Registering a prepaid SIM, and what Vodacom asks for
Vodacom's help page says registering a prepaid SIM is required by law for customers using numbers beginning 84 or 85. It cites decree 13/2023 of 11 April, under which registration applies to nationals and foreigners aged 21 or over who hold a valid document. A customer can buy a SIM in a Vodacom shop, a partner shop or from a street reseller, and can register it where it was bought or later at an authorised shop or reseller.
The accepted documents listed for an individual number include a passport, an identity card, a driving licence and the residence document issued to foreigners, so a visitor will normally present a passport, and one subscriber may register at most five numbers. The page adds a deadline: after a new number is registered, the customer has 15 days to put the card in a phone so the number can be validated, otherwise the registration is invalidated. People aged 16 to 20 can be registered only with the in-person consent of a registered adult, and an adult may authorise at most five such registrations. The INCM homepage links a telecommunications subscriber registration page for consumers.
Vodacom's metical bundles, from one hour to a month
Vodacom's internet offers page lists bundles bought through the *111# menu, option 5. At the time of checking, 5 MT bought 175 MB for one hour, 10 MT bought 294 MB for a day and 50 MT bought about 1.6 GB for a day. A 7-day bundle cost 100 MT for about 2.9 GB, and 30-day bundles ran from 100 MT for 2 GB to 500 MT for about 16.2 GB and 1,000 MT for about 32.5 GB, with larger ones above that.
The same page lists app-specific bundles for social networks and games, and a range called Infinito, priced from 10 MT for 141 MB, which despite the name lists a fixed megabyte allowance. A separate Tudo Top page sells combined bundles: 100 MT for one day with about 2.6 GB, 300 MT for 7 days with 7.5 GB and 5 international minutes, and 500 MT for 30 days with about 9.9 GB. Its table lists unlimited national voice and SMS in these bundles, so read the terms before assuming no limit applies. The page lists payment by airtime credit, Txuna credit or M-Pesa. We did not read Movitel's website, so we make no statement about that operator.
What we could not confirm: eSIM sales and coverage maps
Vodacom's eSIM page says you need an existing Vodacom number beginning 84 or 85, a valid personal email address and a compatible smartphone, and must show a valid identity document. Activation is done in a Vodacom shop or through a social media agent, who sends a QR code by email, takes at most 15 minutes and replaces your current SIM with the eSIM profile. That describes converting an existing Vodacom number, so we make no statement that a visitor can buy a new local eSIM before arrival. A phone with an eSIM slot can still carry a foreign profile alongside a registered local SIM, if the handset allows two active lines.
On coverage, we found no official map with signal levels. The INCM homepage shows a headline figure of about 13.6 million mobile subscribers and a mobile penetration rate of 65 per cent, but the page gives no date for it. Vodacom's home-internet page lists fibre estates in Maputo rather than mobile coverage. For a trip outside the big cities, ask your lodge which operator works locally, and download offline maps first.
The eVisa and eTA portal, and the customs thresholds
The official immigration portal describes a tourist eVisa for stays of 90 days or less, and a separate Electronic Travel Authorisation, eTA, for stays of up to 30 days for the nationalities in its eligibility table, which includes the United Kingdom and the United States. It tells applicants to print the approved PDF and have it ready for both boarding and arrival.
The UK Foreign Office says British passport holders must obtain an ETA before travelling for tourism or business of up to 30 days, applying through the official portal at least five working days ahead and paying online, since payment cannot be made at the border. It puts the fee at approximately 47 US dollars. It adds that officials may ask for proof of accommodation, an onward ticket and funds, and that you should carry a printed copy of the approved ETA. It asks travellers to declare 10,000 meticais or more in cash, or foreign cash and travellers' cheques worth 5,000 US dollars or more. Rules differ by nationality, so check the portal for your passport.
Cabo Delgado, checkpoints and photography
The UK Foreign Office describes a severe terrorist threat in Cabo Delgado from IS-Mozambique, and says attacks could be indiscriminate, including in towns and villages, islands off the coast and safari or hunting parks. It says street crime is common in Maputo and increasing in other cities and tourist destinations, advises not using ATMs at night, and warns that fuel supplies are unpredictable. The rainy season from November to April brings cyclones, floods and landslides that close roads.
It also says that police patrols and checkpoints are common, that you must always carry your passport because police will not accept copies or photos, and that it is illegal to photograph government offices, airports, military establishments, residences and police or officials without special permission. That matters for a phone: keep it away from official buildings, and do not use a camera openly near them. If your route passes through a flood-prone area, carry a charged power bank and a paper note of your lodge's number.
Emergency numbers
The UK Foreign Office lists 112 for ambulance, fire and police in Mozambique, with ambulance lines on 848888 or 823388 and a fire number of 198. British nationals needing help should contact the British High Commission in Maputo. Our Mozambique plan page is an option if you want data before you land.
Networks our Mozambique plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Mozambique, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Movitel4G
- Vodacom4G
- Vodafone4G