Maldives Customs Service has released the second Time Release Study (TRS) 2025, assessing cargo clearance efficiency across sea and air freight in the Maldives.
Conducted using World Customs Organisation (WCO) methodology, the study measures the time taken for goods to move from arrival to final release. It builds on the first TRS and reflects ongoing efforts to improve trade facilitation and strengthen border management.
The study was supported by the WCO under its Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, funded by the United Kingdom’s HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). It will also support the Maldives’ implementation of the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement by providing data to assess future reforms.
Findings show that sea cargo imports averaged 8 days and 23 hours for clearance, while bonded warehouse processes took up to 12 days for imports and nearly 5 days for releases. Compared to the previous study, seaport clearance times recorded a slight increase.
While the report notes improvements in customs processes, it also highlights ongoing delays linked to documentation issues, congestion, and capacity constraints in parts of the system.
The TRS recommends expanding pre-arrival processing, reducing documentation errors, easing port congestion, and strengthening cargo handling capacity. It also stresses the need for improved inter-agency coordination, better data sharing, and more digital, risk-based clearance systems.
Overall, the study aims to reduce delays, lower trade costs, and improve transparency and predictability in the Maldives’ cargo clearance system.
