The national currency is since December 2004 the Ariary, replacing the old currency the Malagasy Franc. The Ariary is a « non-convertible » currency. It is therefore advisable to change the sums as and when required.

 

Advice

If you travel, always keep small cuts for your daily shopping because people rarely have « money » (it can help in the bush). Tipping is often appreciated by small services: shopping, babysitting, restaurant services, etc..
As soon as you arrive at the airport, black-changers will offer you more interesting exchange rates than at the bank. This very widespread practice can only put you illegally upon your arrival.
On each Ariary ticket is the equivalent amount in old Malagasy franc (the FMG). Many merchants still speak in Malagasy Francs, so we must ask them whether they count in Ariary or FMG so as not to risk paying 5 times more. A ticket of 10,000 Ariary is worth about 3 euros, ie 1 € = about 3000 AR. It should be noted that the price of the euro is not fixed, that means there are times when it increases and sometimes the price falls. So always check it to avoid being manipulated!

 

Specific purchases

*Animal and plant species threatened with extinction are prohibited. These include: Lemurs, tortoise, spur tortoise, sea turtles, boa, red frog, orchids, authentic objects classified national heritage (ancient objects and documents …).

*Protected fossils of vertebrates, fish and plants or dinosaurs or eggs of aepyornis.

*The traveler can go out freely with:

– 250 g: punched jewelry (subject to a justification of the currency brought, authorization can go up to 1 kg)

– 2 kg of vanilla shall be exempt from all duties or taxes.

 

Credit cards

If you are a credit card holder, you can change according to your needs at the bank. But beware, only Visa and Mastercard are nationally represented. Some hotels and shops accept payments by Carte Blue Visa, but in general, merchants are still poorly equipped. We advise you to take cash and Visa or Mastercard. Vending machines are present in large cities.