Maldives health ministry opens applications for tobacco sales licenses

Key points:

The Ministry of Health in the Maldives has initiated the application process for tobacco sales permits, requiring all sellers to complete their applications within three months.

The new regulations require four different types of licenses, covering wholesale and retail sales, imports, re-exports, and registration of new tobacco products.

The license is valid for five years, with violators facing high fines, up to a maximum of $65,000.

According to The edition, the Ministry of Health in the Maldives has announced that it is now accepting applications for tobacco sales licenses.

According to the first amendment to the Tobacco Control Law, all businesses involved in the wholesale and retail of tobacco products must obtain a valid tobacco sales license from the Ministry of Health, in addition to a trade license.

The Ministry of Health has stated that all relevant personnel must complete their license applications within three months. Applications can be submitted through the "OneGov" integrated government portal. It is reported that the four types of licenses that need to be applied for this time are: tobacco product wholesale or retail license, tobacco product import license, tobacco product transit license, and new tobacco product registration.

The Ministry of Health revealed that these licenses are valid for five years and come with corresponding fees. Applications for license renewal must be submitted within 60 days before the existing license expires. The application fee for tobacco wholesale and retail licenses is MVR 5000 (330 USD), the same as the renewal fee. The fees for import and re-export are set at MVR 10,000 (650 USD), while the establishment of smoking areas in cafes and restaurants also costs MVR 10,000 (650 USD).

If there is any violation of regulations, the permit will be revoked.

If there are any violations of the regulations, the license will be revoked. The law stipulates that fines for such violations range from MVR 1000 (65 USD) to MVR 1,000,000 (65,000 USD).

It is worth mentioning that the President of Maldives signed an e-cigarette ban in November 2024, which prohibits the import, sale, and use of e-cigarettes and related products, and imposes strict penalties. Some provisions of the law went into effect on December 15th.