Madagascar
Madagascar limits panorama rights to non-commercial use, and a 2025 regulatory overhaul made ACM registration and advance authorization mandatory for nearly all drones.
Guidance, not legal advice
Drone Authority
Check the flight side
Photography access and drone permission are separate questions. Drone Authority covers the flight-law side for this country.
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: No permit for casual public photography; Madagascar National Parks levies photography and filming fees for professional shoots in parks, and film productions coordinate with national authorities
Personal photography needs no permit. Commercial and professional shoots in protected areas pay park filming/photography fees; confirm current terms with Madagascar National Parks before travel.
Drone / airspace
Regulated by Aviation Civile de Madagascar (ACM); since the 2025 overhaul, registration is mandatory for all camera drones and authorization applications are reportedly due at least 30 days before flying, with national parks off-limits
Penalties for illegal flying are severe under the new rules (reported as imprisonment plus large fines). Flights over crowds, military and government facilities, and airports are prohibited. For depth, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes to photograph in public
Street photography is lawful. Respect local fady (taboos), which can restrict photography at tombs, sacred hills, and during ceremonies; ask a local guide what applies. Ask before portraits.
Freedom of panorama
Restricted (non-commercial only)
Law No. 94-036 (Art. 48) permits reproducing public artworks only where the work is not the main subject or the use is non-commercial, so there is no commercially usable freedom of panorama. Natural landscapes and out-of-copyright structures are unaffected. Wikimedia Commons classifies Madagascar as no-FoP.
Practical notes
- The Avenue of the Baobabs is a natural subject with no copyright issue; sunset crowds are the real obstacle, arrive early and expect local guides offering angles.
- National parks (Andasibe, Isalo, Ranomafana) ban drones and charge professional photo/film fees; lemur photography is handheld work by design.
- Start ACM drone paperwork a month-plus before travel or leave the drone home; the 2025 penalty regime is not worth testing.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: