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MozambiqueWork permitsLast checked October 16, 2026

Hiring of foreign nationals (work authorisation, quota, approved-investment-project and short-term regimes) with work visa

Mozambique lets employers hire foreign nationals under four regimes: work authorisation, quota, approved government investment projects, and short-term work. The rules are in Decree 88/2024 of 17 December 2024, made under Labour Law 13/2023. That decree replaced Decrees 37/2016 and 43/2022. After the labour step, the worker gets a work visa from the National Migration Service (SENAMI) or a Mozambican embassy.

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1 entry rule for Mozambique based on recent travel

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Life in Mozambique

Money

3

Currency

Mozambican Metical

MZN

Mozambican Metical

Cost of living

39

Price level · US = 100

World Bank price levels, 2024

Tax

10–32%

Income tax (national)

IRPS general rates rise by annual taxable-income bands from 10% to 32% (art. 54 IRPS Code).

Official rates, 2025 · headline only

Living

1

Happiness

5.3

#91 of 145 countries

World Happiness Report 2025

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Who it’s for

Foreign nationals with a job offer from an employer in Mozambique. The employer files the labour-side request or notice, and the worker then applies for a work visa.

Eligibility

  • Employer files, not the worker

    The employer sends the request or notice to the provincial labour authority where the work will take place. For the work authorisation regime, the request goes to the Minister responsible for labour or a delegate (arts. 5-6).

  • Qualifications and labour-market testWork authorisation regime

    • The foreign worker must have the needed academic or professional qualifications.
    • Hiring is only allowed where no Mozambican nationals have those qualifications, or not enough of them.
    • Partners, directors and attorneys-in-fact are exempt from this test (arts. 3 and 5).

  • Quota by employer sizeQuota regime

    Hire foreign workers without prior authorisation only up to a quota set by employer size, counted from Mozambican workers on the payroll list.

    Maximum share of workforce by employer size

    Microup to 10 staff
    15%
    Small11-30 staff
    10%
    Medium31-100 staff
    8%
    Largeover 100 staff
    5%
    • A micro employer can have one foreign worker even with fewer than 10 national staff.
    • Quota regime only; no prior authorisation needed within quota.
    Official wording

    An employer can hire foreign workers without prior authorisation, up to 5% of its workforce (large, over 100 staff), 8% (medium, 31-100), 10% (small, 11-30) or 15% (micro, up to 10). A micro employer can have one foreign worker even if it has fewer than 10 national staff. Quotas are counted from the Mozambican workers on the payroll list (arts. 9-10).

A sneak peek at what's inside

  • Next requirementApproved investment projects
  • Document checklistRequest (work authorisation) or admission notice (quota) on the official form
  • FeesWork authorisation regime fee

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  • 6 more requirements
  • 12 documents
  • 4 fees
  • 8 steps
  • Processing times and conditions
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