Entry to Mozambique

Mozambique is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries on the African continent. It stretches along the southeast African coast from South Africa up to Tanzania. Due to the large north-south extent of almost 2,000 kilometers, the country is extraordinarily diverse. This is evidenced by both the geological features and fauna and flora.

Until 2013, Mozambique was home to the so-called »Big Five«, the most popular five animal species of the African mainland. Although the last rhinos were eradicated by poachers in 2013, the country still has a diverse animal kingdom. While the mainland is dominated by elephants, lions, leopards, and buffaloes, humpback whales, dolphins, and even whale sharks regularly appear off the coast of Mozambique.

However, it would be wrong to reduce Mozambique solely to its wildlife. Thanks to its dreamlike beaches, the Southeast African Republic is a popular destination for divers and water sports enthusiasts from all over the world. Culture and culinary arts are by no means neglected. This is due to the approximately 25 million inhabitants of Mozambique, who are divided into a total of 78 different peoples. The cultural diversity leads to about 40 indigenous languages still being spoken today, although Portuguese is the official national language.

While many African countries are considered rather unsafe, Mozambique is now considered very safe and politically stable. Only in the outer areas of the large cities should you be cautious at night and not be alone.

The ideal travel time for a stay in the country is between April and September. Between October and March, the rainy season dominates the climate, which can lead to severe tropical storms. Apart from the rainy season, stable temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees can be expected. Exceptions occur in the interior, where temperatures can rise to 37 degrees in the hot months.

If you want to explore the colorful and diverse country as well as its fauna and flora yourself, there are some regulations to consider when entering the country. Entry is possible at many border crossings and several airports, which are also flown to from Germany.

Those who want to enter Mozambique can do so with different travel documents. The Mozambican authorities accept both the passport and the temporary passport and the child's passport from travelers from Germany. Entry with an identity card or temporary identity card, however, is not possible.

Mozambique is very open to tourists as a country. This is also evident when looking at the visa. Although a visa is mandatory upon entry, it does not necessarily have to be obtained before the start of the trip if the journey is from a country without Mozambican representation. In such cases, it is easily possible to obtain a visa for tourist purposes at major border crossings or airports. However, tourists from countries with a Mozambican embassy are advised to apply for a visa before entering the country.

It is important to know that while visas for the country have a validity of three months, they only entitle you to a continuous stay of a maximum of 30 days. This must be strictly observed, as a violation of the maximum duration of stay has already been penalized with heavy fines in the past. If you still plan a longer stay, you must first leave the country and apply for a new visa at a Mozambican foreign representation or extend your current visa there.

Furthermore, the country's regulations state that a visa for multiple entries must be available if you intend to leave the country during your stay to undertake excursions to neighboring countries, among other things. Even if such trips initially sound unlikely, it is not uncommon for travelers in Mozambique, as, among other things, the famous Kruger National Park in South Africa is in close proximity to the border.

Mandatory vaccinations are only required under certain circumstances when entering the country. Generally, when entering from European regions, it is up to you whether and against which diseases you get vaccinated before your trip to Southeast Africa. A yellow fever vaccination may be required if you enter from other African countries. This is the case if you come from the following countries: Ethiopia, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Kenya, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Togo, Chad, Uganda, and the Central African Republic. Furthermore, travelers from Central and South America must carry a corresponding vaccination certificate.

Although there are no further mandatory vaccinations, the Standing Committee on Vaccination advises certain vaccinations. To keep the risk of illness during your stay as low as possible, the following vaccinations are recommended: COVID-19, diphtheria, measles, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, and rabies. Regarding COVID-19, it is currently required that all travelers from the age of eleven must show complete vaccination or a negative PCR test. The PCR test must not be older than 72 hours upon arrival in the country.

Particularly when traveling to Africa, there is often a warning about malaria. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes that thrive primarily in warm areas. Due to the consistently high temperatures, mosquitoes are present all year round. However, there is no specific vaccination against malaria. Instead, it is advisable to regularly apply mosquito repellents to exposed skin areas and sleep under mosquito nets. To prevent possible illness, you can have your general practitioner prescribe different antimalarial drugs for prophylaxis. Furthermore, there are medications that alleviate symptoms in the event of illness and should also be part of the travel equipment.

If you would like to visit Mozambique with your children, an identification document including a current passport photo should be available for each child. Otherwise, there is a risk of complications with the immigration authorities in individual cases. Any documents must still be valid for at least six months. Both children's passports and passports are accepted as identification documents.

To avoid any incidents and always be on the safe side, it is also advisable to carry international birth certificates of the children.

The identification documents of both parents and children must always be carried along. Since the police are authorized to check IDs, the following approach is advisable: Carry the identification documents of all family members in public and keep certified copies of these documents safely in your accommodation on site. In this way, you are well prepared even in the case of police checks and secured by the reserve of the copies.

Generally, you can take your four-legged friends with you on your trip to Mosambik . However, there are three points you should check off before departure. First, the entry of animals is only possible with a permit from the Direcçao dos Serviços Veterinarios, the Veterinary Office of Maputo. To obtain such a permit, an official veterinary health certificate, which must be issued at your place of origin, is required. As long as the health certificate is available, there should be no problem obtaining the permission from the Veterinary Office of Maputo.

To avoid unexpected problems at the airport in Mosambik , despite the previously obtained documents, you should ensure that your animals have the necessary vaccinations and that you can prove this. Specifically, this refers to the rabies vaccination certificate, which must be presented for both cats and dogs over the age of six months. Once you have all the documents together, there should be nothing to prevent a stay with your four-legged friends.

Regarding the regulations for the import of currencies and goods, the guidelines in Mozambique are very relaxed and clear. As a rule, there are therefore no problems with customs, provided you consider a few points.

When entering and leaving, a maximum amount of money per person applies, equivalent to the value or equivalent of 10,000 US dollars. Furthermore, there is an export restriction related to the domestic currency. Both on entry and on departure, travelers may not bring in or take out more than 10,000 MZN. Since the local currency has a comparatively low value, it is not uncommon for attempted exports to lead to problems. 10,000 MZN currently correspond to about 160 euros.

Naturally, the import and export of drugs and weapons of any kind are prohibited. In addition, diamonds or antique coins cannot pass through customs. If you are carrying high-value and valuable electronic devices on your trip, it is advisable to declare them on entry.

Special care is required when exporting animals and plants. If plants or animals are protected under the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, you may only export them if you have the appropriate documents. In doubt, you should always refrain from wanting to export any plants or animals. Since many of the native species are protected, both export and import to Germany can constitute a criminal offense. However, those who play it safe and do not have plants or animals in their luggage need not fear any consequences.

In Mozambique, there are various airports that may serve as destinations or stopovers for you. Due to their location, size, and special circumstances, they differ in terms of air traffic and the airports they serve.

Maputo Airport

The airport of the Mozambican capital, with its two runways, is the largest airport in the country. From here, 17 destinations in six countries are served. Travelers from Germany can fly to this airport from Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hanover, Munich, or Stuttgart. Maputo Airport is particularly suitable for those who are vacationing in or near Maputo or wish to visit the adjacent South Africa.

Beira Airport

Beira is also located on the east coast of Mozambique and has the second largest airport in the country. From Germany, the international airport is currently served from Frankfurt am Main as well as from Cologne/Bonn.

Chimoio Airport

The airport of Chimoio is located inland and is particularly suitable for domestic flights with Mozambique Airlines, as flights to and from Maputo and Beira are possible from here.

Pemba Airport

In the northeast of the country, Pemba Airport is another destination that is served from Germany and is ideal for onward travel to Tanzania.

Further flights, primarily for transit or domestic travel, are possible from the airports in Chingozi, Vilankulo, Inhambane, Lichinge, Quelimane, and Benguera Island. Please note that some of these airports only operate on weekdays and there are no flights on weekends.

Depending on the type of journey you are pursuing, a stopover and transfer at one of Mozambique's airports may be necessary. Since you do not officially enter the country in such a situation, no visa is required. Nevertheless, there are important regulations and restrictions that you should be aware of.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a national state of disaster was temporarily declared. Although this has now been lifted, air traffic is still affected by the pandemic. While domestic flights operate regularly, this is currently only limited to international air traffic. Therefore, please inform yourself before starting your journey whether the onward journey by the desired flight is actually possible. Depending on the requirements of the local authorities, a negative PCR test may be necessary. This is valid for seven days from the time of the test collection. You should also pay attention to the advice of the local authorities regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. In many places, adherence to AHA regulations is urgently advised, as fines have occasionally been imposed for non-compliance.

If you are coming from one of the countries listed under "Vaccinations and Diseases", vaccination against yellow fever is also required in transit.

If in doubt, it is advisable to contact the Mozambican embassy before departure and ask about current regulations and guidelines, as these change regularly.

The German foreign representation is located in the Mozambican capital of Maputo. Since August 2020, Lothar Freischlader has been the ambassador in the Southeast African Republic. If you wish to utilize the ambassador's assistance, a prior appointment is necessary. This can be made by phone or via the website of the German Embassy in Maputo at https://maputo.diplo.de/mz-de/service/-/1011986.

The Ambassador of Germany is your contact person for important questions regarding visa matters or passports. He can also assist you in the event of losing important documents locally, which you may need, for example, to prove your identity or when leaving the country.

Important: The Foreign Office advises travelers to register in the crisis prevention list "ELEFAND". With the information you provide, it is possible for the ambassador and his staff to assist you promptly in an emergency. Through this list, you can also specify contact persons who can be contacted by the embassy in case of an emergency.

Important data about the German Embassy:

Postal address
Embaixada da República Federal da Alemanha, C.P. 1595, Maputo, Mozambique

Street address
Rua Damião de Góis 506, Maputo

Opening hours
Monday to Friday 9.00 - 12.00 hrs

Phone and mobile phone
+258 21 48 27 00
+258-82-303 33 00

In emergencies outside office hours, Ambassador Freischlader can also be reached via the number +258-84-303 33 00 until 00:00 hrs. It is requested that this number be used only in actual emergencies.