Madagascar visa: how to get one, and what it costs

For most trips, plan a Madagascar tourist visa. In October 2026 the official eVisa portal lists 30, 35 and 40 euros for stays up to 15, 30 and 60 days, but official sources disagree on short stays on arrival: the FCDO still describes a 10-euro administration fee for British visitors staying up to 15 days. Confirm the applicable arrival charge before travel. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after you arrive, with blank pages for the stamps, and you should be ready to show a return or onward ticket.

Choose the length from your arrival and departure dates, and carry a payment backup.

Who needs a visa for Madagascar?

The official eVisa portal says every nationality is eligible to apply online, and the US State Department lists a visa as required. Short-stay wording differs between official sources, as explained below. That covers US, British, Canadian, Australian and EU passports alike.

The exceptions are narrow. If you hold a valid Malagasy passport or a Malagasy resident card, you don't need a visa. Diplomats and the staff of some organisations are exempt from the fee.

Official sources disagree on stays of up to 15 days. British and French government advice describes no visa charge beyond a 10-euro administration fee, while the eVisa portal lists 30 euros and says its online and arrival prices are equal. We can't settle that difference from the published pages. Budget for the portal's higher figure and confirm the current arrival procedure with the embassy or airline before paying.

What the visa costs in 2026

The official portal's fee feed, checked on 17 October 2026, lists:

• Up to 15 days: 30 euros, or $35.
• 16 to 30 days: 35 euros, or $41.
• 31 to 60 days: 40 euros, or $47.

The same price list has a fourth line, 50 euros ($59) for 61 to 90 days. But the eVisa itself only goes up to 60 days, and the French government says a 90-day visa can't be bought at the border. For a longer stay you extend in Antananarivo (more below) or get a visa from an embassy before you leave. Check the portal when applying and confirm arrival fees separately, especially for stays up to 15 days.

The visa isn't in our trip prices, and neither are international flights. Our trip cost guide adds up everything that goes on top.

Which length should you buy?

The eVisa site says your visa starts on the day you arrive, so count from your landing date to your flight out, not from day 1 of the trip.

• Classic South, 11 days. The trip leaves Antananarivo on the morning of day 1, so you land the day before. It ends with the flight from Tulear on day 11, and we'd never put that domestic flight on the same day as your flight home (our guide to getting around explains why). That's 13 days in the country at least, inside a 15-day visa with two days to spare. Add a night in Antananarivo or a few days by the sea and it gets tight.
• Ultimate Madagascar, 20 days. You land the day before, and day 20 ends back in Antananarivo, so you're in the country 21 or 22 days. Buy the 30-day visa.

Our view: unless you're sure you'll leave well inside 15 days, pay the extra 5 euros for 30. Overstaying is more than a paperwork slip here. The UK government says overstayers may be detained or deported, and the US says they face fines and possible prosecution.

The eVisa and the airport visa are both single entry. If you fly out to Mauritius or Réunion in the middle of your trip and come back, you'll need a second visa, or a multiple-entry one from an embassy before you go.

Visa on arrival at Ivato and Nosy Be

Madagascar's embassies say visitor visas are issued on arrival at any international airport or port. In practice that usually means Ivato, Antananarivo's airport (most of our trips start in the capital), or Fascene on Nosy Be, which takes a few international flights (flights to Madagascar has the routes). You buy the visa at the eVisa counters, and the official site says the price is the same as online.

How you pay is where the official sources disagree. The eVisa site's February 2026 notice says payment is by card terminal, Visa or Mastercard. The UK government says you can pay in US dollars, euros or ariary. So bring a card and the fee in euro notes as well, in case the terminal is down. Before you walk on, check your passport has been stamped, as the UK advice says.

Scam and look-alike visa websites

Search for a Madagascar visa and some of the top results aren't the government. Some sites with "evisa" or "Madagascar" in their addresses sell visa applications with a service charge on top, and the official portal itself warns that some scam sites overcharge.

Two checks:

• The price. On the official site, 30, 35 or 40 euros ($35, $41 or $47) is the whole fee for 15, 30 or 60 days. A higher total may include an agent's service fee, so read the breakdown.
• The address. Type evisamada-mg.com yourself, or follow the link above, rather than clicking an advert.

If you choose an agent, check its service fee before paying.

Applying through an embassy

An embassy visa makes sense if you need more than one entry, or want up to 90 days without an extension in Antananarivo.

• From the UK. The embassy in London issues visas to residents of the UK, Ireland, Finland, Norway and Sweden. You email the application for checking first, then post or drop off your passport, and it takes 3 to 7 working days. Its January 2026 fee sheet lists 12 pounds for 15 days, 19 for 30, 24 for 60 and 33 for 90, and the 60 and 90-day visas allow up to three entries. You need a photo, your original passport and a copy of your return ticket or itinerary. Don't pay until they ask you to.
• From the US. Use the embassy contact linked by the US State Department and confirm its current procedure directly. Don't post your passport or send a payment using an old address copied from a visa agent's page.

Staying longer: extensions and the 90-day limit

You can extend a tourist visa at the immigration office in Antananarivo, up to 90 days in the country in total, according to the official eVisa site and the UK government. The eVisa site's February 2026 notice gives the extension fee as 210,000 ariary, about 42 euros at October 2026 rates. France's advice places the office in Anosy and says to bring proof of where you're staying and two passport photos, though it still quotes an older, lower fee. Don't leave it to your last day in the capital.

Beyond 90 days you need a long-stay visa, which normally starts at an embassy before you travel and can't be issued at the airport.