Arrival in Mozambique

Choose the entry process from the passport used for travel, the purpose of the stay, its duration and the first accommodation. A hotel or vacation rental with a short stay may require an eTA, eVisa or visa-exempt entry, depending on nationality. Staying with family or friends follows a visitor-visa process in relevant cases. Residence, study, work, investment and humanitarian stays use their own categories through MINEC, Mozambique's foreign-affairs ministry, SENAMI, the migration authority, or a Mozambican mission. Do not assume that one application path applies to every traveler. The passport should normally remain valid for at least six months after entry and have at least two blank visa pages. Prepare the approval PDF for an eVisa or eTA in printed and offline form, proof of accommodation, a return or onward ticket and evidence of financial means. Mozambique has no generally documented minimum amount for proof of means. A dual national should apply with the passport that will actually be used for entry. A minor may need a birth certificate and, where applicable, notarized consent from a parent or guardian. An eVisa can take about five working days. Submit an eTA at least 48 hours before travel; portal guidance may state three to five days, so a buffer of at least five working days is safer. Fees depend on nationality and category, and rejected or duplicate applications are generally not refundable. Confirm special cases with the airline, the relevant mission or the responsible Mozambican authority before departure. Enter only through officially established border posts. MINEC-authorized visa-on-arrival points include Maputo Airport, Ressano Garcia, Namaacha, Ponta de Ouro, Goba, Beira, Vilanculos, Inhambane, Machipanda, Chimoio, Tete, Zobwé, Quelimane, Nampula, Lichinga and Pemba. Opening, closing and travel restrictions can change, so check the selected crossing immediately before departure. A land crossing and an airport entry are not interchangeable. Check the entry and expiry dates in the passport stamp before leaving immigration. Carry the original passport or a copy that the authority officially accepts. A DIRE, the residence document used for an applicable long-stay status, does not replace an eTA for a short stay. No automatic local residence registration has been established for ordinary arrival; longer stays require the relevant transition through SENAMI and the applicable status process. Customs uses the AT eViajante portal for a declaration that should be completed up to 72 hours before travel and presented with its QR code. Personal belongings and medicines for personal use generally receive preferential treatment, but exact allowances depend on the product and the traveler's age. Narcotics, pornographic material, counterfeit currency, and weapons or explosives without a permit are among the prohibited goods. Undeclared goods can be seized and may lead to fines. AT lists Maputo Airport customs as open 24 hours and land posts as operating from 06:00 to 22:00, but local operations can differ. Currency rules require particular care. AT material and Aviso 3/GBM/2024 indicate that foreign currency up to USD 10,000 can be carried without declaration, while larger amounts require a declaration and proof of legitimate possession. Amounts of MZN above 10,000 require declaration. Older MINEC and FCDO guidance refers to USD 5,000 for foreign-currency declarations. Because these sources conflict, confirm the applicable limit with AT or the entry point and keep a copy of every declaration or receipt. Mozambique is not itself a yellow-fever-risk country, but a yellow-fever certificate may be required after arrival from a risk country or relevant transit. The current MINEC list covers 43 countries, and its status should be checked before departure. A polio certificate applies only in certain circumstances. Malaria occurs nationwide throughout the year, with Plasmodium falciparum predominant. Arrange a travel-health consultation about four to eight weeks before departure; a clinician can assess chemoprophylaxis, repellents, long clothing and mosquito nets. Fever after the trip requires immediate medical care and a clear travel history. Check current cholera, mpox and other health alerts through MISAU, the health ministry, WHO or CDC. Keep a cash reserve in meticais, Mozambique's official currency, and use more than one payment method. ATMs are concentrated in larger cities and towns, cards are not accepted everywhere and some transactions may be offline or incur fees. Public and private medical care is not uniformly free, and upfront payment is common. Facilities are more available in urban and tourist centers than in rural areas. Travel and medical-evacuation insurance can be decisive when local capacity is limited. The MISAU health-unit GIS can help locate facilities. Portuguese is the official language, while provincial languages are widely used locally. English is more common in tourist settings and reserves than in everyday services. Keep the address and contact details of the host, employer or accommodation, entry documents and key phone numbers offline. Useful local terms include SENAMI, DIRE, Posto de Travessia, MINEC, AT, MISAU, INGD and metical. Arrange a transfer in advance or use an official taxi or driver. Mozambique drives on the left. Avoid night travel, especially in rural areas, and check road, fuel and public-transport conditions before continuing. From November to April, rain, cyclones and floods can close roads. A vehicle brought into the country may require a driving licence, registration, insurance and a temporary import permit. Security conditions differ sharply by region. Cabo Delgado and parts of Nampula and Niassa are identified in current foreign-travel advice as high-risk or areas against which travel is advised. Protests, temporary border closures and roadblocks can occur with little notice. Keep passports and valuables discreet, do not photograph airports or government, military or police sites without permission, and do not make informal payments. Identify the nearest police station and hospital after arrival. Emergency information is not fully consistent across official sources. FIKANI lists police numbers +258 112 and 122 and fire services at +258 82198; other guidance lists police 119 and domestic-violence support 112. Public ambulance availability is unreliable, so verify numbers with the accommodation or local provider and use the nearest police station or hospital when necessary. INGD, the disaster-management authority, lists +258 85 952 74 16 and +258 21 477211/13 for emergency coordination.