Explore: Madagascar - Formalities
Clearance
Officials in Madagascar, apart from being slow and not always reliable, are normally not a problem. However, you may well be asked to make an unofficial payment – see the fees section on dealing with payment requests.
PRE-ARRIVAL
It is now possible to obtain a visa online. See Immigration for more details.
ARRIVAL FORMALITIES
On approach, fly the ‘Q’ flag. Do not bother to call via VHF as the officials usually do not have working radios.
Before commencing clearance you may need to find a photocopy shop (to get copies of ship’s papers and your previous port exit zarpe) and an ATM for cash.
General process:
Officials do not come to the yacht and it is necessary to visit the relevant offices:
- Police/Immigration (in many ports the Police will act as Immigration): Here you get your passports stamped and the officer will want one copy of your ship’s registration papers. The officer may hold your passports for a short while and return them with the entry visa attached.
- Customs: The officer will ask for two copies of your exit papers from your last port. One copy will be stamped and handed back to you and the other copy is retained by Customs. There will be a fee for this service, ask for a receipt for the payment. This stamped zarpe is the only paperwork you will receive from Customs to say you have entered the country legally. In some ports, Customs may want you to fill out a crew list/boat information form.
- Note: In some ports, the Police may take the exit zarpe from your last port.
- Port Captain/Coastguard (Marine Malagasy): The officer will look at your passport and ship’s paper and complete a Formularaire De Visite form which you have to sign. You will need to give the date of entry in and exit from Malagasy territorial waters planned point of departure and itinerary. Pay the officer for his services and get a receipt upon request. No paperwork was given.
- Health: In some ports, an inspection is required.
Speaking French may be an advantage. However, some officials do know a little English.
CLEARING OUT
Domestic Clearance:
It is necessary to both clear in and out at each port visited.
On leaving a port; ensure that you have an outward Clearance document and also a “Permis de Circulation.”
International Clearance:
First, go to the Port Captain’s office to complete a Maritime Clearance Form/Bon De Partance ou Passeport. After you make payment the form is stamped and you are issued a payment receipt.
Next visit the Police/Immigration office to get your passports stamped for exiting the country. You will need to provide a crew list to be stamped (2 copies). Immigration retains one copy and you must return to the Port Captain’s office with the other stamped crew list.
No agent is required.
Last updated: January 2019
Immigration
Passports must be valid for 6 months beyond your departure date.
Immigration Procedure:
In many ports, the Police will act as Immigration. Here you get your passports stamped and the officer will want one copy of your ship’s registration papers. The officer may hold your passports for a short while and return them with the entry visa attached.
Visas:
It is no longer possible to get a free 30-day visa on arrival. Visas for stays of up to 90 days can be purchased on arrival (see Fees below) or obtained online via the new eVisa system.
Go to: www.evisamada.gov.mg/fr/
Other Visa Information:
After 90 days no visa extensions are possible. You will have to check out and do a run to Mayotte (or elsewhere). On return, it is possible to reset the clock.
For those sailing to Madagascar from neighbouring countries and wanting to stay longer than 90 days, a visa in advance is required.
The most convenient places to obtain a visa from a Malagasy Embassy are the Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion or Tanzania. (Consulates are not authorized to issue long-term tourist visas).
See a list of Madagascar Embassies at the Madagascar Consulate Website.
Last updated: January 2019
Customs
Firearms must be declared and may be impounded for the duration of the stay.
Foreign fruit and vegetables will need to be declared.
Non-residents may take up to one kilogram of precious and semi-precious stones out of the country provided proper receipts are produced.
You may only take 100 grams of vanilla out of the country.
Last updated November 2017.
BioSecurity
While the protocols below are as accurate as per the last date recorded, the situation is constantly changing with regards to Covid-19 protocols for yacht arrivals and skippers should always check with their intended port of arrival before getting underway to be 100% certain of what is required.
COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS:
06 February, 2021
Madagascar remains closed.
11 November, 2020
Madagascar is officially closed, but talking to the boats that have come down the Mozambique Channel in the last 10 days or so, it appears you can sit in quiet anchorages on the west coast without being accosted waiting for weather – don’t go ashore. Quite a few boats are urgently coming down the east coast of Madagascar this year, not the Mozambique channel.
Information from Jenny Crickmore-Thompson
25 September, 2020
The following has been shared by the OCC and was the response from the Director of the Port Authority in Nosy Be when an OCC yacht requested permission to make a stop there.
We acknowledge the good receipt of your email requesting the possibility of a technical stopover in Nosy Be and we thank you for it. Given the current health situation of covid-19, access by foreign-flagged vessels in territorial waters is subject to certain conditions as a precautionary measure for the country. As a result, the following formalities must be completed before your arrival so that we can respond to your request according to the completeness of your file:
1-Address a request to our Nosy Be Regional Directorate and the Regional Operational Command Centre Covid-19 (CRCO Covid-19) of Nosy Be. As a comment, Nosy Be’s APMF will submit your application to nosy Be’s CRCO by copying the Covid-19 National Command Centre (CCO Covid-19 national). Please attach to this request information about the vessel, information about the persons on board, information about the crew members and the results of the TEST PCR covid-19 of the persons on board;
2- Upon receipt of these files, apMF Nosy Be and NOSy Be’s Covid-19 CRCO will decide on the application and send the minutes of their decision to the APMF Directorate General. To this end, two cases may arise in the decision: -In case the file is inconclusive the stopover will be refused. – On the other hand, in the event that the file receives the approval of the local committee, the procedure goes to the following stages:
3- Upon receipt of the minutes, the Ministry of Transport, Tourism and Meteorology will be referred by us in order to formulate the response in the form of an exceptional authorisation to stop;
4-During the stopover, all operations carried out by the ship must be assisted by the local authorities namely: APMF, CRCO, National Navy Detachment, National Gendarmerie and Customs Service;
5- Upon arrival, the boat will park at the anchorage, it must hire an agent to ensure the supply without physical contact with the shore.
RODIN Jean Claude
Director of Port Affairs
ro[email protected]
https://madagascar-tourisme.com/en/travel-alerts-for-madagascar/
16 August, 2020
A team of 4 boats (French, Dutch, German, American) are all pushing their respective embassies to encourage the Madagascar port authorities to allow boats to make safe harbor there. So far Nosy Be is opening for air tourism on 1 October, but the opening of the port of Hellville has yet to be confirmed.
09 July, 2020
- On 05 July, the Government announced stricter lockdown measures.
- All international air travel is suspended except medical evacuations, repatriations outside of the country, and cargo shipments.
- Sea and land borders remain closed.
20 May, 2020
- Authorities in Nosy Be have confirmed that the borders are still closed with no opening dates in sight and that until further notice all new arrivals will be turned away.
- The partial lockdown has been renewed on the usual 15-day basis, even expanded to a new region as the number of cases keeps rising and the country has recorded its first covid-19 deaths.
- On top of the soft lockdown (basically a curfew), it is now compulsory to wear masks in public in Nosy Be.
- For foreign yachts already in the country, visas and cruising permits are renewed on demand, 30 days by 30 days. Yachts are free to move around and the seaways are busy with local dhows and outrigger canoes as usual.
Information from the crew of Karaka (OCC)
04 May, 2020
- Madagascar started easing lockdown on April 21, but measures against the spread of Covid-19 are uncertain.
- The borders are still closed to foreign yachts.
- Cruisers in Madagascar report that the Nosy Be area is very relaxed with minimal restrictions.
- Yachts are permitted to sail to some outer islands (a restricted list).
- Cruising permits and visas are renewable for the duration.
- The border is, however, still closed and yachts trying to enter the country would most likely be turned away.
05 April, 2020
- Borders are closed.
- The country is closed to all visiting yachts.
- Boats coming from Mayotte have been denied entry.
Health
Update October 2017: There is currently an outbreak of pneumonic and bubonic plague in Madagascar. See the CDC website for more information.
Update August 2016: An outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in Reunion and Rodrigues has resulted in strict food import restrictions. See this Noonsite report [Broken Link]
Any meat or dairy products may be destroyed.
If coming from continental Africa, yellow fever and cholera vaccination certificates will be required.
Immunisation against typhoid and poliomyelitis is often recommended.
Malaria risk, predominantly in the malignant falciparum form, exists all year throughout the country and is highest in coastal areas. Resistance to chloroquine has been reported. The recommended prophylaxis is mefloquine.
All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated and should be boiled before its use in any form.
Hepatitis A, B, and E are endemic and precautions are advised.
It must also be noted that Madagascar has the highest number of cases of bubonic plague in the world (500 annually) including some fatalities.
Last updated October 2017.
Documents
If visiting another port in Madagascar, ensure that you have a “Permis de Circulation” as well as an outward clearance document.
Fees
Immigration Visas:
30 days: 115,000 Ar (~US$37)
31 – 60 days: 135,000 Ar (~US$45)
61 – 90 days: 175,000 Ar (~US$55)
Customs: 60,000 Ar (~US$17)
Coast Guard: 60,000 Ar
Departure:
There may be a charge of 35,000 Ar (~US$10) for your exit papers (Maritime Clearance). Ask for a receipt.
Bribes are sometimes a part of life in Madagascar. For advice on how to deal with other requests for payment see this Noonsite report.
Last updated:Â January 2019
Restrictions
Military and police establishments must not be photographed.
There are random police vehicle checkpoints throughout Madagascar, so all visitors should carry photo identification in the event of police questioning. These checkpoints are routine in nature, and should not result in vehicle and/or person searches as long as valid identification is shown.
Walking at night, whether alone or in a group is not considered safe in urban areas, including in tourist areas.
It is now possible to get authorisation to visit the Glorieuses Islands, which are administered by France as part of the îles Eparses (Scattered Islands).
Last updated November 2017.
Local Customs
In some parts of Madagascar, aspects of daily life are regulated by taboos, known as fady. These vary from one region to another. Fady can range from forbidden foods to restrictions in clothing. Some areas subject to fady may be forbidden to foreigners, but these are mainly in remote parts of the country. If you intend to visit remote areas, seek advice first.
Pets
Pets must have fully updated vaccines and an official record must be shown on arrival. Even with all arrangements made, pets may not be allowed to land.
