Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Madagascar: 6 legal requirements + 10 other things worth knowing.
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Tick before you go
6 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.
1949 International Driving Permit required
UK and EU licences are not recognised alone; carry a 1949 Geneva Convention IDP alongside your national licence. Issued by the Post Office (UK) for GBP 5.50.
Source: Get an IDP →Passport with 6 months validity and e-visa
Tourist e-visa or visa on arrival required for UK/EU nationals; passport must be valid 6 months beyond entry. Carry it whenever driving.
Source: Madagascar e-visa →Local third-party insurance mandatory
UK/EU policies and Green Cards are not valid; rental vehicles include local cover and self-imports must buy insurance at the port from ARO, NY HAVANA or MAMA.
Drive on the right
Madagascar drives on the right with left-hand-drive vehicles; UK drivers should take particular care at junctions and when overtaking.
Speed limits 110 / 90 / 50 km/h
Limit is 110 km/h on the few expressway sections, 90 km/h on rural roads (often lower in practice) and 50 km/h in towns. Speed traps are common on the RN7.
Blood alcohol limit 0.8 g/L
Legal BAC is 0.8 g/L, higher than the UK (0.8) and most of the EU (0.5), but enforcement at checkpoints is strict. Best practice is zero alcohol given road conditions.
Check FCDO advice before driving; rural banditry (dahalo) and poor road conditions mean self-driving outside main towns is rarely advisable. Most visitors hire a 4x4 with a local driver.
FCDO MadagascarUK and EU licences are not recognised alone; carry a 1949 Geneva Convention IDP alongside your national licence. Issued by the Post Office (UK) for GBP 5.50.
Get an IDPTourist e-visa or visa on arrival required for UK/EU nationals; passport must be valid 6 months beyond entry. Carry it whenever driving.
Madagascar e-visaUK/EU policies and Green Cards are not valid; rental vehicles include local cover and self-imports must buy insurance at the port from ARO, NY HAVANA or MAMA.
Dial 117 for police, 118 for fire and 124 for ambulance; mobile coverage is patchy outside towns, so carry a local Telma or Orange SIM.
Madagascar drives on the right with left-hand-drive vehicles; UK drivers should take particular care at junctions and when overtaking.
Limit is 110 km/h on the few expressway sections, 90 km/h on rural roads (often lower in practice) and 50 km/h in towns. Speed traps are common on the RN7.
Legal BAC is 0.8 g/L, higher than the UK (0.8) and most of the EU (0.5), but enforcement at checkpoints is strict. Best practice is zero alcohol given road conditions.
Unlit roads, zebu (cattle) on carriageways, broken-down lorries and the risk of dahalo (cattle bandits) make night driving outside cities very hazardous. Police routinely advise against it.
No formal hi-vis or first-aid law, but police at roadblocks expect a warning triangle, working spare and jack. Rental 4x4s come equipped.
Madagascar has no motorway network and no vignette scheme. The only paved trunk roads are the Routes Nationales (RN1-RN7).
RN roads are free to use, but expect informal police checkpoints where small 'fees' (1,000-5,000 Ar) are sometimes solicited. A receipt should be requested.
Tropical cyclones and heavy rain Nov-Apr regularly wash out RN5 (east coast) and the road to Sainte-Marie; many secondary roads become impassable without a 4x4.
Only the RN7 (Antananarivo-Tulear) and parts of RN2/RN4 are reliably tarmac; reaching parks like Tsingy de Bemaraha needs a high-clearance 4x4 and often a local driver.
Currency is the Malagasy Ariary (MGA); petrol/diesel around 5,400 Ar per litre (about EUR 1.10). Stations outside cities are cash-only and can run dry; carry jerry cans on long trips.
Sums above the equivalent of EUR 7,500 must be declared at customs; ATMs in Tana, Tamatave and Tulear dispense Ariary but only Visa is widely accepted.
We'll build the itinerary, estimate fuel + tolls, and show EV chargers along the route, and this checklist appears automatically on every trip that crosses into Madagascar.
Start planning →Places to add to your Madagascar road trip.
Don't get caught out
Madagascar drives on the right with left-hand-drive vehicles; UK drivers should take particular care at junctions and when overtaking.
Limit is 110 km/h on the few expressway sections, 90 km/h on rural roads (often lower in practice) and 50 km/h in towns. Speed traps are common on the RN7.
Legal BAC is 0.8 g/L, higher than the UK (0.8) and most of the EU (0.5), but enforcement at checkpoints is strict. Best practice is zero alcohol given road conditions.