The government has amended regulations to require salaries of foreign workers in the Maldives to be deposited directly into bank accounts held in their own names.
The change was introduced through the third amendment to the Regulation on the Employment of Foreigners in the Maldives. Under the new provision, employers must deposit salaries stated in employment contracts into accounts opened under the employee’s legal name at banks registered or authorised by the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA).
The requirement will take effect one month after the amendment is published in the Government Gazette.
A similar requirement was introduced through a 2016 amendment to the Employment Act, which allowed fines to be imposed on employers who failed to deposit foreign workers’ salaries into their bank accounts. However, enforcement was later suspended due to difficulties in opening accounts for large numbers of undocumented workers.
The earlier measure was also intended to help monitor and collect the 3% remittance tax on money sent overseas.
The latest amendment comes as the government continues efforts to regularise undocumented foreign workers in the Maldives.
