Living in the Comoros as a French National: Visa, Moroni, School, Safety and Health

The Comoros form an Indian Ocean archipelago made up of three islands, Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli, close to Mayotte. The World Bank counts nearly 900,000 inhabitants. Ties with France are close: a large diaspora, daily boat links between Anjouan and Mayotte and a French school network in Moroni. The DG Trésor (the French Treasury’s economic directorate) estimates that diaspora transfers equal 18.1% of GDP.

The points of caution concern health, logistics and local rules of conduct. France Diplomatie indicates that the healthcare system is weak on all three islands, that most sea links do not comply with international safety standards and that recurrent air incidents mean the airline should be checked before any booking. Fuels, which are entirely imported, are subject to occasional supply tensions according to the DG Trésor. See also the guide to the Comorian healthcare system.

Moroni, on Grande Comore, is home to the French embassy (boulevard de Strasbourg), the Lycée Henri-Matisse and the SAMU El-Maarouf (the emergency medical service). France Diplomatie places the whole archipelago under heightened vigilance and describes burglaries, snatch thefts and thefts from cars as relatively rare; it nevertheless recommends increased vigilance in very busy places, such as markets, and on the beach, keeping an eye on personal belongings, avoiding large sums of money and locking up your home.

Anjouan and Mohéli offer more limited services: the safety page describes non-existent healthcare provision on these two islands, which makes settling there conditional on cover with evacuation. Travel between the islands is preferably by air, or by authorised sea operators such as the SGTM, which links Moroni to Anjouan every week and Anjouan to Mayotte every day; the use of kwassa-kwassa (small fast boats) between the islands is prohibited, on pain of prison and a fine.

According to France Diplomatie, entry to the territory requires a visa, issued on arrival at Moroni airport for about €30. For a tourist stay, French nationals present a return ticket, a daily allowance of €30 and the address of the place of stay. The page specifies neither the length of the visa, nor the required validity of the passport, nor the conditions of stay beyond tourism: the Comorian consulate and the French embassy in the Comoros (boulevard de Strasbourg, BP 465, Moroni) provide information on long-stay residence permits.

• Yachting: an entry authorisation is needed for each island (Moroni, Mutsamudu, Fomboni), as well as an exit authorisation from the harbour master’s office.
• Identity checks: a morals brigade carries out checks from 11 p.m. near nightclubs, bars and kebab stalls; it is advisable to carry an identity document.
• Road checks: stepped up by the gendarmerie (licence, registration document, insurance, plates, motorcyclists’ helmets).
• Registration: Ariane system and Fil d’Ariane to be completed before arrival to receive alerts.

For employment, see the page on working in the Comoros.

The ‘Economic indicators’ block above presents inflation and the Comorian franc exchange rate. The DG Trésor specifies that the franc is pegged at a fixed rate to the euro, which helps to moderate inflation. The official pages consulted do not publish a rent scale: amounts should be requested from local agents and checked in writing before signing a lease.

France Diplomatie advises having cash: cash machines in Moroni work erratically and euro cheques are not accepted, notably in hotels. For a family: expat family insurance.

The Lycée Français International Henri-Matisse, located in the Hamramba district of Moroni, takes 441 pupils across 16 levels, from the youngest nursery class to the final year; fifteen levels are accredited, only the youngest nursery class is not, and no level is followed through the CNED (the French distance-learning service). It follows the ‘Northern’ calendar and has agreement status (record of the AEFE, the Agency for French Education Abroad). Enrolment, tuition fees and grants should be requested directly from the school and from the consular section of the embassy.

For children, insurance is chosen with a paediatrics and vaccinations component; chikungunya and dengue can have epidemics, notably during the rainy season. The page on healthcare reimbursement in the Comoros compares the cover options.

• stay away from gatherings and demonstrations; keep an eye on personal belongings and lock up your home;
• decent clothing advised (from shoulders to knees); public displays of affection are frowned upon;
• during Ramadan, avoid eating or drinking in public between sunrise and sunset;
• alcohol: purchase is possible, but drinking on the public highway or being drunk in public is prohibited, with a fine or prison;
• photography: ask people’s permission; do not photograph public buildings, military sites and gendarmeries;
• roads in poor condition, no road signs and no street lighting at night: night driving is particularly risky; after an accident outside the capital, go to the nearest police station and inform the embassy;
• sea: piracy reported near the archipelago, yachting not recommended; kwassa-kwassa are prohibited between the islands.

For the embassy, the 24-hour duty number is +269 773 03 95 for a life-threatening or extremely serious emergency; the fire brigade answers on 111, 112 or 113, the gendarmerie on 118 and the SAMU El-Maarouf on 115.

France Diplomatie indicates that the healthcare system is weak on all three islands, which often means medical evacuation when hospitalisation is needed, usually to La Réunion, sometimes to Mayotte or mainland France. An assistance contract covering medical costs, surgery, hospitalisation and medical repatriation is essential; without it, access to care may be refused, even in a life-threatening emergency, and the embassy pays no costs.

Malaria, dengue, chikungunya and Zika are present, with possible epidemics of dengue and chikungunya during the rainy season. The Karthala volcano (2,361 m), still active, saw a resurgence of seismic activity in 2022: use an experienced guide and do not camp in the caldera. See also repatriation and assistance.