Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan has stated that the Government’s digitalisation efforts will bring sweeping changes to expatriate identification and visa services, significantly improving accuracy, accessibility and administrative efficiency. 

Speaking at the ceremony held to launch Maldives Immigration’s newly digitalised services under the Maldives 2.0 initiative, the Minister said that modernising immigration processes is a key priority under President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s national digital transformation agenda, noting that long-standing procedural weaknesses have hindered service delivery for years. He highlighted that digital platforms will greatly simplify ID verification and visa processing for expatriates, replacing slow manual procedures and eliminating the need for physical passport submissions at service counters.

Minister Ihusaan explained that the new MID Checker facial recognition system will allow authorised agencies, including the Labour Relations Authority and the Health Protection Agency, to verify expatriate identities quickly, addressing challenges that previously arose during medical emergencies and welfare checks. Local councils, which have often struggled to monitor expatriate populations, will also benefit from enhanced oversight through system integration.

He added that the digital shift solves practical issues such as passport misplacement, prolonged waiting times and administrative bottlenecks, ensuring that passports remain securely in the possession of their owners. To support this transition, Maldives Immigration has rolled out a new mobile application offering a one-stop platform for services, alongside the nationwide introduction of a fully online e-Visa system that completes visa procedures without in-person visits.