Sending post and postcards from the Maldives

Maldives Post Limited is the country’s national postal operator. It is a limited company set up in 1994 and wholly owned by the government, with a duty under the Postal Act (5/2006) to provide a universal postal service at home and abroad.

According to Maldives Post, its network covers:

• 15 atoll post offices
• 172 postal agencies, which together reach all inhabited islands
• main counters in Malé and Hulhumalé
• a post shop at Velana International Airport

The Maldives joined the Universal Postal Union in August 1967, so cards posted here travel through the same international system as anywhere else.

Where to buy postcards and stamps

• Postcards: souvenir shops in Malé and on many local islands sell them. On a local island, ask your host where the nearest shop is.
• Stamps: buy them at a post office or post shop. Staff will weigh the item if needed and tell you the right postage for the destination.
• Postage costs: Maldives Post has an online postage calculator that works out the charge by destination and weight. Rates change, so check there rather than relying on old figures.
• Online stamp orders: Maldives Post takes online stamp orders for collection in Malé City only.

Posting it

Hand your cards in at a post counter or, on an island without a full post office, at the postal agency. Mail from outer islands travels to Malé before it leaves the country, so it takes longer.

If you are passing through the airport, the post shop at Velana International Airport is listed by Maldives Post as open 24 hours, every day. That makes it the easiest place to post a last batch of cards on your way home. See our Velana airport guide for the layout of the airport.

Writing the address

Maldives Post recommends this order for addresses:

1. Full name and contact number

2. Address line 1

3. Address line 2

4. Road name

5. City or island and postcode

6. Country

7. Contact number

For cards going abroad, write the destination country in capital letters on the last line. For post coming to you in the Maldives, add the island’s atoll code and five-digit postcode. Dhiffushi, for example, is written “K. Dhiffushi”, and Maldives Post lists its postcode as 08030. Our guide to atoll codes and island addresses explains how the codes work, and Maldives Post has an online postcode finder.

Hours are set by Maldives Post and can change, so check its service hours page before you go. As listed in October 2026:

Two things catch visitors out:

• Friday is the weekly day off, and post offices are closed.
• Public holidays close atoll post offices. Check our festivals and public holidays guide before planning a post run, especially around Eid.

The head office of Maldives Post is on Boduthakurufaanu Magu in Malé. If you are spending a day in the capital, our Malé city guide and Hulhumalé guide will help you find your way.

Maldives Post offers four main international services:

• Ordinary post: the cheapest option, for letters and small packets. It is non-priority and has no tracking.
• Registered post: priority mail with tracking until delivery. Tracking is available for six months from posting.
• Parcel post: for sending parcels abroad, also priority and tracked for six months.
• Express Mail Service (EMS): the fastest option. Maldives Post says EMS reaches major cities abroad in about 2 to 5 days, with end-to-end tracking and a signature on delivery. EMS items can weigh up to 20 kg.

Within the country, a domestic “Fast Post” service delivers to major islands in about 1 to 3 days. Maldives Post also sells International Reply Coupons, which can be exchanged in any Universal Postal Union country for postage on an airmail letter.

You can follow tracked items on the Maldives Post tracker.

Declaring what is inside

Any international item that contains goods, rather than just a letter or card, needs a customs declaration. Under Universal Postal Union rules the sender is responsible for completing it, listing the contents and their value. Post office staff can help.

Maldives Post notes that EMS items containing goods take longer to accept at the counter, because the time depends on the customs inspection. Pack your parcel so it can be opened and checked, and only seal it once staff are happy.

Items you must not send

Maldives Customs lists goods that cannot be exported from the Maldives. Among them are:

• all types of coral (except organ pipe coral) and black coral
• turtle products
• shark products, skates and rays
• conch (triton) shells, giant clam, pearl oysters and trochus

Many other marine products need a permit to leave the country, so the safe rule is simple: do not buy or collect coral, shells or turtle products, and do not try to post them home. Our guide to coral reefs of the Maldives explains why these rules matter, and our souvenirs and shopping guide suggests better things to take home.

Parcels sent to you

Maldives Customs scans incoming parcels, and duty may be due on goods sent to you. Alcohol, pork and other prohibited goods cannot be sent into the country.

Postal services in the Maldives began on 9 September 1906, according to Maldives Post. The first stamps were stamps of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) overprinted with the word “MALDIVES”. In May 1909, the first stamps of the Maldives itself were issued, showing the minaret (munnaaru) of the Friday Mosque in Malé.

A few other milestones from Maldives Post:

• 1967: joined the Universal Postal Union
• 1981: postcode system introduced
• 1990: Express Mail Service introduced
• 1994: Maldives Post Limited formed as a government-owned company

Maldives Post still issues commemorative stamps through its philately section. In 2022, the Ministry of Tourism and Maldives Post released a set of six stamps marking 50 years of tourism, with designs recalling milestones such as the start of tourism in 1972 and the arrival of guesthouses in 2010. You can read more about that story in our short history of tourism in the Maldives.

On a local island, the postal agency serves residents first and is often small, with limited hours. A few tips:

• Ask your host or the island council office where the postal agency is and when it opens.
• Carry a little rufiyaa for stamps. Our rufiyaa guide covers cash and paying.
• If time is short, keep your cards and post them at the airport on your way out.

On Dhiffushi, for example, the shared speedboat to Malé and the airport takes about 40 to 50 minutes, so you can carry your cards back and post them at Velana before your flight. See how to get to Dhiffushi for transfer details.