Access to passport services in Baa Atoll has been expanded with the launch of Maldives Immigration services in Dharavandhoo, reducing the need for residents to travel outside the atoll for essential documentation.
With the introduction of the service, residents of Baa Atoll can now collect passports from two islands in the atoll. Applicants may submit passport applications online through the Imuga portal and choose either Eydhafushi or Dharavandhoo as their preferred collection point.
The expansion forms part of the government’s wider effort to improve access to public services outside Malé. Passport and national identity card services, which previously required many atoll residents to travel to the capital, are being extended to islands across the country.
The government has decided to make these services available on at least one island in every atoll, as part of its broader decentralisation policy. The move is aimed at reducing the cost and inconvenience faced by citizens who need official documents.
For many residents in the atolls, obtaining passports and identity cards has often involved travel expenses, accommodation costs and time away from work or family responsibilities. Expanding service points to local islands is expected to ease these pressures and make access to documentation more practical.
Immigration’s launch of passport services in Dharavandhoo adds to the growing network of service locations outside the capital, reflecting an effort to shift routine public services closer to island communities.
