The newly appointed Controller General of Immigration Mohamed Shamman on Monday, November 20, announced the decision to discontinue the procedure of filling the 'Imuga' traveler declaration form by Maldivian travelers.

A statement from the authority said the first decision by the new Controller General of Immigration was to enhance ease for Maldivian travelers; which is the primary reason for his decision to stop the procedure of filling the declaration form by locals.

"The Controller General of Immigration has decided to bring an end to the process of filling traveler declarations by Maldivian citizens owing to the complaints lodged by the public regarding the inconvenient nature of the said process," the Immigration's statement read.

Besides both inbound and outbound local travelers, expatriates and tourists were required to fill the traveler declaration form. The traveler declaration is still a requirement for foreign travelers.

The traveler declaration form was first introduced on July 15, 2020 as part of stringent border control measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The form was available to fill online since March 14, 2021.

Meanwhile, members of the public have made multiple appeals on several occasions to drop the traveler declaration process in the new norm, while several tourism industry stakeholders raised concern about the procedure as well.