Maldives Boosts Immigration Security with Facial Recognition and E-Visa Tec

Published Date : 11/11/2025 

The Maldives is implementing advanced facial recognition technology and a new e-Visa system to tighten its immigration process and address issues related to undocumented foreign workers. 

The Maldives is introducing a new mobile facial recognition system to identify undocumented foreign workers, while also rolling out an e-Visa service to streamline the visa application process. An announcement from the island nation’s government states that the facial recognition system will be able to “instantly identify, verify, and retrieve all information related to a foreign national using only a photograph.”

Maldives is currently pursuing a “visionary initiative” branded as Maldives 2.0, driven by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. The initiative aims to modernize service-delivery systems, strengthen governance, and drive economic progress. As part of this initiative, the government is cracking down on “illegal expat operations” in the country, which has seen multiple deployments of biometric technology.

With an area of 298 square kilometers, Maldives is the smallest country in Asia by land mass. However, its population of 601,269 is spread across 1,192 islands in 26 atolls that span some 90,000 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean. About 210,000 people live in Malé, the capital city. According to the U.S. Department of State, foreign migrant workers comprise approximately one-third of the population of Maldives, including at least 60,000 undocumented workers.

Migrant workers play key roles in the country’s tourism, health, and education sectors, as well as the construction industry, where they make up some 88 percent of the workforce, primarily from Bangladesh. The government, however, is determined to root out those working without papers. Maldives Immigration developed its facial recognition system, MI ID Checker, with support from the Maldives Police Service. Official communications do not specify a biometrics vendor attached to the project, but Regula has held the contract to provide face recognition for the Maldives’ national digital identity, eFaas, since December 2024.

The MI ID Checker app allows immigration officers to access personal information, including passport data, work permits, visas, and employer information, on a mobile device. It can also “identify individuals reported as absconded by their employers.” Complementing the facial recognition technology are searches by nationality and passport number, work permit number, or a QR code on a work permit card.

The government states that “this development represents a critical step in strengthening the management of information related to foreign nationals residing in the Maldives and supports the government’s broader vision of implementing sustainable, technology-driven solutions to address issues concerning expatriate workers.” Between 2023 and 2024, a series of raids across the nation saw Maldives deport 3,322 foreign nationals as part of a major crackdown on illegal immigration.

Part of the government’s campaign is a response to Maldives’ trafficking problem. The United Nations Network on Migration in the Maldives says that “irregular and undocumented migrants, especially those who are trafficked, are highly vulnerable to exploitation and forced labor, withholding or non-payment of wages, and debt bondage.” However, as biometrics integrates with border control efforts globally, immigration authorities’ motivations for using facial recognition often include the desire for more control.

The Maldives has also officially launched its e-Visa service, which is described as “a historic milestone in the digital transformation of public services.” Visa applications can now be submitted seamlessly through a unified digital platform. Once approved, applicants can download their e-Visa online, complete with a unique QR code to verify authenticity. The system goes live on November 23.

The president’s Maldives 2.0 initiative aims to position Maldives as “a digitally empowered nation.” With accessibility across the islands as a key priority, it aims to modernize service-delivery systems, strengthen governance, and drive economic progress. Immigration is a major component, as the country moves toward a fully digitized passport system. The majority of Maldives’ islands are less than half a meter above sea level, and studies suggest that large swathes of the Maldives archipelago could become uninhabitable by 2050 due to climate change.