Arrival in Madagascar

International arrivals generally enter through Antananarivo International Airport at Ivato or Nosy Be International Airport. The usual sequence is immigration, baggage collection, customs and onward transfer. Keep your passport or travel document, visa or eVisa evidence, attestation de débarquement, payment receipt and original supporting documents accessible. An eVisa may be available online or on arrival for eligible non-immigrant travel, but eligibility and current fees depend on nationality, purpose and stay length. Check the relevant Malagasy mission, airline or official immigration information before departure. An electronic confirmation and payment do not guarantee entry. At the first arrival, immigration may request the attestation de débarquement, payment proof and the original documents submitted online before placing the visa sticker. Carry the eVisa or visa evidence for both entry and departure. For stays of up to 15 days, the Ministry of Tourism has reported a EUR 10 border-control fee without a visa fee; published 30- and 60-day amounts and all current charges should be confirmed before payment rather than taken from an old table. A long-term stay follows a different process. Arrange a visa transformable or immigrant visa before departure. The Malagasy Ministry of Foreign Affairs may issue an accord d’embarquement or a 72-hour entry visa that leads to a one-month transformable or stay visa. This process is not issued at the airport or port. After arrival, submit the original documents and fingerprints within one month to the Ministère de l’Intérieur or the EDBM Guichet unique for transformation, extension or the resident-card file. A short-stay visa of less than three months may in some cases be extended up to a maximum of three months, but it cannot be transformed into a long-stay status and does not authorize remunerated work. Published fees include 70,000 Ariary for students or religious missionaries and 140,000 Ariary for investors, workers, lay missionaries, family reunification and retirees; confirm the current amount and category before payment. Common documents include two photographs, a motivated application, a criminal-record certificate issued within six months, a passport copy with more than six months of validity, a notice de renseignements, and a legalized certificat d’hébergement or lease. Depending on the purpose, authorities may also request the host’s CIN or Carte de résident, the host’s Certificat de résidence, work authorization, employment evidence, enrolment or degree documents, marriage or birth records, or proof of pension and funds. A short-stay visa does not permit paid work. Madagascar does not have a generally documented equivalent of a municipal arrival registration or a national welcome desk. The Fiche de débarquement may request address, flight or health information. For longer stays, accommodation evidence such as a certificat d’hébergement, a host’s Certificat de résidence or a lease supports the immigration file, and the resident-card process provides the formal residence pathway. No informal substitute has the legal effect of a visa, customs clearance or resident card. Immigration matters concern visa and status transitions; accommodation documents are used here only as arrival evidence. Prepare for health risks before travel, ideally at least one month before departure. A yellow-fever certificate is required when arriving from a yellow-fever-risk country, including qualifying transit of more than 12 hours; direct arrival from a non-risk area does not create that requirement according to CDC guidance. Malaria occurs in most areas, while transmission in Antananarivo city is rare. A clinician should decide whether chemoprophylaxis fits the travel area and medical history. Use mosquito protection, safe food and water, routine vaccinations and prescribed medicines with a reserve. Hepatitis A and B, typhoid, routine and MMR vaccination, and rabies vaccination may be relevant depending on exposure and travel plans. Travel health and evacuation insurance are advisable. There is no single local vaccination requirement for every arrival case established in the reviewed sources. Declare goods and baggage before leaving customs. Report to the nearest passenger bureau, present the goods and transport documents requested, and answer questions fully and truthfully. Non-commercial goods may sometimes be declared verbally; commercial goods generally require an electronic or paper declaration. The green channel is for goods within the applicable franchise with nothing to declare, while the yellow channel covers other goods, including cases such as more than three large suitcases. Madagascar’s MDG mobile declaration can create a QR code for passport scanning and data checking. Customs duties may be payable by cash, card or mobile money; keep the receipt and do not remove goods before clearance. A guide lists one laptop, one tablet and two mobile phones as a franchise, with no franchise where more than two trips occur within one month, but confirm the current rule. Restricted goods require the relevant authorization. Plan the first transfer in advance, preferably with a licensed transport provider, tour company or accommodation provider. Geographic access can be difficult outside major urban centers, and international arrival is concentrated at Antananarivo and Nosy Be. Ravinala Airports provides airport facilities, including foreign-exchange and ATM areas, but card and cash access is not guaranteed everywhere, so keep a payment reserve in Ariary. Store the passport, visa sticker or eVisa, entry stamp, attestation, receipts, insurance and address evidence securely. Keep separate offline and digital copies, while carrying the original passport when identification checks may occur. During the stay, seek medical care immediately for fever and state that you have travelled in Madagascar or another malaria-risk area, including up to one year after risk travel. Continue prescribed prophylaxis as directed. Cyclone and severe-weather conditions are most typical from November to April and can interrupt remote transport, so check current weather and transport conditions before travelling onward. Emergency numbers differ between official sources and networks: published references include 17 or 117 for ambulance or police, 19 or 119 for police stations, 18 or 118 for fire services, and another US reference lists 119 for police, 124 for ambulance and 118 for fire. Confirm the usable number with the airport, local provider, insurer or local authorities. Ambulance service may be unreliable outside major urban centers.