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THE CITIZENSHIP DESK

Madagascar

MDG

Madagascar is the fourth-largest island in the world, located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The island nation is renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity, with roughly 90% of its wildlife found nowhere else on Earth, including dozens of lemur species and unique baobab forests. The economy relies heavily on agriculture, fishing, and mining, with vanilla, cloves, and sapphires among key exports. Madagascar is one of the world's least-developed countries, with high poverty rates and limited infrastructure outside Antananarivo. Residency and naturalisation pathways exist but are not actively marketed to foreigners. Dual citizenship is generally not recognised. The Malagasy passport offers limited global mobility, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to around 55 destinations.

Passport Rank

#93

Visa-Free

55

destinations

Country Details

Capital
Antananarivo
Currency
MGA
Languages
Malagasy, French
Population
28,915,000
Tax System
Residence Based
Dual Citizenship
Not allowed
Naturalisation
5 years
Schengen / EU
No
Climate
Tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south

Indices

Cost of Living

27

Safety

40

Healthcare

25

Quality of Life

29

Tax Summary

Tax System
Residence Based
Territorial Taxation
No — worldwide income taxed for residents
Naturalisation
5 years of legal residency
Dual Citizenship
Not allowed

Cost of Living by City

← scroll the table →

Monthly cost of living per major city in USD: rent, groceries, utilities, transit pass
CityRent 1BR centreRent outsideGroceriesUtilitiesTransit pass
Antananarivo—————
Toamasina—————
Antsirabe—————

Monthly USD figures. Typical central 1-bedroom rent, grocery basket for one, household utilities, monthly transit pass.

Climate

Antananarivo

21.9°J
21.9°F
21.7°M
20.7°A
18.8°M
16.5°J
15.6°J
16.3°A
18.1°S
20.2°O
21.5°N
22.1°D

Rainfall range: 5–312 mm/month · Daylight 11h (winter) to 13h (summer)

Visa Categories & Immigration Authority

Major Visa Categories

  • Tourist (on arrival)
  • Business
  • Long-stay
  • Work
  • Family
  • Student
Authority
Bureau de l'Immigration
Official Portal
www.mid.gov.mg
Phone
+261 20 22 655 92
Email
immigration@mid.gov.mg

Naturalisation Details

Residence Years
5
Language Test
Yes (French + Malagasy)
Civic Test
No
Oath Required
Yes
Dual Allowed
No
Fee
$200
Processing
~15 months

Safety

GPI Rank

#44

Global Peace Index ranking (lower is safer)

Common Risks

  • ⚠Airport taxi touts at Ivato quoting 3-4x the legitimate fare; use hotel-arranged or pre-booked registered taxis only
  • ⚠Fake or off-duty police demanding passport inspection then threatening arrest to extract cash payments
  • ⚠Street gemstone and vanilla-bean vendors systematically misrepresenting quality and invoking old Malagasy Franc pricing (5x overcharge) to confuse the exchange rate

Examples of areas to avoid: 67 Hectares (Soixante-Sept Hectares) — densely populated lower-city district with highest reported crime rate in Antananarivo, Analakely market area / Petite Vitesse — high pickpocket and bag-snatching activity targeting foreigners around Avenue de l'Independance, Antaninarenina and Tsaralalana after dark — mixed-use areas acceptable by day but elevated mugging and vehicle smash-and-grab risk at night

Related Guides

Exit tax: countries that charge you to leave

Country-by-country reference of departure taxes, deemed-disposition rules, and wealth-locking regimes that trigger when tax residency ends.

Sources & last verified

  • Last verified 2026-06-15