Welcome to Mozambique!
Mozambique is a beautiful country with a diverse culture. The official language is Portuguese, and in cities this is the main language, however when travelling to the rural areas the majority of the population use communicate in their local language. In most restaurants, lodges and hotels in Cities and Tourist areas, you will be able to speak in English. Mozambique is known for its beaches, mountains, and wildlife. Many tourists come to visit the country because of its natural beauty.
Mozambique is located on the southern coast of Africa. It borders Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Swaziland.
Mozambique’s Immigration System
Mozambique operates a quite complex and complicated immigration system. The complexity is mostly caused by the strict distinction between a) obtaining a Short term or Long term work permission at Ministry of labour in Mozambique and the additional requirement to obtain an b) Entry work/residence visa at the Embassy in country of residence, which thereafter is to be extended at c) the Migration department in Mozambique. All three are needed and the additional visa requirements often lead to confusion on our client’s side.
Mozambique still makes use of a quota system with regard to number of expatriated may be employed by a company. Contracting of expatriates above the quota is possible but is subject to additional criteria, amongst which proof that there are insufficient Mozambicans in the market available with the competence profile required for the position and the expatriate must have the required qualifications and experience. The Outside quota process can take 5 to 7 weeks to obtain the work permission.
Mozambique Tourist and Border Visas
Mozambique offers Tourist which allow either for single, double or multiple entries, and a max stay of 30 calendar days at a time. Note that one must stipulate clearly to the embassy if one needs just a single entry, or 2 or multiple entries. Providing the travel itinerary does not mean that the embassy will check your requirements in terms of entries! Pre-arrangements needs to be made, as the Embassy will require some documents. Visa requests submitted at the Mozambican Embassy in country or residence can take 2 to 6 weeks.
Travelers of Countries who don’t have a Mozambican embassy, may obtain, and pay for a “border (tourist) visa’ at the border upon arrival, upon providing the required documentation and payment for the visa. The border visa allows to stay for a maximum of 30 days, not renewable and provides the right for 2 entries. So, within these 30 days you could go to South Africa, visit the Kruger Park and return to Mozambique on the same visa.
Migration does in some cases provide border visas to Travelers from countries which do have a Mozambican embassy, this is however at the liberty of the Migration officer and several travelers, especially from some African countries and the USA were sent back home when arriving without the required visa. One must never assume to have an entitlement and verify before travelling if one can take the risk or not to arrive without a visa.
South Africans and other applicants from visa-exempt countries can enter Mozambique without any need to obtain a formal visa. Migration will stamp the passport the port of entry and that stamp is equal to a tourism visa. No pre-arrangements need to be made in this case.
NEWS FLASH: As per the second week of December, Migration is providing the possibility to obtain Tourist visas on-line! The system is new and may still give some ‘teething problems’ but it is a great initiative and facilitate obtaining the visa within 1week.
Mozambique Work Visa
Upon obtaining a work permission, one still needs to obtain a work visa. This is a 2-step process. The entry work visa is to be obtained at Mozambican embassy and is valid for 30 days after date of entry in Mozambique. The entry work visa is then to be extended at Migration in Mozambique, to the duration of the work permission, with a maximum of 1 year per visa, renewable. The work visa allows one to reside in Mozambique. These work visas cannot be obtained via the new e-visa on-line system.
Mozambique Business Visa
Business Visas are issued in Mozambique for applicants looking to attend meetings and seminars, receive training, and seeking out business prospects. Applicants are required to submit their invitation letter, company documents, and proof of accommodation when applying for this visa. In some cases, the inviting companies may need to obtain a short term work permission in parallel to the business visa.
Mozambique Study Visa
The Mozambique Study Visa is for foreign applicants intending to study at a tertiary institution in Mozambique. Student visas are granted for 12 months, and the applicant cannot work in Mozambique while on this visa.
Mozambique Investment Visa
If you plan on investing in a business, or starting your own, this visa is your portal to Mozambique. The Investment Visa requires an investment of at least 500.000 USD, is valid for 2 years and provides the right to multiple entries.
Mozambique Residence Permit
The applicant has many options toward residence in Mozambique. The Mozambique Temporary Residence Permit is valid for a period of one year, and renewable for the same duration. After 10 consecutive renewals of this permit, the applicant qualifies for a Mozambique Permanent Residence Permit. However, this permit is not “permanent”, as it is only valid for 5 years, and renewable for that same amount. Another route to Mozambique is through the Mozambique Residence Permit by Investment. It is granted to applicants who plan to implement investment projects exceeding $500,000USD.
Conclusion
IBN Immigration Solutions provides a full range of immigration services for Mozambique and is always ready to assist clients in any concerns or queries they may have. On top of this, we have our own office in Mozambique, meaning we have deep knowledge of the Mozambique immigration process and immigration system and are expertly equipped to ease your immigration journey.
We are familiar with all the requirements for applications, possible red-flags, and hold-ups with the government’s immigration department, meaning that you’ll be in safe hands. We also manage corporate immigration services to Mozambique and have helped many satisfied customers in the past.
Written by Simon Carletti
Edited by Karin Burgman
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