Statistics released by Maldives Immigration shows that the total number of new passports issued for the year 2020 adds up to 13,600 passports only.
Maldives Immigration states that a total of 9800 passports were processed in Male’ last year, and the rest processed in Hithadhoo, Fuvamulah, Kulhudhuffushi, and Dhidhoo.
This total is a reduction of 70% in comparison to the passports issued in 2019. There were 51,900 passports processed in 2019.
The immigration department cites lockdown due to COVID-19 as the main reason for the decrease in issuing passports. The halting of transportations and the immigration office being closed due to COVID-19 for a prolonged period of time had contributed greatly to this decrease.
In addition to passports, there were 39 passport cards created last year. The Maldivian passport is one of the most influential passports in the region. The Maldivian passport can take one to 85 countries without the need for a visa. The latest version of the Maldivian passport was issued in the year 2016, with modern and high-security features on polymer data pages.
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