Fees and steps checked on
Few files travel as far as a Malagasy one on its way to Dubai. The paper is translated and legalised in Antananarivo, then has to reach a UAE embassy outside Madagascar, because there is no resident one on the island. Only after that can MOFA in the Emirates seal it. Madagascar and the UAE are both outside the Hague apostille convention, so each of these stamps is needed.
We are a private document service, not MOFA, an embassy or a government office. We plan the whole journey and provide free document pickup and delivery anywhere in Dubai.
Price: There is no fixed price for Madagascar. Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. What that covers is on the fees page.
Translate first, then legalise
Malagasy public documents are issued in French, in Malagasy, or in both. Neither language is accepted by MOFA, which works in Arabic and English. Foreign embassies dealing with Madagascar ask for a sworn translator's version to be legalised by the ministry together with the original. Doing it in that order means one ministry stamp covers both, and the translation carries official weight later on. A translation made in Dubai after the fact is possible through our legal translators, but the Antananarivo order is usually cleaner.
The ministry at Anosy
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs legalises Malagasy papers for use abroad through its department for consular, legal and litigation affairs, listed at Anosy in Antananarivo. Before it signs, the paper needs a recognised first signature:
- Acte de naissance, acte de mariage, acte de décès. A fresh certified copy from the état civil of the commune.
- Baccalauréat. The exam office that issued it.
- Licence, master or other university diploma. The university that awarded it.
- Procuration. Signed before a notary.
- Company papers. The registry or notary. MOFA classes these as commercial.
Finding the UAE mission
Public lists of UAE missions show Madagascar covered by a UAE embassy in another country, not by an office on the island. That means the legalised paper travels on to that mission. Because those arrangements can change, we confirm the current mission and how it accepts papers against your document before anything leaves Antananarivo.
Long names, careful spelling
Malagasy names are often long, and a single missing syllable is enough for a visa officer to query a document. The original, the sworn translation and your passport must all read the same. We compare them before translation starts.
Planning the timeline
Because the file has an extra international leg, Madagascar takes longer than countries with a UAE embassy at home. The ministry step, the sworn translation and the trip to the accredited mission all add days. We give you a realistic estimate with the quote, built around your document and the current route, so you can tell your employer or the visa office when to expect it.
From Dubai, without the flight
Nobody needs to fly to Ivato. A relative or courier handles the Antananarivo steps and the onward leg, and someone you authorise can file the UAE request. For a spouse, see the marriage guide. For children, see birth records. For work, see the degree guide.
Families across the Indian Ocean often mix paperwork. Comoros and Seychelles papers each follow their own chain.
Where Malagasy files slow down
- Translation done after legalisation, so it lacks the ministry stamp.
- Worn or handwritten civil records that need a new copy from the commune.
- Name differences between Malagasy, French and passport versions.
- Laminated diplomas, which MOFA refuses.
