The issuance of visas is the responsibility of the EU Member States. The Schengen Member States apply the common policy on short-stay visas which may be issued for:

• Transit or an intended stay in the territory of a Schengen State not exceeding 90 days from a total period of 180 days (short-stay visa).
• Transit through the international Schengen zone: countries and airports (airport transit visa).

In general, the Schengen visa allows travel to any Schengen Member State within the same journey, during the period of validity of the visa and under certain conditions. A Schengen visa is not suitable for staying in a Schengen Member State for more than 90 days, taking up employment, setting up a business or carrying out a professional activity.

The Schengen visa application should be submitted to the consulate of the country concerned or, in the case of travelling to several Schengen Member States, to the consulate of the country of the final destination. In the case of longer stays, or stays of equivalent duration in several Schengen Member States, the application should be sent to the consulate of the country whose external borders are first crossed to enter the Schengen area. As a general rule, the visa application should be submitted to the consulate with the respective jurisdiction concerned for the country of residence.

In Madagascar, the General Consulate of France and the Swiss Embassy in Antananarivo are in charge of issuing visas for applicants wishing to travel to EU Member States.

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme for education, training, youth and sport. It aims to increase academic mobility, and it offers people of all ages and a wide range of organisations (i.e. universities, education and training providers, think tanks, research institutes and private companies) the opportunity to broaden and share their knowledge and experience in institutions and organisations of different countries.

Erasmus+ aims to go beyond the European programmes set up by the European Commission. It supports synergies and opportunities for cross-cutting research in the different fields of education, training and youth by:

• Removing artificial boundaries between different formats of projects and actions.
• Encouraging new ideas.
• Attracting new actors from the world of work and from civil society.
• Promoting new forms of cooperation.

Between 2014 and 2020, Erasmus+ has enabled four million people to study, train and gain life experience abroad.

EU Member States also have their specific scholarship programmes for students coming from Madagascar and the Comoros. This applies both to states with embassies in Antananarivo and Moroni and to those with representations in other countries (that are accredited to Madagascar and/or the Comoros).