Mozambique Approves Visa Exemption For 28 External Countries – OpEd

A number of African countries are are focusing on promoting extensively in-bound tourism. These African countries are also luring potential external investors to the tourism industry. Latest in the southern African region, Mozambique has started visa exemption for 28 countries for tourism and business.

As the Council of Ministers approved decree mid-March, the exemption applies to visitors holding ordinary passports and allows for a 30-day stay, renewable to an additional 60 days. 

The model adopted by the Mozambican government is similar to the United States visa waiver program in the sense that it requires travelers to register on a platform for pre-screening, at least, 48 hours before traveling and to pay a processing fee of MZN-650 (equivalent £8.50).

The list approved includes the following countries: Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.

The visa exemption is a follow-up to the launch of a platform last December that allowed prospective visitors to apply for an electronic pre-authorization to travel into the country. The introduction of e-visas has seen an increase of over 30% in the number of travelers entering the country compared to the same period in the previous year. 

The e-visa platform commits the country to respond to applications within 5 days, but general feedback places an average response at 24 hours and the few issues reported are usually created by users not uploading the required documentation.

President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, since August 2022, has taken steps containing 20 reform measures aimed at delivering to visitors and potential investors a path for a more competitive and more accessible country. Mozambique, with an approximate population of 30 million, is one of the 16-member Southern African Development Community.