PassportSouth Africa

Trip checklist: Madagascar

For South African passport holders. Last checked 5 October 2026.

Visa requirement

South Africans can get a visa on arrival in Madagascar.

Permitted stay

You can stay up to 90 days per visit, and you can apply to extend.

Before you go

  • Purpose of visit

    The eVisa covers tourism only. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says non-immigrant visas (up to 90 days) do not allow paid work and cannot be converted to an immigrant visa in Madagascar. Business visitors should get a visa from an embassy before travelling.

  • Passport validity

    Passport must be valid for more than 6 months after the return date and have at least 2 blank pages (Embassy of Madagascar in Paris). The UK FCDO says 6 months from arrival and 2 blank pages.

  • How to apply

    Two routes. (1) Visa on arrival at Ivato (Antananarivo) and other international airports, paid in cash in EUR, USD or MGA. (2) eVisa online before travel, card payment, decision within 72 hours. eVisa fees from 16 February 2026: 1 to 15 days EUR 30 (USD 35), 16 to 30 days EUR 35 (USD 41), 31 to 60 days EUR 40 (USD 47), 61 to 90 days EUR 50 (USD 59). Official domain: Madagascar's own pages name evisamada.gov.mg as the only official site, but that domain currently fails TLS checks and the live portal runs on evisamada-mg.com, which carries the Police Nationale logo and says evisamada.gov.mg is the only official site. Embassy visa fees (Paris example) are lower: EUR 27 (0 to 30 days), EUR 33 (31 to 60), EUR 46 (61 to 90).

  • Where South Africans apply

    Most South Africans get the visa on arrival or by eVisa. For an embassy visa (required for business), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists an Embassy of Madagascar in South Africa (Pretoria) and a Consulate General in South Africa. Their contact details were not published on the ministry page we opened.

  • Return or onward ticket

    Yes. The Paris embassy requires a copy of the return flight ticket or booking for a tourist visa. The UK FCDO says to be ready to show onward or return tickets on arrival.

  • Accommodation or invitation

    Not published on official pages checked. Travel sites say an accommodation address is asked for on the arrival form.

  • Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

    Madagascar requires a yellow fever certificate if you arrive from a yellow fever transmission-risk country (FCDO; France says if you were in an infected country in the previous 6 days). Not needed if flying direct from South Africa. Madagascar is not on South Africa's yellow fever risk list, so no certificate is needed to return to SA, unless you transited a risk country (more than 12 hours airside or left the airport).

  • Arrival forms

    Health declaration form and health screening on arrival for all travellers (Ebola measures, 2026). Travellers who were in or transited an Ebola-affected country in the last 21 days may be refused entry. Declare foreign cash or travellers' cheques worth EUR 7,500 or more. The Washington embassy lists an entry card among visa documents.

  • Extending your stay and overstaying

    Non-immigrant visas under 3 months can be extended at the police (Commissariat de police) for a total stay of no more than 3 months (Embassy of Madagascar in Paris). Overstayers may be detained or deported (FCDO). Travel sites report extension fees of about MGA 80,000 and overstay fines; not confirmed officially.

  • Travelling with children

    A child under 18 travelling without one or both parents needs written authorisation from the absent parent or parents (FCDO). South African exit rules for minors also apply when leaving SA.

  • Confirm with the embassy

    Rules change. Check the official source before you book.

Where to apply

Research sources

  1. 1. Embassy of the Republic of Madagascar, Washington DC (Official, ambamad-washington.diplomatie.gov.mg) https://ambamad-washington.diplomatie.gov.mg/index.php/visa
  2. 2. Embassy of the Republic of Madagascar, Washington DC (visa documents list) (Official, ambamad-washington.diplomatie.gov.mg) https://ambamad-washington.diplomatie.gov.mg/index.php/visa
  3. 3. Embassy of Madagascar in France (Official, ambamad-paris.diplomatie.gov.mg) https://ambamad-paris.diplomatie.gov.mg/index.php/visa/visas-d-entree-et-de-sejour-a-madagascar
  4. 4. eVisa Madagascar portal (Police Nationale branding; official status not confirmed on a .gov.mg page) (Official, evisamada-mg.com) https://www.evisamada-mg.com/
  5. 5. Embassy of Madagascar in France, short-stay tourist visa checklist (Official, ambamad-paris.diplomatie.gov.mg) https://ambamad-paris.diplomatie.gov.mg/images/doc/visa/VISA%20TOURISME.pdf
  6. 6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar (Official, diplomatie.gov.mg) https://www.diplomatie.gov.mg/index.php/le-ministere/passeport-et-visa/visa
  7. 7. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar, list of missions (Official, diplomatie.gov.mg) https://www.diplomatie.gov.mg/index.php/le-ministere/representations-exterieures
  8. 8. UK FCDO (updated 2026-09-09) (Other government, gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/madagascar/entry-requirements
  9. 9. DIRCO, South African visa exemption list (issued 18 June 2024) (Other government, dirco.gov.za) https://dirco.gov.za/paris/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/12/COUNTRIES-EXEMPT-FROM-VISAS.pdf
  10. 10. France, Ministere de l'Europe et des Affaires etrangeres (Other government, diplomatie.gouv.fr) https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays-destination/madagascar/
  11. 11. DIRCO, South African High Commission Canberra (Other government, dirco.gov.za) https://dirco.gov.za/canberra/yellow-fever/
  12. 12. The GSA (South African travel services company), updated 2026-07-30 (Commercial, thegsa.co.za) https://www.thegsa.co.za/visa-and-country-info/2733-madagascar-country-guide
  13. 13. Madagascar Tribune (News and guides, madagascar-tribune.com) https://www.madagascar-tribune.com/Droits-de-visa-des-frais-compris-entre-65-000-et-487-500-ariary-selon-la-duree.html
  14. 14. VisasNews (News and guides, visasnews.com) https://visasnews.com/en/madagascar-triples-its-15-day-e-visa-fee/
  15. 15. Hello Vazaha (travel guide, updated 2026-09-16) (News and guides, hellovazaha.com) https://hellovazaha.com/visa-madagascar/

From doineedavisa.co.za/madagascar. Always confirm with the embassy before you travel.