South African passport holders do not require a visa when travelling to Mozambique, the Mozambique Consulate has confirmed.
MDS VisaPak released a statement yesterday saying: “The Mozambique Embassy has said that all foreign passport holders now require a visa prior to arrival. South African passport holders can get a tourist visa on arrival but if you are travelling for business the visa must be applied for prior to departure.”
However, a representative at the Mozambique Consulate in Cape Town said the visa company was confused and that SA passport holders do not require a visa on arrival for leisure travel to the country for up to 30 days. The Mozambique visa regulations have not changed.
Mozambican authorities have clamped down on business visas, which SA passport holders require when entering the country to do business in Mozambique. A representative of LAM told eTNW the government was now strictly enforcing the pre-application of business visas. Business travellers are required to obtain a visa before departing South Africa.
Michele Abraham, Anantara's marketing communications manager for SA, told eTNW the law is not new. “We believe authorities are tightening the regulation due to a high volume of travellers entering Mozambique via Maputo airport or the SA-Mozambique borders with no valid reason for entry or sufficient documentation to prove their purpose of travel.
“We have not had any incidents with any of our international guests this year where visas are concerned, but we are still recommending international travellers pre-apply for visas as we want to ensure all our guests arrive without any hassles. Where there is no consulate in their country, or for last-minute travel, they need to provide the necessary travel documentation to prove they are there for leisure purposes (return ticket, accommodation confirmation or invitation letter),” she says.
