Moving to Mozambique: Living and Visas for Americans

MOZAMBIQUE · EXPATS

Americans can visit Mozambique for up to 30 days without a visa, but they must first register for an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) on the government portal. Living there needs a separate residence permit, with reported fees of MZN 53,115 to 61,484 (about US$831 to US$962) that we could not confirm on an official page.

This guide, checked on Friday, 13 November 2026, uses official portals and data, and it says plainly where no official price exists. For the wider country picture, see our Mozambique country page.

Do Americans Need a Visa for Mozambique?

The official eVisa and eTA portal, run by the National Immigration Service (Serviço Nacional de Migração), lists the United States among the nationalities allowed 30 days for tourism or business under an eTA. The portal says the platform launched on 11 February 2026 and replaced the earlier one.

An eTA is a pre-travel permission for visitors who need no visa, and the portal says to apply at least 48 hours before departure. The portal pages we read do not state the eTA fee, so check the price before you pay.

Visitors who do not meet the exemption conditions must apply for a full eVisa, and the portal says fees then apply. A tourist eVisa allows 30, 60 or 90 days with multiple entries, stays valid for two months from issue, and usually takes about five business days to process.

The portal asks for a passport valid for more than six months, a passport-style photo, proof of funds such as bank statements, proof of accommodation and a confirmed return ticket. Medical or criminal-record papers not in Portuguese, the official language, need a sworn translation.

Extensions are not automatic, and the portal says to ask before your authorised stay ends. A tourist visa does not allow paid work.

Residence Permits, Work and Investment

A visa lets you visit and a residence permit lets you live there. The portal says Law No. 23/2022 of 29 December governs the entry and stay of foreigners in Mozambique.

Ministerial Diploma No. 18/2024 of 22 February 2024, a legal order from a government minister, updated the fees. A summary by the law firm DLA Piper Africa lists temporary residence at MZN 53,115 or 61,484 (about US$831 or US$962), in two fee columns we could not match to a processing speed.

The same summary lists permanent residence at MZN 106,230 or 113,853 (about US$1,662 or US$1,781), and a work visa for up to 90 days at MZN 13,279 or 15,372 (about US$208 or US$241). We found no 2026 update to these fees on an official page, so treat them as reported, not confirmed, and ask the immigration service.

The portal offers an investment visa for projects worth at least US$500 thousand. We found no official retirement route, and we could not open the Ministry of Labour’s own page on work authorisations for foreign staff.

What Prices and Transport Look Like

Mozambique’s statistics institute (INE) reported annual inflation of 6.32% for October 2026, with prices up 0.48% over the month against 0.16% in September. Food prices added 0.29 percentage points to the monthly rise.

The Banco de Moçambique, the central bank, published a reference average of 63.91 meticais per US dollar for 12 November 2026, and every US$ figure in this guide uses that rate. Rates move daily, so treat each US$ figure as approximate.

Before a proposed rise, the minimum minibus fare in Greater Maputo was 15 meticais (about US$0.23). The transport federation agreed to add 5 meticais from 7 November, but Alberto Matusse, the national director of transport and safety, said on 6 November that fares would not rise.

The government also announced subsidies of 25,000 to 90,000 meticais (about US$391 to US$1,408) per vehicle, depending on the vehicle type. We found no official fare table for taxis or ride-hailing.

We did not find an official rent, grocery, electricity or private-health price list for Maputo. Rather than quote a blog or a single listing, we leave those figures out and list them under What Is Not Known.

Health and Safety for Americans

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reviewing its Mozambique page on 25 August 2026, says no yellow fever vaccine is required for travel directly from the United States. It recommends prescription malaria medicine, and routine plus hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, measles-mumps-rubella and COVID-19 vaccines.

The US State Department rates Mozambique Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, in an advisory dated 21 August 2026, with unrest, crime, health and terrorism flagged. It rates Cabo Delgado Province, the northern province where insurgents operate, the Niassa Special Reserve, a large wildlife reserve, and some northern Nampula districts Level 4, Do Not Travel.

The advisory also says to avoid travel between sunset and sunrise except in emergencies. Attacks in the north are tracked in our report on Cabo Delgado violence.

What It Means for You

For a first visit, start the eTA application before you buy a non-refundable ticket, and carry the approval with you. For a longer stay, budget for a permit fee of about US$831 to US$962 plus translation of documents, and read our explainers on who holds power in Mozambique and October inflation.

Maputo and the south lie far from the Level 4 areas in the north, and you should price your first month from quotes you collect yourself. Readers weighing other African destinations can compare our guide to moving to Rwanda.

What Is Not Known

We could not confirm the eTA fee, any 2026 change to residence-permit fees, a retirement route, or official prices for rent, food, electricity and private health insurance. Check the live State Department advisory before you travel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Americans need a visa to visit Mozambique?

Not for stays of up to 30 days for tourism or business, but they must first obtain an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) on the government portal. The portal advises applying at least 48 hours before departure.

How much does a Mozambique residence permit cost?

A law firm’s summary of the 2024 fee schedule lists MZN 53,115 or 61,484 (about US$831 or US$962) for temporary residence. We could not confirm this on an official page.

Is Mozambique safe for Americans to live in?

The US State Department rates Mozambique Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and Level 4, Do Not Travel, for Cabo Delgado Province. It also advises against travel between sunset and sunrise except in emergencies.

Sources: Mozambique eVisa and eTA portal, evisa.gov.mz (read 13 November 2026); Ministerial Diploma No. 18/2024 of 22 February 2024; National Institute of Statistics (INE), consumer price index for October 2026; Banco de Moçambique reference exchange rates, 12 November 2026; US Department of State, Mozambique travel advisory, 21 August 2026; US CDC, Mozambique traveler health page, 25 August 2026; Mozambican government statement on Greater Maputo fares, 6 November 2026.

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