Every way into Madagascar.

The single-entry tourist electronic visa for short tourism stays of up to 15 days, applied for through Madagascar's official eService portal (evisamada.gov.mg / evisamada-mg.com). The electronic travel authorisation is issued by email no later than 72 hours after the form is validated and the ministerial fee paid; applications open between one week and six months before departure. The eVisa does not authorise work, study or paid activity. The 15-day eVisa fee tripled to EUR 30 (USD 35) on 16 February 2026, having previously been EUR 10; the visa-on-arrival route to the same 15-day stay remains cheaper.

Government fee

€30

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

15 days

Validity

180 days

The single-entry tourist electronic visa for stays of 16 to 30 days, issued by Madagascar's official eService portal. The travel authorisation arrives by email within 72 hours of validating the application and paying the fee. The 30-day band costs EUR 35 (USD 41). The eVisa is strictly for tourism and short visits and does not permit work, study or business employment; it cannot be extended online and does not lead to residence.

Government fee

€35

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

30 days

Validity

180 days

The single-entry tourist electronic visa for stays of 31 to 60 days, the longest stay available through Madagascar's eVisa platform, which only supports tourist visas. The 31-60 day band costs EUR 40 (USD 47) and the authorisation is emailed within 72 hours of payment. The eVisa is single-entry and limited to tourism; it does not authorise work or study, cannot be extended online, and does not provide a path to residence. Stays beyond 60 days require a consular long-stay (transformable) visa.

Government fee

€40

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

60 days

Validity

180 days

Citizens of almost every country (except Burundi and Palestine) may obtain a non-immigrant short-stay visa on arrival at international airports such as Antananarivo-Ivato and Nosy Be, for tourism stays of up to 90 days. The fee is tiered by length of stay; tourists staying 15 days or less pay no visa fee but must pay a EUR 10 tourist tax, while 30/60 day stays carry the standard short-stay fees (roughly EUR 35 / EUR 40, payable in cash in ariary, euros or dollars). The visa-on-arrival fees were not increased when the eVisa fee rose in February 2026. The visa on arrival cannot be extended and does not authorise work, study or residence.

Processing time

1 day

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Travellers passing through Madagascar can use the short-stay visa-on-arrival mechanism for a brief transit stop; no separate visa is needed for airside transit without entering the country. Where a traveller must clear immigration to change flights or continue onward, the standard short-stay visa-on-arrival applies (free tourist-tax band for very short stops). The Madagascar eVisa system itself only supports tourist visas, so transit travellers rely on the on-arrival short-stay procedure rather than a dedicated transit eVisa. It confers no work, study or residence rights.

Processing time

1 day

Short business trips (meetings, negotiations, conferences, site visits) of up to 90 days are made on the non-immigrant short-stay visa, obtained on arrival or from a Madagascar embassy or consulate; the eVisa platform itself is limited to tourist visas, so business travellers either use the on-arrival short-stay visa or apply at a consulate with an invitation letter. The visa permits business activity but not local employment, which requires a long-stay work visa and work permit. Fees track the short-stay tourist bands and the consular fee is not centrally published. It does not lead to residence.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Foreign students admitted to a Malagasy educational institution enter on a transformable long-stay student visa and, within one month of arrival, lodge a student residence-card application with the Ministry of Interior's Immigration and Emigration Service. The residence card is typically valid for one year (the academic year) and renewable for the duration of the programme. Applicants must show enrolment, sufficient means and medical insurance. The student route is for study only; paid employment requires a separate work permit. Consular and card fees are set administratively and not centrally published.

• Study: Full enrolment at the admitting institution.
• Residency: Renewable for the programme; may transfer to a work or other residence category afterwards.

Validity

365 days

Independent professionals, consultants and freelancers (including remote entrepreneurs and digital professionals, newly recognised in 2026) may reside in Madagascar by registering a local entity with a tax number (NIF) and keeping accounting compliance, then holding a long-stay visa transformable into a carte de resident. Madagascar has no dedicated digital-nomad visa, so the self-employed route runs through company registration via the EDBM and the standard residence-card process. The permit is typically valid one year and renewable against proof of genuine activity. Fees are set administratively and not centrally published.

• Work: Authorises the registered independent activity, not employee work for a third party.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency after 3 years
• Family: Spouse and minor children may obtain dependent residence permits.

Processing time

90 days

Validity

365 days

Foreign nationals employed by a Malagasy company enter on a work-endorsed long-stay visa and must then obtain a permis de travail (work permit) issued by the Ministry of Labour plus a carte de resident from the Ministry of Interior. The employer must show the post cannot be filled by a qualified Malagasy national, register the worker with CNAPS (national social security) and provide tax attestations. The initial residence is typically valid one year and renewable; processing runs from a few weeks to about three months. Time on successive permits builds toward a longer-validity residence card. Fees are set administratively and not centrally published.

• Work: Authorises employment for the sponsoring employer named in the work permit.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study alongside work.
• Residency after 3 years
• Family: Spouse and minor children may apply for dependent residence permits; work needs a separate application.

Processing time

60 days

Validity

365 days

Foreign investors and company founders register a company through the EDBM one-stop shop (Guichet Unique / GUIDE) and obtain a long-stay investor visa transformable into a carte de resident, typically valid one to three years and renewed against proof of genuine activity. Madagascar has no publicly stated minimum investment amount; company forms range from a SARL (no minimum capital) to an SA (MGA 10 million minimum, MGA 2 million single-shareholder). Renewal is conditional on real economic activity shown through tax receipts, bank statements and staff contracts. Madagascar runs no citizenship-by-investment programme. Processing typically takes a few months.

• Work: Authorises running and managing the registered company.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency after 3 years
• Family: Spouse and minor children may obtain dependent residence permits.

Processing time

90 days

Validity

1,095 days

Retirees and the financially independent may reside in Madagascar on a long-stay visa transformable into a carte de resident, granted to applicants who can show sufficient pension or passive income to support themselves without local employment. There is no separately published minimum-income figure; applicants demonstrate adequate means through pension statements and bank records. The residence card is typically valid one year and renewable, and successive renewals build toward a longer-validity card. The route does not authorise employment. Fees are set administratively and not centrally published.

• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency after 3 years
• Family: Spouse may obtain a dependent residence permit on the household income.

Validity

365 days

Spouses, children (generally under 21) and dependent parents of Malagasy citizens or legal residents may obtain a long-stay visa transformable into a carte de resident under the family-reunification category. Initial residence is typically valid up to two years and renewable. Applicants provide marriage or birth certificates, a joint-address certificate, and proof that the sponsor has adequate income and housing. The route is lodged with the Ministry of Interior's Immigration and Emigration Service after entry. Fees are set administratively and not centrally published.

• Study: Family members may study while resident.
• Residency after 3 years
• Family: Route exists for the spouse, children and dependent relatives of the sponsor.

Validity

730 days

Missionaries, clergy and accredited NGO workers may reside in Madagascar on a long-stay visa transformable into a carte de resident, sponsored by a religious organisation or NGO accredited by the relevant ministry. The residence card is typically valid one year and renewable for the assignment. Applicants provide an accreditation or engagement letter from the sponsoring body, plus the standard police-clearance and medical documents. The route is tied to the accredited activity and does not authorise unrelated paid employment. Fees are set administratively and not centrally published.

• Work: Authorises the accredited religious or NGO activity only.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency after 3 years
• Family: Spouse and minor children may obtain dependent residence permits.

Validity

365 days

The transformable long-stay visa (visa de long sejour, often called the immigrant visa) is the gateway to legal residence in Madagascar for anyone staying beyond 90 days: expatriate workers, investors, retirees, students and family members. It is issued only by Madagascar's embassies and consulates abroad and is generally valid for one month from entry, within which the holder must lodge a residence-card (carte de resident) application with the Ministry of Interior's Immigration and Emigration Service. After roughly three years of successive long-stay visas the holder may obtain a longer-validity carte de resident. The consular fee is set per category and not centrally published.

• Study: Students enter on this visa then transform to a student residence card.
• Residency after 3 years
• Family: Spouse and children may obtain dependent long-stay visas under family categories.

Validity

30 days