NON IMMIGRANT VISA (Maximum Stay: 90 days)

These visas with 1 to 3 entries maximum are delivered :

–        by Malagasy diplomatic or Consular representations

–         by the Police Commissioner in charge of Immigration-Emigration at the airport or harbour of disembarkation upon payment of the applicable fee

Required Documents

–         a completed application form. Delays may occur if all questions are not answered (download the form at the end of this page)

–         two (02) recent passeport photos

–         Return air ticket

–         Passeport valid for at least six (6) months from intended return date, with at least three (3) blank pages

–         Yellow fever vaccination Certificate for visitors who stayed the last six (06) days in infected countries

In addition to above, additional documents may be required depending on reason for the visit (See specific requirements below).

1/- Tourism, Conference, Seminar, Family Events, Sport, Cultural and Religious Events, etc…

No additional documents required

 2/- Medical Treatment

3/- Business

Letter from the applicant company outside Madagascar, on the company letter head

TRANSFORMABLE VISA (Immigrants Visa: 30 days)

A transformable visa is a thirty (30) days visa, issued exclusively by a Malagasy Embassy or Consulate, that allows the holder, once in Madagascar, to apply for a long term visa.

Required Documents

–         A completed application form. Delays may occur if all questions are not answered.

(domn-load the form at the end of this page)

–         Two (02) recent passeport photos

–         Return air ticket

–         Passeport valid for at least six (6) months from intended return date, with at least three (3) blank pages

–         Yellow fever vaccination Certificate for visitors who stayed the last six (06) days in infected countries

–         Letter of motivation

–         Criminal Record (Police Clearence) issued by the country of origin of less than six (6) months (translated in French or English by the issuing country or a sworn translator). The validity duration assigned to the document by the issuing authority if the said duration exceeds the six (6) months

–         Passeport photocopy

–         Legalized Proof of accommodation and financial support as attested and signed by your host or Lease Agreement

–         Photocopy of Host ID (CIN) or Resident Card (CR)

–         Certificate of Residence of the Host

Additional documents depending on the category in which the immigrant falls, as follows:

* 1. Investors: 
– Registered articles of the Company
– Certificat of Existence
– Company’s Statistics Card
– Proof of registation from the Registrar of Companies (RCS)
– Tax identification card (CNIF) or Professional card
– Banking certificate of the company
– Tax certificate

* 2. Executive Officers or Managers of companies established in Madagascar (Art 16 of the Act No. 2007-036) 
– Registered articles of the Company
– Certificat of Existence
– Company’s Statistics Card
– Proof of registation from the Registrar of Companies (RCS)
– Tax identification card (CNIF) or Professional card
– Banking certificate of the company
– Tax certificate
– Proof of Appointment as Executive Officer or Manager

* 3. Employees

– Work permit delivered and signed by the Ministry of Work
– Employment contract stamped by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Legislation (MFPTLS)
– Employment authorization or work permit for foreigners delivered by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Laws
– Certificate of employment issued by the employer
– Company’s Certificate of Registration issued by the Registrar of Companies (RCS)
– Company’s Tax Identification Card (CIF)
– Company’s Statistics Cards
– Photocopy of the Identity Card (CIN) or the Resident Card of the Manager

* 4. Family Reunification
– Birth or Adoption Certificate (child < 21 years) – Parent (+ 60 years)
– Marriage Certificate (only marriages officially celebrated between a man and a woman are recognized by Malagasy laws)
– In case of divorced parents, legalized parental authorization for child custody or divorce judgment specifying to whom custody is attributed
– Copy of the spouse visa or Resident Card

* 5. Religious Missionaries 
– Certificate of Membership
– Hosting and support certificate issued by the applicant congregation legally established in Madagascar
– Certificate of existence of the cultural Association, issued by the Interior Ministry (MININTER)

* 6. Retired People 
– Bank certificate confirming Regular Payments into the bank account
– Notification of retirement or Retirement or Pension Certificate

* 7. Students 
– Diploma
– Certificate of Registration
– Scholarship Certificate or Proof of resources

* 8. Volunteer workers 
– Proof of application for authorization to do voluntary work (for secular missionaries)

* 9. Natives 
Birth certificate issued by a Malagasy appropriate Authority

* 10. Scientists 
Research authorization issued by the Ministry of Scientific Research, the Ministry of Higher Education or the Ministry of Environment

Madagascar

CULTURE

Religion in Madagascar

Around 52% follow animist beliefs whilst about 41% are Christian. The remainder are Muslim.

Social Conventions in Madagascar

Malagasy people are extremely hospitable and welcoming with a refreshingly open communicative style that can sometimes boder on direct. A handshake is the usual form of greeting between strangers meeting for the first time. If meeting a friend then three kisses on the cheek is fine.

Arrangements and meetings can suffer as a result of a relaxed attitude to clock-watching. Dress is casual, except for posh hotels and restaurants where lightweight suits are advised. Note that military-style clothing should always be avoided, as wearing it can lead to arrest. Restaurants and bars are used for entertaining, with invitations to a family home requiring a good degree of personal acquaintance. An invitation to attend a special celebration is a great honour. Acts of kindness should be rewarded with a gift, but never money. Respect should be afforded to the many local taboos (fady) of the Malagasy – these are various behaviours that you shouldn’t do. Although these can change from tribe to tribe and person to person (try to be informed about what they will be before travelling to a new area on the island), some fady are imposed nationwide. Examples include not pointing at tombs, and not killing a propithecus lemur.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Best time to visit

Madagascar’s highly diverse subtropical climate means it pays to do some research before you plan a trip. Rainy season runs from December to March. This is when the rainforested eastern and northern parts of the country are battered by tropical storms brought on by cyclone season, and temporatures tend to hover around 30°C. Despite being rainy season up north, during this period, the central parts will be a lot drier and cooler, with temperatures around 25°C. The southern and western coasts are the driest parts of the country.

Dry season runs from April to October but tourist numbers do not start to swell until early May. Peak months are July and August, die to the timing of school holidays in Europe and USA. If visiting for wildlife, Septermber to December is also a good time to visit, as many of the snakes and lizards populating the island  come out of hibernation during this time. The mountains, including Antananarivo, are dry, cool and windy during this time of year, shifting to warm and thundery from November to April. Due to the extreme storms and occasional cyclones, travelling to Madagascar between January and March is ill-advised.

Required clothing

To cope with the Madagascan climate, lightweights should be worn during the summer on high central plateaux and throughout the year in the north and south. Cotton and natural fibres work better in this sweaty weather. Warmer clothes are advised for during the evenings and winter in mountainous areas. Rainwear is advisable as a precaution.

GEOGRAPHY

Located 500km off the coast of Mozambique in the Inidan Ocean, Madagascar is world’s fourth-largest island. Accompanied by several much smaller sibling isles, it is characterised by a central chain of high mountains, the Hauts Plateaux. This spiny ridge dominates the main island’s terrain and is a dividing line that marks Madagascar’s east-and-west differences in ethnicity, climate, and scenery.

On the east coast, a skiny strip of lowlands, settled from the sixth century by Polynesian seafarers, is largely covered by dense rainforests. The broader west-coast landscape, once clad in dry deciduous forests, is now mostly grasslands. On both coast, the climate is wetter towards the north although the east coast receives the monsoon. Semi-desert and forests of cactus-like scrub characterises the island’s southern tip with much of Madagascar’s flora and fauna is wholly unique. Busy capital city, Antananarivo, is situed high up in the Hauts Plateaux and almost denotes the island’s geographical centre.