The Journal Officiel of 8 October 2026 carries an order from the Ministry of the Interior dated 24 September 2026 that amends the landmark 4 February 2015 arrêté governing which documents and visas foreign nationals must show when entering the French overseas department of Mayotte. The revision updates Annex II—the list of nationalities exempt from short-stay visas—and modifies wording on airport-transit exemptions. Although the underlying legal framework for Mayotte is outside the Schengen acquis, the island is a strategic gateway in the Mozambique Channel and a magnet for regional migration. By adjusting the list of visa-exempt nationalities, Paris aims to align Mayotte’s regime more closely with recent EU visa-liberalisation decisions and to curb irregular entries from neighbouring Comoros and Madagascar. Key practical changes include: (1) revoking visa-free entry for holders of standard passports from three countries deemed at high risk of overstaying; (2) adding business-visa fast-track treatment for executives attending investment forums sponsored by the Agence Française de Développement; and (3) clarifying that cruise-ship passengers may disembark visa-free for up to 24 hours when the vessel remains under bonded status. Employers moving staff to the €1 billion Mayotte port-modernisation project should now double-check whether subcontractors’ employees fall under the new visa-waiver list. Tour operators selling Indian Ocean itineraries must update pre-departure advice and flag that even passengers in airside transit at Mayotte’s Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi airport may require a visa if they belong to the newly restricted nationalities. With migration pressures in the French overseas territories under intense political scrutiny, further tweaks to the Mayotte régime are likely before the end of the year. Corporate mobility teams should therefore monitor the Journal Officiel for follow-up circulars that may change proof-of-funds thresholds or health-insurance requirements.
Source: Journal Officiel / Legifrance
