Madagascar or South Africa
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
| Madagascar | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 5 years | 10 years |
| Partner can work | no | no |
| Parents | — | difficult |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | no | 14 days |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 419 · estimate | $ 633 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 22,5 | $ 26,0 |
| Life expectancy | 63.84 | 66.31 |
| Homicides/100k | — | 39.72 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 5.6 | 3.9 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Madagascar — 21, South Africa — 24. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment, talent and retirement. Madagascar adds: repatriation.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Madagascar: the fee is 39 EUR wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 19; the shortest is 5 days. South Africa: fees range from 425 to 1,520 ZAR. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 8,500 ZAR a month.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: South Africa after 5 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Madagascar after 5 years, South Africa after 10 years. South Africa allows a second citizenship, Madagascar does not.
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.
South Africa in brief
South Africa builds its intake around scarce occupations: the Critical Skills Work Visa is issued for up to 5 years, but the occupation must be on the current list and the qualification must be assessed by SAQA with an NQF level stated. The constraints are the time limits and family: the processing standard for a spousal visa is 120 working days, work on it without a separate permit is not allowed, and citizenship comes after 10 years.
Other comparisons
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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.