Maldives Seeks a Permanent Israeli Passport Ban and Restrictions on Property Investment

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu said on November 9 that his government had submitted legislation to make the ban on entry with Israeli passports unconditional, extending the policy beyond any change in the circumstances of the Gaza war.

The President’s Office described the measure as a bill before the People’s Majlis, the country’s parliament. Entry using an Israeli passport has already been prohibited since April 15, 2025. The proposed change concerns the legal basis for keeping that restriction in force, rather than the introduction of a first ban.

A separate property proposal would reach Israeli citizens who hold another nationality and companies with Israeli ownership, according to Ynetnews. In its account of the November 9 announcement, the outlet reported that the bills had passed a first reading and remained in the parliamentary process.

The president wants to remove the Gaza condition

The presidency’s November 9 statement says Muizzu contrasted the proposed unconditional restriction with earlier wording tied to Israel’s conduct in Gaza. He said the new legislation would prevent entry on Israeli passports irrespective of changing circumstances.

Muizzu justified the measure by characterizing Israel’s actions as genocide. That is the president’s accusation and the stated political rationale for his government’s proposal. The announcement supplies no new judicial ruling on the war.

The practical change he is seeking is permanence beyond the event used to justify the earlier restriction. Under the policy he described, a change in the war would no longer provide the basis for lifting the passport ban. Parliament still has to complete the legislative process described in the reporting.

The entry prohibition already has an effective date

Maldives Immigration announced on April 15, 2025 that the third amendment to the Immigration Act prohibited entry on Israeli passports from that date. Its tourist visa guidance repeats the restriction.

That official guidance ordinarily allows tourists to seek a visa on arrival, subject to immigration clearance. It expressly excludes travel on Israeli passports. A hotel reservation, return ticket or otherwise complete itinerary does not guarantee admission; the agency says immigration officers decide admissibility at the border.

The original political decision predates the implemented restriction. In a June 2, 2024 statement, the President’s Office announced a cabinet recommendation to bar Israeli passports, amend the necessary laws and create a cabinet subcommittee to oversee the work. The April 2025 notice records when the passport prohibition actually took effect.

Dual citizenship raises a separate question

The operational entry wording published by Maldives Immigration refers to Israeli passports. Ynetnews reported that Muizzu acknowledged Israelis holding another passport might still be able to enter on that document, and that local reporting differed over whether the new immigration bill would close that opening.

The presidency’s November 9 statement does not set out a border screening mechanism for dual nationals. It describes the proposed ban in passport terms. The scope of the final legislation and the entry decisions made under it therefore require confirmation from the Maldivian authorities before anyone relies on a second passport.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has issued a broader recommendation. The warning published by Israel’s embassy in New Delhi advises Israeli citizens to avoid all travel to the Maldives, explicitly including those with a foreign passport. It also advises Israelis already there to consider leaving because providing assistance in distress could be difficult.

Property checks would target nationality and ownership

According to Ynetnews, the separate property bill would prevent Israeli citizens and companies with direct or indirect Israeli ownership from acquiring rights in designated real estate developments. Identity and background checks on investors would extend the restriction to Israelis using foreign passports.

The report describes leasehold and other property rights, with transactions violating the proposed restrictions to be void. Muizzu had already addressed land ownership on October 20, when his office published an account of his remarks about the Ras Malé development.

In that statement, he said Maldivian law prohibits foreign ownership of land and that land would be leased. He also promised a legal prohibition on Israeli nationals purchasing property within the project area. The November legislation follows that earlier commitment.

Ras Malé connects the proposal to domestic politics

Ynetnews identifies Emirati developer Eagle Hills with the planned Ras Malé project, which includes residences, hotels, a marina and commercial and leisure facilities. The government’s restrictions have developed alongside domestic arguments about who could acquire rights there.

On October 20, Muizzu’s office said dedicated legislation would be submitted to parliament and examined by its committees. The president rejected opposition claims that the development would compromise Maldivian sovereignty or permit foreign land ownership.

The November announcement places the immigration and property measures on parallel legislative tracks. The existing passport prohibition continues to govern entry, while the proposed property rules address a different activity and a broader ownership test. The cited announcements give no confirmed date for a final vote or for the new provisions to take effect.