Best Place to Exchange Money in Male

Where to change money in Male

We could not confirm any exchange office in Male that serves visitors, so this guide names none. The Edition reports that money changers need a Maldives Monetary Authority licence and that, since 1 September 2026, dollars may only be traded at the authority's rates: use a bank or a licensed counter, never a street offer. Most UK visitors manage with a card and a few US dollars from home.

• Bank of Maldives USD cash machines, Velana International Airport - One of three dollar machines the bank lists. Its USD 1,600 daily limit is stated for its own dollar-account holders; it does not say whether UK cards work or what they pay.

Changing money at the airport

Velana International Airport (MLE) is on Hulhule, the island beside Male. We could not open the operator's pages on banks or exchange, so the only money service confirmed is the Bank of Maldives dollar machine above. Bring enough for your first taxi.

Visit Maldives says taxis run from the airport to Male, while nearby resorts usually send a speedboat. Fares are fixed by the transport ministry: its table in force since 20 May 2024, published by The Edition, sets MVR 70 for a standard car to Male city, MVR 80 to Hulhumale phase 1 and MVR 85 to phase 2. Drivers may add MVR 10 for the domestic terminal, and a 7 to 10 seater is MVR 110 to Male.

According to the FCDO, UK tourists are granted 30 days on landing and need a passport valid for a month beyond arrival. Maldives Immigration also asks for a return ticket, a prepaid booking at a registered property, enough funds and its free Traveller Declaration (IMUGA), filed in the 96 hours before you land.

ATMs and cards in Male

Visit Maldives says the major credit cards are taken nationwide, and its 2020 first-timers' guide found card terminals and cash machines on most islands and at resorts. It still suggests some cash on local islands.

Neither Bank of Maldives nor Maldives Islamic Bank states, on the pages we opened, what a foreign card pays at its machines, so read the screen and expect your UK bank's own fee. If a terminal offers pounds, Which? says to pick the local currency, as sterling lets the retailer set the rate. Here that means the currency on the bill: dollars at a resort, rufiyaa in a Male cafe.

Paying for transport in Male

On the ministry's 2024 table a standard taxi inside the zone (Male, Hulhumale and its phase 2) is MVR 30, Male to Hulhumale phase 1 MVR 85 and Male to phase 2 MVR 100.

Since April 2026 MTCC has run Male Taxi Line: 150 cars, booked by web app or hotline 1655 and paid online at the official fares, around the clock (Sun Online, The Edition).

Visit Maldives says scheduled ferries leave Male for many of the atolls; we found no current fare, so ask your guesthouse. Keep small rufiyaa notes for street taxis and cafes.

Good to know

• Green tax: resorts, hotels, guesthouses and tourist boats add it in US dollars for each day you stay. MIRA, the tax authority, sets USD 12 a day from 1 January 2025, or USD 6 at an inhabited-island hotel or guesthouse with 50 rooms or fewer. Under-twos are exempt.
• Tourism GST is 17% from 1 July 2025 (MIRA). Visit Maldives still shows 16% and the pre-2025 green tax, so go by MIRA.
• MIRA lists a USD 50 departure tax and a USD 50 airport development fee per economy passenger from 1 December 2024. Airlines collect both on scheduled flights, so check your fare includes them.
• Bills can also carry a service charge that is shared among staff, so a tip on top is optional.