More than 53,000 foreigners entered Mozambique on border visas in the first nine months of the year. The National Migration Service (SENAMI) says that most of these foreign citizens were tourists.

More visitors means more money for the state, as every foreigner who requests a border visa pays 3,000 meticais (US$50) to the National Migration Service. In this case there were 53,318 foreigners arriving from January to September, pouring the equivalent of 156.3 million meticais (US$2.6 million) into the state coffers.

The number of foreigners who visited Mozambique in the first three quarters of the year represents an increase of 55% over the same period of last year.

The figure meets the objectives of the Mozambican government in reinstating the border visa last year. In fact, according to Cira Fernandes, a spokesperson for SENAMI, “the majority of foreign citizens presented the practice of tourism as the main motivation for entry and application for border visas”.

The border visa allows foreigners to enter the country twice, each time for a maximum thirty day stay, and was intended to increase the number of tourists visiting Mozambique.

Of the 56 border posts throughout the country, 44 can grant border visas. Of these, three stand out: Mavalane International Airport, with 23,075 visas issued, Ressano Garcia border post, with 6,354, and, finally, Vilanculos Airport in Inhambane, with 3,795 border visas issued this year.

Source: O País