitting anything to Maldives Immigration.

A safe routine for every trip

• Bookmark imuga.immigration.gov.mv/traveller now, and use the bookmark every time.
• Check the address ends in gov.mv before you type a passport number.
• File inside the 96-hour window, using our IMUGA timing guide.
• Follow the step-by-step IMUGA guide with passports beside you.
• Save every QR code offline.

Who scammers target, and how to protect them

Parents filing for a whole family are attractive targets, because a per-person fee multiplies. Older relatives who are less used to checking web addresses are also at risk.

Share the bookmark with everyone in your group, or have one careful person file all the declarations. Honeymooners planning in a rush and solo travellers searching on a phone should slow down for the ten-second address check.

Scam sites also appear around the visa itself. Our visa on arrival guide explains why Malaysians never need to buy a Maldives tourist visa.