Kenya or Madagascar
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Kenya | Madagascar | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 7 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | no | no |
| Parents | — | — |
| Pets | no trouble | no trouble |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 520 · estimate | $ 419 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 26,0 | $ 22,5 |
| Life expectancy | 63.83 | 63.84 |
| Homicides/100k | 4.65 | — |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 4.2 | 5.6 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Kenya — 24, Madagascar — 21. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment, repatriation and retirement. Kenya adds: remote work. Madagascar adds: talent.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Kenya: fees range from 1,000 to 750,000 KES. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 24,000 USD a year. Routes with a published decision deadline: 22; the shortest is 1 days. Madagascar: the fee is 39 EUR wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 19; the shortest is 5 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Kenya after 7 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Kenya after 7 years, Madagascar after 5 years. Kenya allows a second citizenship, Madagascar does not.
Kenya in brief
Kenya admits foreign specialists through a system of ten classes of work permits (Class A-M), each for a different purpose — from mineral prospecting and agriculture to prescribed professions and religious activity — and, since 2024, through a separate digital nomad visa (Class N) requiring a confirmed minimum income of $55,000 a year from sources outside the country. Permanent residence on the general ground — holding a work permit — is reached after 7 years, the last 3 of which must be continuous residence in the country; the spouse of a Kenyan citizen becomes eligible for permanent residence sooner, after 3 years of marriage, but until then the accompanying spouse holds a Dependant's Pass, which does not carry the right to work. Naturalisation takes the same 7 years — by marriage or by permanent residence with knowledge of Swahili or a local language; former citizens by birth who lost their citizenship on acquiring a foreign one have a separate, faster route to restoration. The 2010 Constitution permits dual citizenship for citizens by birth. Nairobi is the region's largest technology hub: since 2007 it has hosted the African headquarters of Google, IBM, Cisco Systems, and General Electric.
Madagascar in brief
Madagascar is an island nation off the southeast coast of Africa with two official languages, French and Malagasy. Long-term stay is arranged through the Ministère de l'Intérieur (long-stay visa and resident card) under categories such as "investor", "employee", "family reunification", "retiree", "student" and others; employees require a separate work permit from the labour ministry. Nationality under the Nationality Code (Ordonnance No. 60-064 of 1960, as amended) does not permit dual nationality and calls for 5 years of residence for ordinary naturalisation. The country remains one of the poorest in the world according to official 2018 census statistics and is subject to seasonal tropical cyclones (November–April) and endemic malaria; at the same time, its unique endemic flora and fauna (baobabs, lemurs) form the basis of inbound tourism, and importing pets is not complicated by quarantine.
Other comparisons
Kenya or… Nigeria · Rwanda · Tunisia · Algeria · Tanzania · South Africa · Angola · Gabon
Madagascar or… Sierra Leone · Uganda · Zambia · Eswatini · Lesotho · Mozambique · Republic of the Congo · Burundi
More on each: Kenya · Madagascar. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.