The Immigration Procedure When Landing In Dzaoudzi, Mayotte🇾🇹, And What Is Mayotte🇾🇹?

“Altogether now, in no man’s land” – The Farm.🇾🇹

A while back, I wrote that it is possible to backpack through the European Union at Africa away. What I meant is that sadly, generations on, European countries such as France, Portugal, Spain and England (since I don’t recognise “UK”) are still controlling parts of Africa. Sadly, it is true. I don’t recognise or support the EU, the European Union nor its dreaded despised “currency” where they stole the soul out of the Franc, the Deutsch Mark, the Escudo, the Gilder, the Peseta, the Drachma, the Lira and even the Irish Punt was deceased by the EU. Yuk. However, as a nationalist and separatist I therefore recognise all countries as separate and I wish them to be nationalist and independent. One such country is Mayotte. The country has a decent flag. Yep, it’s a country. Hands off France!

Mayotte, in its lonely islandic splendour, is a political enigma. Luckily, not for me as I recognise it as an independent country known as Mayotte. Try telling that to Comoros and France! If you look below, you can see the 3 official islands of Comoros, and Mayotte (the fourth island claimed by Comoros, and officially pinched by France).

The Mayotte🇾🇹Problem

Comoros claim to own Mayotte and indeed, of the four stars in their flag, one stands for Mayotte. I liked my time in Comoros and in the market a few lads told me that Mayotte is part of Comoros. Obviously I wasn’t going to argue with them in their country and with their belief. But I was going there next and I knew it was a visa departure stamp to leave Comoros and a visa entry stamp into Mayotte. They are two separate independent countries for me, which fell in as countries 233 and 234 on my whackpacking journey.

So while nearby Comoros (an hour by flight) claim Mayotte, this is not recognised by either France, or the European Union. Confusing yes, so this draws up three different political opinions on Mayotte.

1.Mayotte🇾🇹 is Mayotte🇾🇹.

Mayotte is separate country. After all they have their own entry stamp, border, flag emoji🇾🇹and national football stadium (though unrecognised by FIFA or UEFA).

2.Mayotte🇾🇹belongs to Comoros.

Given that Comoros has a star for it on their flag, and is a mere 2 hours away by flight, and they share cultural traits, this is a fair claim.

3.Mayotte🇾🇹belongs to France.

Sadly for me, and Comoros, and many others – officially this is what is true and recognised by the EU and the UN (which unsurpriginsly, I recognise neither of those entities). It means that France own it, control it and that the Euro currency is used here. It also means that officially backpacking Paris to Mayotte on a flight is somehow classed as “a domestic flight”. I was flying in from Comoros though – the backpacker way to do it unless you have time for a boat trip…

Bizarre for me, and I’ll never recognise Paris to Mayotte as merely staying in France. Same as London, England to Belfast, Northern Ireland is not a domestic flight for me. As a nationalist and separatist I recognise the existence of England and Northern Ireland as separate countries.

Comoros To Mayotte Flight With Ewa Air (Formerly Dolphin)

My Rainy Summertime tour had so many cancelled flights. Luckily, this wasn’t one of them but it was delayed by an hour, meaning another wasted hour in an airport (okay so I blogged and wrote 2 book chapters), so I’d arrive into Mayotte at sunset.

The flight was smooth and cosy. We got a paper cup of water and one of orange juice.

Arrival Into Mayotte at Dzaoudzi International Airport On Petite-Terre

One hour later than expected due to a delay, we touch down on the island of Petite-Terre, where the city of Dzaoudzi sits. This is Mayotte. The immigration procedure I expected to be strict here, as to all intents and purposes, you are actually landing in the EU!! Thousands of miles from Europe. I got off the flight, onto a bus to the arrivals all and I joined the queue for immigration.

On arrival, you fill in the small immigration form, which looks nothing like anything the EU would ever come up with!

The immigration form has ARS written on it, nothing mentioning the EU, or France. You fill in the date, your full name, your date of birth, your hotel/place of stay in Mayotte (I was staying at L’Escale Apartment In Mtsapere, Mayotte).

We are given a mosquito warning piece of paper, but there are no checks for temperature, yellow fever cards or COVID excrement. The queue is small. I notice most people on my flight act like they are either Comoros locals or Mayotte locals. There were a lot of French passport holders which made the queue go fast.

I used my Irish passport, which means I don’t need a visa as this is officially the EU! I asked for a souvenir passport stamp “s’il vous plait” and the immigration officer stamped me in!! It was a smooth and easy process.

I was here for 3 days to enjoy two islands – Petite-Terre (or Pamandzi) and Grand-Terre. I was now in Dzaoudzi, Petite-Terre.

After that, I had a textbook backpacking journey – a shared mini-van from the airport to the ferry terminal. A ferry over to the capital city Mamoudzou, which is on Grand-Terre island, the largest island in Mayotte…

 

Here are some of my videos from backpacking Comoros to Mayotte: