Maldives · Off-plan & resale
Houses and property for sale in the Maldives: resort villas and leasehold homes
Houses, resort villas and apartments for sale in the Maldives, and why foreigners lease rather than own.
Property for sale in the Maldives to international buyers is mostly resort property: villas and rooms in tourist and integrated resorts, sold on long-term strata leases and run by the resort operator, plus the new Sustainable Township zones. Maldives real estate can be bought off-plan, a villa or apartment in a project still being built, or as resale, an existing registered strata lease bought from its holder for the remaining term.
The rule every foreign buyer must start from is that Article 251 of the Constitution bars foreign ownership of any part of Maldivian territory and caps leases to foreign parties at 99 years. A 2015 amendment that allowed foreign ownership for very large investments was repealed in April 2019, so foreigners buy leasehold, not freehold, as of October 2026. What you are buying is a right to use a property for a fixed term, and its value depends on the term left.
Natalie advises international buyers comparing the Maldives with Dubai and other markets. She can explain how a strata lease and a resort management agreement work, and will come back with what is available on request.
Can foreigners buy property in the Maldives?
Foreigners can lease property in the Maldives but cannot own land. Article 251 of the Constitution bars foreign ownership of Maldivian territory and allows leases to foreign parties of up to 99 years. A July 2015 amendment allowing foreign ownership for investments over USD 1 billion was unanimously repealed in April 2019, and no later change permitting foreign freehold was found.
The main route is a resort strata lease. Under the Tourism Act and the Regulation on Long-Term Strata Leasing of Villas or Rooms (2023/R-154, in force since 2023), foreign individuals and companies can take long-term leases of villas or rooms in tourist and integrated resorts. A strata lease cannot run longer than the resort's head lease, typically 50 years extendable up to 99, and the unit is operated through the resort's management agreement and cannot be sub-let independently.
Since 10 November 2025, the First Amendment to the Special Economic Zones Act has also created Sustainable Township zones: projects of at least USD 500 million that mix tourism, residential property, schools or hospitals and at least 60 percent renewable energy, with long-term leases of strata-titled villas or rooms.
Off-plan
Off-plan villas and apartments in the Maldives
Off-plan resort residences are sold as long-term strata leases, typically documented by a lease agreement, a management agreement and a sale and purchase agreement, with the lease registered with the Ministry of Tourism.
- No statutory escrow or off-plan payment protection for foreign buyers was found, so payment schedules and safeguards are set entirely by contract.
- Review the resort's head lease, because your strata lease cannot outlast it.
- Lawyers flag title and developer-capacity risks on off-plan resort units, so check who holds the head lease and their record.
- Read the management agreement closely: the resort operates the unit and you cannot sub-let it independently.
- In a Sustainable Township zone, budget for the transfer tax that applies to the first and later transactions.
Secondary market
Resale villas in the Maldives
Buying resale means taking over an existing registered strata lease for its remaining term. The checks center on the lease itself rather than on land title.
- Check the remaining term of both the strata lease and the resort's head lease.
- Confirm the strata lease is registered with the Ministry of Tourism's strata lease registry.
- Review the management agreement terms you will inherit, including how use and income are handled.
- Lessees under the 2023 regulation can mortgage their leasehold interest, so check for any existing mortgage.
- Confirm whether the transfer falls inside a Sustainable Township zone, where a transfer tax applies.
Off-plan or resale in Maldives?
| Off-plan | Resale (secondary) | |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit and payments | Schedule set by contract; no statutory escrow found. | Paid on assignment of the registered lease. |
| Buyer protection | Contract terms and head-lease review. | Registered strata lease with the Ministry of Tourism. |
| Taxes and fees | Registration fees; township transfer tax where it applies. | Registration fees; township transfer tax rises with each transaction. |
| Lease term | New strata lease, capped by the head lease. | The remaining term only. |
| What you can inspect | Plans, head lease and the operator's agreement. | The finished villa, its registration and its trading record under the operator. |
| Financing | Assume cash or offshore financing. | Leasehold interest is mortgageable; local non-resident lending is not established. |
Buying costs in Maldives
- Strata lease registration
- MVR 5,000 license fee plus MVR 10,000 payable to MIRA (reported 2023).
- Sustainable Township transfer tax
- 1 percent on the first transaction, 2 percent on the second and 3 percent on the third, on long-term strata leases and sales of rights to them (Board of Investments summary, 11 December 2025).
- GST on strata lease transfers
- Treated as exempt following a November 2024 Supreme Court determination, per a Maldivian law firm (June 2025).
- Tourism GST
- Rose from 16 to 17 percent on resort services from 1 July 2025.
No annual property tax or stamp duty on leasehold homes outside township zones was confirmed, so check the full schedule with a Maldivian lawyer.
Residency through property in the Maldives
Buying property does not automatically give residency. Since the November 2020 amendment to the Immigration Act, a five-year, renewable corporate resident visa is available for investments of USD 250,000, including a USD 250,000 fixed deposit in a Maldivian bank for five years.
The Maldives Pearl Residence, a residence-by-investment program developed with Henley and Partners, had not officially opened as of 31 May 2026 after missing an April 2026 target. Henley now says it will launch in H2 2026, and its investment thresholds have not been officially published.
Where buyers look in Maldives
New developments and off-plan
- Integrated tourist resorts (North and South Male Atolls)Resorts offering long-term strata leases of villas under the 2023 regulation.
- Sustainable Township SEZsZone category created in November 2025 for large mixed residential and tourism projects.
- Hulhumale Phase 2Planned reclaimed-island extension near Male by the state Housing Development Corporation; confirm the lease structure open to foreigners.
Established resale markets
- Existing resort strata villasResales of registered strata leases within operating resorts.
- Hulhumale Phase 1Completed reclaimed district linked to Male by the Sinamale Bridge; foreigners can only lease.
- MaleCapital and main urban center; land is state-controlled and foreigners can only lease.
The market in numbers
- The Maldives recorded about 2.25 million tourist arrivals in 2025, up 9.8 percent on 2024 (Ministry of Tourism data as reported).
- The strata villa regulation (2023/R-154) has allowed foreign long-term leases of resort villas and rooms since 2023.
- Sustainable Township zones were created on 10 November 2025 with a minimum investment of USD 500 million per project.
What to watch for
- Foreigners hold leases only, capped at 99 years, and a strata lease cannot outlast the resort's head lease.
- Foreign-ownership rules have changed before, loosened in 2015 and reversed in 2019, so the legal framework can shift.
- The Pearl Residence investor visa has missed launch targets and its terms are not officially published.
- Resort units must be run through the operator's management agreement and cannot be sub-let independently, which limits control over use and income.
- Off-plan resort units carry developer and title risk, with no statutory escrow found.
Buying property in Maldives: questions buyers ask
Can foreigners buy property in the Maldives?
Foreigners can lease but not own. Article 251 of the Constitution bars foreign ownership of land and allows leases of up to 99 years.
Are there villas for sale in the Maldives for foreigners?
Yes, as long-term strata leases of resort villas or rooms under the 2023 regulation, registered with the Ministry of Tourism and operated by the resort.
Should I buy off-plan or resale in the Maldives?
Off-plan gives a new strata lease, but no statutory escrow was found, so the contract and head lease carry the risk. Resale lets you see the finished villa and its record, but you buy only the remaining term.
Are there apartments for sale in the Maldives?
Not freehold. Foreigners take long-term strata leases of resort villas or rooms, including in Sustainable Township zones. Whether a foreign individual can lease an apartment directly in places such as Hulhumale is not settled, so confirm the structure for each project.
Is there a transfer tax in the Maldives?
In Sustainable Township zones a transfer tax of 1, 2 and 3 percent applies to the first, second and third transactions. Strata lease registration also carries fees.
Does buying property in the Maldives give me residency?
Not automatically. A five-year corporate resident visa exists for USD 250,000 investments, and the Pearl Residence program is expected in H2 2026 with thresholds not yet published.
Sources
- Maldives Independent: foreign ownership explainer
- Maldives Independent: Pearl Residence
- BNI Law: long-term resort villa leases
- Travel Trade Maldives: strata regulation
- Apex Law: strata villas regulation
- Board of Investments: SEZ Act amendment
- Raajje: corporate resident visa
- Henley and Partners: Maldives
- Hotelier Maldives: 2025 arrivals
This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees were checked against the sources above in October 2026 and can change.
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