Thinadhoo City Council Reintroduces Fee to Those Who Renounce Citizenship

Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll’s Thinadhoo City Council has introduced a MVR 5,000 fee once again for individuals who give up Thinadhoo citizenship.

In an announcement issued yesterday, the council said the Local Governance Authority (LGA) had advised against charging fees to those who renounce their citizenship without following the correct procedure. The council initially introduced the fee as part of its efforts to retain the island’s population.

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The council halted the fee following an LGA letter dated 9 July and held a public meeting on 10 August to gather residents’ views on reintroducing a fee for those renouncing their citizenship. A Google Form was used to determine what amount, between MVR 0 and MVR 5,000, should be charged. Based on this consultation, the council cancelled its previous announcement and reinstated the fee.

Thinadhoo first collected the fee in January 2014, but the LGA directive suspended the practice.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih declared Thinadhoo a city on 30 August 2024 during the presidential election campaign, despite the population being fewer than 10,000. The President made the declaration under the powers granted in Article 51 of the Decentralisation Act.

However, the law must be amended to formally grant city status to Thinadhoo, and Parliament is currently working on the legislative changes. The new government has pledged to support the process.

Thinadhoo has a population of around 7,000, and the council has opened registration for people from other islands in an effort to increase its population.