German honorary consulate in Maldives temporarily shut

The German Federal Foreign Office said on Tuesday that the Honorary Consulate of Germany in Malé has temporarily shut down and will remain closed until further notice. People who need emergency assistance have been advised to contact the German Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The embassy said there is currently no German representative in the Maldives and that it can only provide advice and guidance, warning that practical on-the-ground help for German nationals here may be difficult. German travellers planning a trip to the Maldives have been urged to take note of the closure. Maldivians applying for Schengen visas for Germany usually use the VFS centre in Malé; the embassy has not said whether that process has changed. Germany is an important tourism market for the Maldives. Tourism Ministry figures show 101,366 German visitors by early October this year, making Germany the fourth-largest source market after China, Russia and the United Kingdom. More than 167,000 German tourists visited in 2025. Visit Maldives has a marketing agreement with Germany-based Diethelm Travel aimed at lifting arrivals from that market. The Honorary Consulate in Malé has operated for years to support bilateral ties and help German nationals. The most recent appointment was in 2019; earlier, Dr Ibrahim Umar Manik held the post for many years before his death in 2020. The German Federal Foreign Office has not announced a reopening date. Former president Mohamed Nasheed said on Tuesday he was worried by the closure, arguing the Maldivian government had sought to replace the honorary consul with someone of its own choosing and that Germany had reservations. The Foreign Office has not publicly set out its reasons beyond the temporary shutdown.