Tipping in the Maldives: service charge, guides and crews

When you look at a bill in a guesthouse, café or resort, you will usually see three lines on top of the price: a service charge, the Tourism GST and, for your room, the green tax. The service charge is the one that relates to tipping.

Under Article 52 of the Maldives Employment Act, tourism businesses must apply a service charge of at least 10%. The business may keep 1% as an administrative fee and must share the rest among its employees (as reported by Atoll Times, April 2026). So when you pay the service charge, you are already paying something very close to a built-in tip for the team.

A few points worth knowing:

• It is shared, not personal. The money is pooled and divided among staff, including people you never see, such as kitchen and maintenance workers.
• It is not optional. You can’t ask for it to be removed because you’d rather tip directly.
• It is separate from tax. The 17% Tourism GST (since 1 July 2025, set by MIRA) and the green tax are government charges. None of that money goes to staff.
• Prices you see may or may not include it. Some places quote “plus plus” prices (before service charge and GST), others quote the full amount. Ask if you are unsure.

For the full picture of taxes and day-to-day costs, see our guide to money, costs and taxes in the Maldives.

Not in the way it is in some countries. Nobody on a local island will chase you for a tip, and staff will not treat you differently if you don’t leave one. Hospitality here comes from the culture as much as from the job: guests are looked after because that is what Maldivians do.

That said, a tip given directly to someone who made your trip better is warmly received.

A sensible way to think about it:

• The service charge covers ordinary good service. You don’t need to add anything for a normal meal or a smooth stay.
• A tip is for something extra. A guide who found you a turtle, a crew that waited while you snorkelled longer, a housekeeper who dried your wet gear every day.
• Never tip to “make up” for poor service. Say something kindly to the owner or manager instead.

There are no official rates for tips in the Maldives, and this guide doesn’t suggest amounts. What follows is common practice among visitors, not a rule. Give what feels right for the service and your own budget.

Excursion guides and boat crews

Snorkelling trips, sandbank picnics, dolphin cruises and fishing trips are where many visitors choose to tip. A boat trip usually has a captain and one or two crew who handle the boat, the lines and the lunch, and a guide who gets in the water with you.

• Tip at the end of the trip, as you step off.
• If you want everyone to share it, hand it to the guide or captain and say it is for the whole crew.
• If one person did something special, it’s fine to thank them directly as well.

If you are planning trips from a local island, our guide to excursions from Dhiffushi shows the kind of outings on offer, and island hopping in the Maldives explains how day trips work more widely.

Dive staff

Dive centres usually have instructors, divemasters and boat crew. On a multi-day dive package, many divers leave one tip at the end for the whole team rather than tipping after each dive. Ask the centre how they prefer to handle it, and whether the boat crew are included. See our diving in the Maldives guide for more on how diving works here.

Guesthouse staff

On local islands, guesthouses are often small and family-run, and the person who cooked your breakfast might also have met you at the jetty and arranged your snorkelling trip. Tipping is entirely optional here, especially when the owner is the one serving you.

• If staff look after your room, a tip left at the end of your stay with a short note is a nice touch.
• If you’d like to thank the whole team, give one envelope to the manager or owner and ask that it be shared.

Cafés and restaurants

Most cafés add the service charge to your bill, so you don’t need to leave more. If the same café has looked after you all week, leaving a little extra on your last night is a kind touch.

Boat transfers, porters and drivers

Speedboat crews and porters at the jetty often carry heavy bags on and off the boat. A small tip for help with luggage is a common courtesy, though again not required. Public ferries run by MTCC are a public service; there is no tipping on board. For how transfers work, see getting around the Maldives.

Resorts

Resorts are private islands with their own systems. Some have a staff tip box at reception, others suggest leaving tips with a named host or butler. If you are staying at a resort before or after a local island, ask at reception how they handle tips so your money reaches the people you intend. Our guide to local islands vs resorts explains the wider differences.

US dollars are widely accepted in tourism, and the Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) is the local currency, officially around 15.42 MVR per US dollar. Both are fine for tips.

• US dollars are easy for visitors and useful to staff. Bring clean, small notes. Torn or very old notes can be hard for people to use or exchange.
• Rufiyaa is the everyday currency on local islands. It’s handy for small tips, and local staff can spend it straight away in island shops.
• Card tips are not always possible. Many small places can only add a tip on a card if their machine allows it, and not every guesthouse or boat takes cards at all. Cash is simpler.

On some local islands there is an ATM. Dhiffushi, for example, has a Bank of Maldives ATM that accepts foreign cards. Check before you travel to a smaller island; not every island has one. Changing a little money into rufiyaa at the airport on arrival is a good idea, as our Velana airport guide explains.

The Maldives is a gentle, modest culture, and tipping is done quietly.

• Use an envelope or fold the notes. Handing over money discreetly is more polite than counting it out in public.
• Give with your right hand, or with both hands. Using the left hand alone is best avoided.
• Add a few words. A simple “shukuriyyaa” (thank you, said roughly “shu-ku-RIY-yaa”) is always appreciated. Our Dhivehi phrases guide has more.
• Don’t insist. Some people, especially owners, may politely refuse. Offer once more, gently; if they still decline, accept it gracefully.
• Tip at the end. On a trip or a stay, tip when it’s over rather than up front.

Around one in five visitors now stays in guesthouses on local islands, according to Ministry of Tourism figures for 2025.

On a local island, you are a guest in someone’s home community. A tip is a thank-you between people, not a payment for a performance. On resorts, service is more structured, and tipping systems are usually set by the resort.

Wherever you stay, the most valuable thing you can do is spend your money locally: eat in island cafés, book trips with local crews, buy from island shops. That keeps the benefits of tourism on the islands. Our guide to responsible travel in the Maldives has more ideas.