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Original post

Henri49

19 posts

2025-07-30

Hi everyone, I’m planning my trip to Madagascar for the fall and starting to think about getting my visa. After reading through different posts, I’m a bit unsure about the best way to go about it. Is it better to apply for an e-visa (and if so, which official website?) or just queue up on arrival? It seems there are "unofficial"—and therefore fraudulent—sites out there, and that you’ll have to queue either way (which I’m not thrilled about since I’m arriving at 11 PM). What do you think?

AS Astaffort Regular ·2025-07-30

hi I’ve been going to Madagascar since 1991, and since 2008 I’ve been getting my visa on arrival at the new international airport. Visa procedures are much simpler on arrival now.

jipi

HE Henri49 ·2025-07-30

Thanks for your reply. So you recommend not getting an e-visa and getting the visa on arrival instead. What’s the point of this site https://evisamada-mg.com/fr/home then?

Rotsaka Globetrotter ·2025-07-30

Hello, I’ll let astaffort answer for himself, but for me, it’s the same. I never get the visa in advance and always get it on arrival, and I’ve been doing this since the early 2000s.

The process has improved considerably since then, and it’s now quick and hassle-free.

Generally, you go through with your visa around the time your luggage arrives on the carousel—or there too, things have gotten much better.

Remember to bring your own pen—that’s pretty much the only prep you need.

AS Astaffort Regular ·2025-07-30

It depends on the airline you take and especially the number of passengers on the plane. I arrive with Turkish Airlines, and over 75% of passengers get off at the technical stopover in Mauritius, so we’re at most 60/80 passengers in Tana. That makes things really quick for formalities and baggage (last year, it took me 21 minutes from the moment I left the plane to exiting the airport). It’s definitely longer with a full Air France flight, and baggage can be a nightmare—especially if you’re coming from a province in France, since your bags are loaded first and come out last. On my last trip with Air France, I didn’t leave the airport until about three hours after getting off the plane, which meant around 2 AM!!!

jipi

HE Henri49 ·2025-07-30

Thanks for your replies. I’ll be arriving on an Air France flight, so I know what to expect . I thought the e-visa would make things faster. Oh well!

Rotsaka Globetrotter ·2025-07-30

Hi there, If it makes you feel better, you can always do it with an e-visa.

If you want to speed up the visa process at the border, try not to be too far back in the plane, have your pen ready, and be as quick as possible getting off to avoid long lines.

My daughter flew with AF in 2023 and didn’t have much of a wait, either for her luggage or the visa. But it can be a bit of a lottery—sometimes you get lucky on a flight (or the opposite!).

HE Henri49 ·2025-07-30

Thanks for the info. I always end up with the same question: why create an e-visa if it doesn’t speed things up?

AS Astaffort Regular ·2025-07-30

you won’t stop asking yourself this kind of question in Madagascar why build a highway when the national roads aren’t even maintained? why build a cable car in Tana for 5000 AR when people struggle to pay 1000 AR for a taxi-be? why give a departure schedule for bush taxis when they systematically leave one or several hours late? etc......

jipi

Rotsaka Globetrotter ·2025-07-30

It reassures a lot of travelers to have their visa in advance, and that’s already something. Plus, it’s certain that this reduces the line for those getting their visa on arrival, so it’s also an advantage of the process.

Now, a process isn’t necessarily logical or always a win for the user. Take Kenya, for example—they abolished the visa but introduced an entry authorization process. It’s paid and way more cumbersome than the previous visa. Before, I didn’t have to pay, and now I do. Go figure.

Anyway, sometimes the logic is hard to follow.

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