All visitors (except citizens of Swaziland, South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe) need a visa, which can be obtained on arrival at some airports (Maputo, Vilankulo and Pemba), at some land borders and at Mozambican (and some British) embassies/high commissions/consulates. Visas on entry can be purchased in Meticais and US dollars, in the south South African Rand are also accepted.
Visa costs vary dramatically between consulates and land borders. Mozambique seems to apply a reasonable policy of charging you for a visa what your country charges Mozambicans. There are also variable charges depending on whether you want you passport back on the same day or are prepared to wait for a bit. In September 2009, a single entry visitor visa costs USD $100 at the Johannesburg consulate general, $77 (2010) at the South African land border (Lebombo/Ressano Garcia), $10 at the Mozambican Consulate in Swaziland and $25 on arrival at Maputo International airport. However, as of January, 2011, the cost for EU and US passport holders at the recently opened and modern Maputo International Airport facility was US$82 for a single entry visa and US$164 for a double entry visa. Euros and US dollars are accepted, although be prepared to have currency that has been issued within the past five years. They will not accept older currency due to the possibility of counterfeiting.
Not all borders and airports issue visas, contact your nearest Mozambican embassy, high commission or consulate to ensure that the border you intend to use does, otherwise you should apply for a visa before travelling to Mozambique.
If you require a Mozambican visa, you might be able to apply for one at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Mozambican diplomatic post. For example, the British embassy and consulates in Jeddah, Riyadh and Al-khobar accept Mozambican visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Mozambican visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in Mozambique require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in Mozambique can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly.
Land borders may also charge a stamping fee on entry, which is generally USD $2, but is often waived if you buy your visa at the border. In addition, you must use the visa forms provided at the consulate or border as self-printed versions will not be accepted; at borders, these are free, but Mozambican embassies/consulates generally charge USD $1 for the form. If applying at a British embassy, high commission or consulate, the application form is available free of charge from the UK Border Agency website .
A tourist visa is valid for 90 days after issue and permits a 30 day stay. This can be extended by a further 30 days at immigration offices in provincial capitals, but given the risk of passport theft, it is much safer to exit via a land border and re-enter to obtain a new visa.
There is a USD $100 a day fine for overstaying a visa.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Mozambique
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Mozambique - updated Apr 2024
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Mozambique Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
