MP Submits Bill Allowing Immediate Island Residency via Property Ownership, Ends Five-Year Wait

A bill has been submitted to Parliament seeking to allow Maldivians who acquire land or housing on another island to transfer their residency immediately, without having to meet the current five-year residency requirement.

The amendment to the Law on Becoming a Resident of a Maldivian Island was submitted by South Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim. The proposal aims to ease the process of changing residency by introducing alternative pathways for registration.

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Under existing legislation, individuals can only register as residents of an island after living there continuously for five years. The proposed amendment would allow a person to apply for residency immediately if they acquire legal ownership or rights to a land plot, house, flat or other habitable property on another island.

According to the bill, eligibility would apply to those who obtain such rights through inheritance, purchase, gifts, court rulings or government housing schemes. Applicants would be required to submit official documents proving ownership or legal rights to the property.

The amendment states that authorities must verify the authenticity of the submitted documents before registering the applicant as a resident of the island. Once the transfer is completed, the individual’s name must be removed from the registry of their previous island, as Maldivian law does not permit a person to hold residency in more than one island at a time.

The bill further requires all regulations related to the amendment to be published within three months of ratification. If approved, the amendment would come into force upon publication in the Government Gazette.

The proposal comes as the government continues implementing its “Housing for All” programme, one of the largest housing initiatives undertaken in the Maldives.

In November 2025, the government introduced the Residential Land for Malé Residents Policy and the Flat Allocation Policy for Malé Residents. The policies drew criticism from some quarters over differences in allocations for Malé natives and long-term residents of the capital.

Applications for the housing schemes opened in January this year, with several amendments introduced over the past six months, including provisions for people with disabilities and certain individuals who had previously received housing assistance.

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, more than 50,000 applications were submitted before the 15 June deadline. Of these, over 35,900 applications were for flats and more than 22,000 were for land plots.