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THE CITIZENSHIP DESK
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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 56 destinations.

Naturalisation
5 years
Tax system
Residence Based
Currency
MGA
Dual citizenship
Not allowed
Capital
Antananarivo
Region
africa
Population
28,915,000
Cost-of-living
27 /100
→ If you hold a Madagascar passport, see the Madagascar nationality guide

Passport Rank

#93

Visa-Free

56

destinations

Visa-free travel

A Madagascar passport has visa-free access to 56 destinations. See the full Madagascar passport breakdown →

Passports that enter Madagascar without a prior visa (193)

Visa-free, visa on arrival, or on an eTA.

AF flagAfghanistanAL flagAlbaniaDZ flagAlgeriaAD flagAndorraAO flagAngolaAG flagAntigua and BarbudaAR flagArgentinaAM flagArmeniaAU flagAustraliaAT flagAustriaAZ flagAzerbaijanBS flagBahamasBH flagBahrainBD flagBangladeshBB flagBarbadosBY flagBelarusBE flagBelgiumBZ flagBelize+175 more

Community-sourced (passport-index, synced 2026-08-18) — verify with the embassy before travel.

5 approved English test centres in Madagascar →

Immigrating to Canada from Madagascar

Current IRCC processing times for Madagascar nationals, by application type.

Visitor visa (outside Canada)226 days
Super visaNo processing time available
Study permit17 weeks
Work permit37 weeks
Sponsor a dependent childNo processing time available
Adopted child (citizenship)Not enough data
Government-assisted refugeesNot enough data
Privately sponsored refugeessponsor: Not enough data / refugee: Not enough data

Your application may take longer than the times shown here. They’re not a maximum or a guarantee.

As of 2026-09-22 (IRCC). See all Canada processing times →

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — “Check processing times”. This is a copy of the version available at https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html. Reproduced under the Government of Canada’s non-commercial reproduction terms; not endorsed by or affiliated with IRCC.

Sources & last verified

Government of Canada — non-commercial reproduction (canada.ca Terms and conditions)

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
GDP per capita
$599
Life expectancy
63.84 yrs
Population growth
2.4%/yr

GDP per capita, life expectancy, and population growth: World Bank (2025).

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

Regulators & official sources

Bodies that regulate immigration advice in Madagascar, and the official sources indexed for it by Visa Atlas. Descriptions are verbatim; each links to its source.

eVisa Madagascar

EVISA

Official tourist eVisa platform for online tourist visa applications, eVisa FAQ, tourist visa-on-arrival notes and electronic travel authorisation guidance.

eVisa Madagascar

Police Nationale Malagasy

PNM

Official National Police site linking to Madagascar tourist eVisa services and border-police visa information.

Police Nationale Malagasy

Economic Development Board of Madagascar

EDBM

Official investor service portal publishing long-stay visa, work-permit, transformable-visa and company-creation checklists.

Economic Development Board of Madagascar

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar

MAE

Official diplomatic mission pages publishing consular short-stay, transformable and special visa category guidance; exact filing mechanics depend on the competent mission.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar

Sources & last verified

Index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-20.

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.

Related on The Citizenship Desk

Life logistics

Reference tables

Visa routes

Official visa and residence routes for Madagascar, indexed from Visa Atlas. Each links to its government source. This is a licensed external index, distinct from our own curated visa guides.

Residence

Transformable Visa

Residence

Madagascar immigrant 30-day transformable visa route that can be converted into long-stay status after entry, including worker, investor, family and other long-stay bases.

Sponsor requiredLeads to settlementOne-month transformable visa, used as a bridge to long-stay status.
Economic Development Board of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-26

Short-term / business

Consular Short-Stay Visa

Short-term / business

Madagascar consular non-immigrant short-stay visa guidance for tourism, business, mission and internship trips of 30, 60 or 90 days.

30, 60 or 90 days; the page states the visa is non-transformable into long stay.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-06-28

Diplomatic and Courtesy Visa

Short-term / business

Madagascar special visa route for diplomatic, service, official, international-organisation, government-mission and approved technical-assistance cases.

Sponsor requiredMission- or status-linked special visa; validity depends on the approved official purpose.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-30

Tourist eVisa

Short-term / business

Madagascar official tourist eVisa route for single-entry tourist visits, with online registration and electronic travel authorisation before arrival.

Single entry; maximum tourist eVisa duration of 60 days.
eVisa Madagascar / Border Police of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-26

Tourist Visa Extension

Short-term / business

Madagascar tourist-stay extension route for travellers who need to extend a tourist stay through the Immigration office, up to the official 90-day ceiling described by the eVisa FAQ.

Extension up to a total of 90 days according to the reviewed eVisa FAQ.
eVisa Madagascar / Border Police of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-26

Tourist Visa on Arrival

Short-term / business

Madagascar tourist visa-on-arrival route for travellers using the official eVisa counters on arrival instead of pre-applying online.

Tourist route; the official eVisa tourist route states a single-entry maximum of 60 days.
eVisa Madagascar / Border Police of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-26

Work (sponsored)

Long-Stay Worker Visa

Work (sponsored)

Madagascar EDBM long-stay worker visa and resident-card route for expatriate employees with a work permit and endorsed employment contract.

Sponsor requiredLeads to settlementEDBM fee bands cover stay periods from more than 3 months to 1 year through 5-10 years, definitive and duplicate categories.
Economic Development Board of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-26

Work Permit

Work (sponsored)

Madagascar work-permit route for foreign employees, filed with employer and worker documents and supported by the E-Work employment-authorisation portal.

Sponsor requiredA work authorisation route tied to the employment file; check the permit validity issued in the decision.
Ministry in charge of Labour and Employment · reviewed 2026-07-26

Family

Long-Stay Family Reunification Visa

Family

Madagascar EDBM long-stay family reunification route for spouses, children and relatives joining a principal resident or worker.

Sponsor requiredLeads to settlementEDBM fee bands cover stay periods from more than 3 months to 1 year through 5-10 years, definitive and duplicate categories.
Economic Development Board of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-26

Study

Long-Stay Study Visa

Study

Madagascar long-study transformable visa route for students enrolled in a public or private institution approved by the Malagasy state.

Sponsor requiredEntry visa is described as an immigrant 30-day visa transformable into long stay of more than 90 days.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-30

Investor

Long-Stay Investor Visa

Investor

Madagascar EDBM long-stay investor visa and resident-card route for foreign investors with a Madagascar company file.

Leads to settlementEDBM fee bands cover stay periods from more than 3 months to 1 year through 5-10 years, definitive and duplicate categories.
Economic Development Board of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-07-26

Entrepreneur

Company Creation for Foreign Investors

Entrepreneur

Madagascar EDBM company-creation service used by foreign founders and investors who need local company documents for investor, work or long-stay filings.

EDBM states documents are delivered 2 days after payment if the file is complete.
Economic Development Board of Madagascar · reviewed 2026-06-28

Sources & last verified

Route index from Visa Atlas (CC BY 4.0), as of 2026-09-12. Each route links to its official government source.

Sources & last verified

  • Last verified