Marrying and Sponsoring a Maldivan Citizen
Listen to this article- A group of islands in Southern Asia in the Indian Ocean southwest of India
- The weather is tropical hot, humid and dry with a Northeast monsoon season that starts from November to March. The rainy and also monsoon season starts from June to August.
- Tsunamis and low lying islands make the island vulnerable to increasing sea level rise
Marriage to a Maldivan Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Maldivan citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.
If you want to bring your Maldivan spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.
Processing Time
If you file a Canadian sponsorship application for your Maldivan spouse or partner, this application takes an average of 10-12 months.
A visitor visa application for your spouse or partner to visit you in Canada while the sponsorship applications are processing takes an average of 3 –14 days.
Please see our pages on family sponsorship and Canadian visitor visa for more information on the processing times of these applications.
Maldivan Marriage Basic Requirements
In order to marry a citizen of Maldives, you must demonstrate to the Maldivan government that you are eligible to do so. This includes:
- Proof of country of birth
- Proof of single status
- Proof of age requirement
Maldivan Marriage Ceremony
The marriage ceremony to a Maldivan citizen can legally take place in Maldives, Canada, or any other country as long as both parties have the necessary visas to enter this country legally. This marriage can then be recognized when applying for a permanent residence or a visitor visa for your Maldivan spouse. To learn more about ceremony customs, see below.
Family Members
If your Maldivan spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Maldivan Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Maldivan citizen.
Maldives Consulates in Canada
There are diplomatic missions of the Maldives in North America. However, they do have an office at the UN in New York:
Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations
Calling the Maldives from Canada
- The country code is 960 to call you dial 011 – 960 – area code – local number
The Maldives does not use area codes. Cell numbers begin with 7, 8 or 9.
Calling Canada from the Maldives
Dial 00 – 1 – area code – local number
List of Area Codes of Canada
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta)
587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC)
236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario)
249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec)
438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
Time Difference
The Maldives time is GMT+5.
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Maldives is Ahead | # of Hours during DST |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 13 hours | 12 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 12 hours | 11 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 11 hours | 11 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario) | 11 hours | 10 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 10 hours | 9 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 9 hours | 8 hours |
| Newfoundland | 8.5 hours | 7.5 hours |
Emergency Information for Canadians in the Maldives
There is no Canadian Diplomatic Mission in the Maldives. Contact the High Commission in Sri Lanka for assistance.
High Commission of Canada in Colombo33-A 5th Lane Postal Address: Telephone: 94 (11) 532-6232 or 522-6232 |
View Larger Map |
Government of Canada’s Travel Alerts for the Maldives
Sponsoring Your Maldivan Spouse to Canada
The sponsorship application process is long and can be frustrating. To learn more about it, click the button below:
Want to know more about marrying in the Maldives? Let us know!
