Mozambique’s border crossing: a step by step procedure

MALALANE – If you want to travel to Mozambique you will require a valid passport which is valid for at least six months after the date of your return to South Africa.

You will require a valid driving licence and note that visas are not required for South African nationals for stays of less than 30 days.

Important, make certified colour copies of your passport, drivers license, ID and vehicle registration papers. According to frequent travellers, it is a good idea to laminate these copies and keep them in a separate location from your original documents.

If your vehicle is subject to a financial lease, hire-purchase or loan agreement you will require a letter of authority from the financial institution giving you authority to take it across the border into a neighbouring country.

If the vehicle that you are driving is not yours you will require a letter of authority from the registered owner giving you permission to be in possession of the vehicle and authorising cross-border travel.

Third party insurance can be obtained prior to your departure from most of the major insurance companies. Outdoor Warehouse retail stores in the country sell the Hollard Insurance product available at their retail outlets nationwide. The current cost of this insurance is R150 per vehicle and R80 per trailer. When taking out this insurance you will require your passport and your vehicle and trailer registration particulars, such as the registration number, VIN and engine number.

Goods temporarily imported in Mozambique:

You may make a declaration on the form provided, to the effect that you have nothing to declare in excess of your personal goods, personal effects and that you have no commercial goods, firearms or prohibited and restricted items. If you are importing any goods into Mozambique, make a full declaration and present your original invoices to the customs official.

You will be required to complete a DA65 form (often referred to as a TIP – temporary import permit) at the customs desk for all goods that you are temporarily importing into Mozambique.

Typically you would declare the following items:

Digital cameras, lenses and accessories; video cameras and accessories; GPS equipment (Garmin, TomTom, etc); laptops and accessories; portable televisions; I-Pod docking station, I-Pod and accessories; hi-fi’s, radios, music system; microwave and camping equipment.

Remember that if you have declared an item for temporary import you must bring it back with you when you exit Mozambique. Remember that your vehicle contents and baggage may be subject to inspection regardless of the type of declaration you have made. In general all vehicles and trailers have to be inspected by a customs official on the Mozambican side in order to obtain a signature on your gate pass. This will be checked by the gate guard to ensure that firstly, you have a customs stamp on it and secondly, that you have a customs inspector’s signature on it prior to beng allowed access into Mozambique.

Goods for which a permit or licence is required:

Firearms, explosives and fireworks; a:imals, hides, skins, animal products and animal parts; gold, silver, platinum in coins, bars or ingots as well as plants, roots, tubers and medicines.

Items which are prohibited or restricted may include the following:

Narcotic drugs; firearms; explosives; pornographic material and media; counterfeit goods; plant material and meat products. You may take your own meat with you for personal consumption, but make sure it is frozen and properly sealed or vacuum packed.

Travellers import allowances:

Individual duty-free allowances – Mts 5 000 per person (about R1 500) are allowed monthly in respect of goods imported into Mozambique for your personal and family consumption only. Retain slips and present such when making border declaration.

• Alcoholic beverages – 1 Litre of spirits per person and 2,25 litres of wine (3 standard bottles)

• Tobacco products – 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars

• Pharmaceutical products – Quantity considered reasonable and appropriate for personal consumption or as prescribed by a registered medical practitioner

• No beer may be imported into Mozambique.

Cash arrangements:

Arrange with your bank that you have sufficient facility on your credit cards, debit cards or travel cards to cover all your travel expenditure. Local currency can be drawn at most ATM’s in Mozambique bearing the VISA, MasterCard or Maestro logos. Some ATM’s restrict the amount of cash that can be withdrawn per transaction.

It is always safer to obtain cash from an ATM, a registered money changer or a commercial bank. Frequent travellers suggest you avoid using the touts at the border post. These cash vendors work in pairs, offer you an attractive rate, normally a couple of points above the going rate and once the transaction is underway have an amazing repertoire of techniques designed to distract you and fleece you of your money.

The procedure to be followed when crossing the Lebombo Border post (RSA) and Ressano Garcia border post (Mozambique):

As you approach the border post you will see a gate in front of you. Proceed slowly through it into the border post. Keep left and drive right up to the border control office building. Park your vehicle as close as you can and have the following documents and items ready:

Passports and vehicle documents (the information is required to fill in some of the forms), you will be approached at this point by a tout offering you assistance and promising a speedy passage through the Mozambican border. Do not use these people, they are not official, even though it might appear that they have ID Tags – rather do it yourself.

Step 1 – Go directly to the customs desk and obtain the following forms:

Gate pass – Fill in your vehicle particulars and the number of people in your vehicle. The gate pass must be stamped by the customs official.

Temporary export permit (DA65) – On this document you will specify all easily identifiable items that you are taking into Mozambique with you and that you will be bringing back to RSA. Fill in this form and return it to the customs desk for checking and stamping by the customs official.

The customs official will remove one page from the document and return the permit/declaration to you. Keep this document safe as you will require it when you return to South Africa.

Step 2 – Proceed to the passport control desk (immigration) with your gate pass, DA65 form and your passports. The immigration official will require that each person is identified when processing the passports.

• Ensure that your gate pass is stamped.

• Ensure that each passport is stamped.

• Check that you have all the documents with you that you brought into the border control office.

Step 3 – Leave the Lebombo border post area and hand your gate pass to the customs or police official as you exit and down the hill to the Ressano Garcia border (Mozambique).

The procedure at Ressano Garcia border:

Step 1 – Approach the gate between the two borders, slow down and look out for the gate guard. Stop a little short of him so that he may write down your vehicle registration on the gate pass slip and take note of the number of occupants in the car. The guard will hand you the completed gate pass.

Step 2 – Proceed towards the border control building. The border may be congested and a number of large trucks will be parked up the road in a line. Park as close to the passport control building as possible.

Step 3 – Third party insurance, if you have not arranged the compulsory third party insurance you will need to do this first. There are a number of cabins on the left, opposite the passport control building where you will find a number of insurance offices. Recommended is the Hollard Insurance (Hollard Seguros – Moçambique). You will need some cash and all your travel and vehicle registration documents. Insurance can be paid in ZAR.

Step 4 – Get all your documents ready, have a pen with you and proceed into the passport control office and go directly to the customs desk. Ask the official for the vehicle import document. The document is a two page form with a piece of carbon paper. Fill in this form, return it to the official who will stamp it, return the top copy to you and he should also stamp your gate pass. Present any other documents to the official if requested to do so. Proceed to the passport control desk.

At this point you should have the following stamped documents with you:

South African export permit/declaration; Mozambican import permit; third-party insurance document; Mozambican gate pass/customs slip and your passports.

Step 5 – Exit the passport control building and locate a customs official, they are identified by a beret and light blue shirt with a name tag “Alfandegas”. Indicate to the official which is your vehicle. The official is required to inspect your vehicle and trailer before signing your gate pass. Be patient and be courteous always.

Please ensure that you have declared obvious items like a car fridge, generator, etc. You will be fined and kept waiting, sometimes for hours if the official discovers illegally imported goods. After this inspection you may get in your vehicle and proceed to the exit gate finally entering Mozambique.

Step 6 – At the Ressano Garcia border control exit gate you will be stopped by the gate guard. Present your stamped and signed gate pass/customs slip. After the guard has checked that your gate pass has a passport and customs stamp on it plus the signature from the inspecting official you will be waved on, through the gate and into Mozambique.

Emergency numbers in Mozambique

Anti-corruption Hot Line: +25-882-965-7804 or +25-821-310-6 93.

Tourism Green line for help: +258-800-460-460.

South African High Commission, Maputo: office hours: +258-212-43000.

After hours emergencies: +258-843-044-600.

Police: Maputo: +258-213-25031 or +258-214-00159.

Nelspruit: +2713-759-1000.

Ambulance: Maputo: +258-213-25000 or +258-213-25009.

ER: 24 Maputo: 84-124.

Nelspruit: +27-82-911.

Hospitals: Maputo: +258-213-25000 or +258-213-25009 or +258-843-890-486.

Mediclinic Nelspruit: +2713-759-0500.