Madagascar's work visa starts with your employer's paperwork, not yours
How the Labor Ministry permit, the one-month transformable visa and the resident card fit together for Americans hired by a Malagasy company.
This is the route for Americans with a job at a company registered in Madagascar. Your employer files for your work permit first. Only once it's issued can you get a one-month visa from the embassy in Washington, which you turn into a long-stay visa and resident card after you land.
€100
Work permit processing fee
paid in ariary at the central bank rate
10 working days
Washington embassy processing
for the entry visa, once your file is complete
1 month
To file for your resident card
counted from the day you arrive
20%
Top rate of Madagascar's salary tax
PwC summary, reviewed November 2025
How it works
Four steps, and the order matters
1. Your employer gets the work permit
The company files a named request with the Labor Ministry through EDBM, Madagascar's one-stop investment office, with your contract and sworn statements from both of you. The permit names your job and workplace, so it's tied to this position.
2. You apply at the embassy
With the issued permit in hand (a filing receipt isn't accepted), apply for the one-month transformable visa at the Embassy of Madagascar in Washington. Fees aren't refunded if you're turned down.
3. You land and file within a month
File for the long-stay visa and resident card at EDBM with the same original documents. Keep the receipt it gives you; it helps if your one-month visa runs out while you wait.
4. Biometrics, checks, card
Expect fingerprints and photos, a morality check if you live in Antananarivo, and an Interior Ministry decision. Then you pay the visa and card fees and collect your card.
Madagascar Work Visa
For employment with a Malagasy company.
- Processing time
- ~10 days
- Timeline
- Duration of employment
- Difficulty
- Moderate
About that data card
Our requirements list for this visa says "Employment contract or offer letter." An offer letter won't do: you need the full contract stamped by the Labor Ministry at EDBM, plus the issued work permit. The list also leaves out a criminal record extract, which EDBM wants less than 6 months old and translated into French or English by a sworn translator (the embassy in Paris asks for one under 3 months old). And the 10-day processing time covers only the embassy step, not the permit before it or the resident card after.
Money, taxes and family
What the job costs you beyond the fees
Fees
On top of the €100 permit fee, you pay the embassy's visa fee and, after approval in Madagascar, the long-stay visa and resident card fees. The fee line on the Washington embassy's site was blank in September 2026, so ask the embassy directly, and ask your employer in writing which fees it covers.
Taxes on both sides
Madagascar taxes salaries on a progressive scale topping out at 20%, and residents owe tax on worldwide income. Payroll also takes 1% for the CNaPS pension fund and 1% for health coverage, while your employer pays 13% and 5%. You still file U.S. returns; the foreign earned income exclusion covers up to $132,900 of 2026 wages earned abroad.
Family
Your spouse and children under 21 come on their own family reunification visa, with marriage and birth certificates. We couldn't confirm whether a spouse may work on that status, so check before counting on a second income.
Who this visa doesn't fit
It only works if a company registered in Madagascar hires you under a contract that follows Malagasy labor law, so it won't cover remote work for a U.S. employer. You also can't fly in as a tourist and switch: short-stay visas can't be converted, only extended to three months in total. Retirees, investors and students each have their own transformable visa category.
Line up health coverage and tax help first
The State Department rates Madagascar Level 2, Exercise increased caution (December 2025 update), and says serious medical emergencies there require medical evacuation. Get coverage that includes evacuation before you fly, and plan your first U.S. tax return abroad early.
Hunter Schultz
Healthcare Coach
Hunter Schultz is a healthcare coach who helps people moving abroad plan how they'll get and pay for medical care.
ExpatInsure
Global Health Insurance
ExpatInsure brokers global health insurance for people living outside the U.S.
MyExpatTaxes
U.S. Expat Tax Service
MyExpatTaxes prepares U.S. tax returns for Americans living abroad.
Madagascar work visa questions
Can Americans get Madagascar's transformable visa on arrival?
No. Madagascar requires people moving there to apply for the transformable visa at a Malagasy embassy or consulate in their country of residence, which for Americans living in the U.S. means the Embassy of Madagascar in Washington. An in-country route through EDBM exists only for people from countries with no Malagasy embassy.
How long do I have to apply for a resident card after arriving in Madagascar?
One month. The transformable visa is valid for one month from arrival, and you must file for the long-stay visa and resident card within that time, using the same original documents you gave the embassy. EDBM issues a filing receipt that helps if your visa expires while your file is being processed.
Can my spouse and kids move with me on a Madagascar work visa?
Yes, but under a separate family reunification visa rather than your own. Spouses show a marriage certificate and children under 21 a birth certificate. Whether a spouse may take paid work on that status isn't clearly published, so confirm it with the embassy or EDBM first.
When do I need to renew a Madagascar work visa?
Madagascar's embassy in Paris says renewal requests for an immigrant visa must be filed three months before the current visa expires, under the same conditions as the first application. Start early, since the renewal needs the same documents as the original.
Can I work in Madagascar on a tourist visa?
No. Tourist and business visas don't allow work, and they can't be converted into a long-stay visa; they can only be extended at the police for up to three months in total. To work, your employer needs a work permit for you from the Labor Ministry, and you need the one-month transformable visa from a Malagasy embassy before you travel.
How long does it take to get a Madagascar work visa?
There are three stages. Madagascar doesn't publish a timeline for the work permit; employer guides put it at about two months. The Washington embassy then takes 10 working days once your file is complete. After you arrive, you have one month to file for the long-stay visa and resident card, which involves biometrics and an Interior Ministry decision.
Who applies for the Madagascar work permit, me or my employer?
Your employer. The company files a named request with the Labor Ministry through EDBM, Madagascar's one-stop investment office, with your contract and sworn statements from you and the company. The processing fee is €100, paid in ariary. The permit names your job and place of work.
Do I pay taxes in Madagascar on a work visa?
Yes. Madagascar taxes salaries on a progressive scale with a top rate of 20%, and residents are taxed on worldwide income. Americans must also keep filing U.S. returns; the foreign earned income exclusion can shelter up to $132,900 of wages earned abroad in 2026.
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