Mozambique

Scope

This entry provides pre-arrival information for private non-commercial recreational vessels in Mozambique. Different authorities may receive vessels, people, goods and island visits. Third-party accounts cited here should be checked against the vessel's flag, nationality, use and route. An item not confirmed here is not necessarily exempt.

Verification status: To be confirmed. No independent local official source was verified for this section. This is pre-voyage preparation guidance, not a statement of statutory permits, deadlines or rates.

Noonsite's yacht guide, updated in October 2025, lists Maputo and Nacala as common yacht-arrival points and mentions Pemba as a common port for voyages to/from Tanzania. This is third-party cruising information, not a complete statutory port list. First confirm that the intended port can process customs, immigration and health formalities.

Pre-arrival notification

Confirm yacht port-entry and health arrangements separately with the port. Completing an ETA process intended for air passengers does not establish that reception of a vessel by sea has been arranged.

Official reference (specific requirements in this section have not each been checked online): Entry requirements - Mozambique travel advice - GOV.UK

Crew and passenger entry

Check visa/ETA requirements according to nationality and the applicable system, and check passport stamps and entry dates on arrival. Additional parental and consent documents may be required when travelling with a minor.

Official reference (specific requirements in this section have not each been checked online): Entry requirements - Mozambique travel advice - GOV.UK

Vessel customs

No current public official guidance confirming temporary import, period of stay, guarantee or vessel customs declaration documents for foreign private non-commercial yachts was found. INAMAR's official rules separately cover maritime navigation permits and departure procedures for recreational vessels, but that permit is not customs release.

Before departure, confirm the applicable temporary admission, customs declarations and outward-clearance documents separately with Mozambique Customs and INAMAR. Have vessel registration/nationality documents, proof of ownership or authorization, insurance, previous-port clearance and crew/passenger lists available for review.

Verification status: To be confirmed. No public temporary-admission rule specific to private yachts was found.

Quarantine and biosecurity

Mozambique's agriculture authorities say imports of plants and plant products are subject to phytosanitary inspections and a permit/certificate regime. Entry of animals and animal products requires permits from veterinary authorities and international veterinary health certificates according to category.

These are general import rules. No official information confirming a dedicated procedure for food and pets aboard private yachts while they remain aboard, garbage or vessel arrival inspection was found. Before taking related items ashore, confirm requirements with agricultural/veterinary border inspection and the destination port. Do not assume stores aboard are exempt or that a uniform vessel-inspection process exists.

Verification status: To be confirmed. General goods rules have official support; yacht-specific quarantine procedures have not been verified.

Restricted items

The Mozambique Tax Authority's traveller customs portal lists general prohibited imports and specially controlled goods, including narcotic and psychotropic substances, unauthorized weapons/ammunition and explosives, hazardous waste and unapproved genetically modified organisms. Specially controlled goods require permits or documents under the applicable rules.

This is general traveller/import guidance. It has not been confirmed how it applies to goods aboard private yachts, stores retained aboard, temporary admission of firearms, drones, cash or items landed. No complete yacht-specific list was found. Before departure, check specific goods with customs and the responsible authorities. Do not assume an unlisted item may be brought in.

Verification status: To be confirmed. The general goods list has official support, but its application to private yachts has not been verified.

Arrival and maritime departure formalities

INAMAR's current online legal library still lists the INAMAR Tariff Regulation (Ministerial Diploma No. 218/2013, published 30 December 2013). Its recreational-vessel provision says recreational craft must apply to the maritime administration for the required navigation permission before departing port, carry the necessary charts and crew for safe navigation, and submit a crew/passenger list before departure. It also says recreational vessels are treated as merchant ships for maritime-regulatory and other-authority oversight on ocean voyages and coastal port-to-port voyages; foreign vessels are not exempt from departure-clearance requirements.

Before departure, confirm the current application process, sequence of clearance authorities, documents and possible charges with the maritime administration at the port concerned. The 2013 regulation does not establish temporary customs admission for foreign private yachts or arrangements at every port; its old fee amounts are not repeated here.

Verification status: Officially checked online. The regulation expressly requires maritime departure procedures for recreational vessels; confirm current process and charges with the port.

Fees and departure

No verified uniform total clearance price for Mozambique is stated in this section. Ask separately about government formalities, visas, vessel permits, quarantine, overtime, port/lighthouse, berth, waste and agent charges. Confirm currency, whether charges are per person or vessel, duration, tax treatment and receipts. Before departure, confirm customs, immigration and port clearance and any clearance/zarpe required by the next port; movements between ports may require separate checks.

Verification status: To be confirmed. No independent local official source was verified for this section. This is pre-voyage preparation guidance, not a statement of statutory permits, deadlines or rates.