Do Mozambican passport holders need a visa for the United States?

By Prajjwal Kohli · Travel Content Writer, Tripmojo · Updated August 23, 2026 · Reviewed by Simran Raheja

Yes. Mozambican citizens need a B1/B2 visitor visa for the United States, because Mozambique is not in the Visa Waiver Programme and an ESTA is not available on this passport. The application fee is 185 US dollars and an interview is required. Since 2 April 2026 Mozambique has been a visa bond country, so the officer can make the visa conditional on a refundable deposit of thousands of dollars, and since 1 August 2026 the interview itself takes place in Johannesburg, not Maputo. The visa you get is valid for three months.

Quick facts

Visa required

Visa required: Yes, a B1/B2 visitor visa
ESTA eligible: No, Mozambique is not in the Visa Waiver Programme
Application fee: USD 185, unchanged since May 2023
Visa bond: Possible since 2 April 2026, set by the consular officer
Where to apply: US Consulate General Johannesburg, since 1 August 2026
Visa validity: 3 months, single or multiple entry, by reciprocity
Passport validity: Your intended stay only, Mozambique is exempt from the 6-month rule

Entry requirements

A Mozambican passport valid for your intended period of stay. Mozambique is on the US exemption list for the six-month validity rule, so six months beyond the trip is not required.
An approved B1/B2 visa in the passport before you fly. There is no visa on arrival and no ESTA route for Mozambican citizens.
A completed DS-160, its confirmation page, and a 2 x 2 inch colour photo taken within the last six months on a white or light background.
The ability to post a bond if the consular officer requires one. The visa cannot be issued until the bond is paid, and the bond is only ever paid after the officer instructs you, never through a third-party website.
Evidence of ties to Mozambique and of your ability to pay for the trip. The embassy says a letter of invitation or affidavit of support from the United States is not a factor in the decision.

How to apply, and why it now runs through Johannesburg

Complete the DS-160 online and pay the 185 dollar application fee, which is charged whatever the outcome. Then book an interview. From 1 August 2026 routine visa services at the US Embassy in Maputo have ceased, and Mozambican nationals and residents apply at the regional hub at the US Consulate General in Johannesburg. The embassy advises starting to look for an appointment two to three months before travel.

At the interview the officer decides two things: whether you qualify for the visa at all, and if so whether a bond is attached. Mozambique has been a covered country since 2 April 2026. The embassy notice says a bond of up to 15,000 US dollars; the Federal Register rule of 3 August 2026 that made the programme permanent sets the amounts at 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000, with 15,000 the expected default. The officer tells you the figure and how to pay it, and the visa is not issued until that payment clears.

The visa that comes back is valid for three months from issue, single or multiple entry, because that is what the reciprocity schedule allows Mozambican passports. The bond is refunded in full if you comply with its conditions and leave on time. One of those conditions is that you enter and leave the United States only through commercial airports, never a land or sea border.

Good to know

The three-month validity is the fact most people plan around wrongly. Visitors from most countries get a B1/B2 valid for years and reuse it; a Mozambican B1/B2 is valid for three months from the date it is issued, whether single or multiple entry, and has been for years under the reciprocity schedule. Every trip is a fresh application, a fresh 185 dollars, and now a fresh trip to Johannesburg, so an interview booked too early can produce a visa that expires before you fly.
Johannesburg is a different country, and that has its own paperwork. Ordinary Mozambican passport holders are visa exempt in South Africa for 30 days on the Department of Home Affairs list issued 9 December 2025, which covers an interview trip, but you are still crossing a border with a passport that has to be checked in and out, and the interview date is fixed by the consulate, not by you. Build the Maputo to Johannesburg leg into the plan as travel, not as an errand.
The interview waiver is gone for this passport, and it went because of the bond. The US Embassy in Maputo states that interview waiver is no longer available to Mozambican passport holders due to the visa bond programme, even for applicants whose previous B1/B2 expired within the last twelve months. If you renewed by drop-off in the past, that route is closed and you will be interviewed in person.
Mozambique is not one of the 39 countries in Presidential Proclamation 10998, the entry restriction that took effect on 1 January 2026. Several neighbours are: Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia are all under partial restrictions. Being outside the proclamation does not loosen anything above, but it does mean a Mozambican applicant is refused or approved on the ordinary visitor-visa test, not excluded by nationality.
One more charge is on the statute book but not yet on the embassy’s fee list. Public Law 119-21 of 4 July 2025 created a 250 dollar visa integrity fee, payable at issuance of any nonimmigrant visa and not waivable. As of 23 August 2026 the Maputo embassy’s own fee list still shows only the 185 dollars, so treat the 250 as something that may be asked for at issuance rather than something you can plan to avoid.
The bond changes the shape of the trip, not just its cost. Bonded visas are annotated so the CBP officer sees the bond at the airport, admission is capped at 30 days rather than the usual six months, and the refund is triggered automatically by your departure being recorded at a commercial airport. Leave by a land border into Canada or Mexico and there is no departure record to cancel the bond against.

Frequently asked questions

Do Mozambicans need a visa for the USA?

Yes. Mozambique is not in the Visa Waiver Programme, so a B1/B2 visitor visa is required before travelling. An ESTA cannot be obtained on a Mozambican passport.

Where do Mozambicans apply for a US visa now?

At the US Consulate General in Johannesburg. Routine visa services at the US Embassy in Maputo ceased on 1 August 2026 under the realignment of US visa services in Africa to regional hubs.

Do Mozambicans have to pay a US visa bond?

Possibly. Mozambique was added to the visa bond list on 18 March 2026, effective 2 April 2026. The consular officer decides at the interview whether a bond applies and for how much, and the visa is not issued until it is paid.

How much is the US visa bond for Mozambique?

The US Embassy in Maputo says up to 15,000 US dollars. The Federal Register rule of 3 August 2026 that made the programme permanent sets the amounts at 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000. It is refunded in full if you comply and depart on time.

How long is a US visa valid for Mozambican citizens?

Three months from the date of issue, single or multiple entry. That is the reciprocity schedule for Mozambique and the embassy states it plainly: Mozambican passport holders are eligible for three-month validity visas only.

Can Mozambicans renew a US visa without an interview?

No. The embassy states that interview waiver is no longer available to Mozambican passport holders because of the visa bond programme, so every B1/B2 application is interviewed in person.

Is Mozambique on the US travel ban?

No. Mozambique is not among the 39 countries named in Presidential Proclamation 10998, in force since 1 January 2026. Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia are under partial restrictions; Mozambique is not.

How long can a Mozambican stay in the USA on a bonded visa?

Plan on 30 days. The bond rule tells CBP officers to limit the period of admission for bond holders to 30 days, whatever the three-month visa validity says, and the bond is only released once your departure is recorded within that period.

How do Mozambicans pay the US visa bond?

After the interview the officer gives you written instructions; you then file Form I-352 and pay on Pay.gov, the US Treasury portal, within 30 days of being told. Another person such as a US relative may pay on your behalf. Nothing else, and no other website, counts.

I paid the US visa fee in Maputo before August 2026. Can I use it in Johannesburg?

Only if you booked a Maputo appointment by 31 July 2026. The State Department’s realignment FAQ says a fee paid at a post losing routine services is not refunded, and the South Africa fee rules say a fee paid in one country cannot be transferred to another. Otherwise you pay 185 dollars again in South Africa.

Can Mozambicans transit a US airport without a visa?

No. There is no airside transit in the United States, so even a connection in Miami or New York means clearing immigration, and a Mozambican passport cannot get an ESTA. You need a C-1 transit visa or a B1/B2, and the airline will refuse boarding without one.

Other passports for the United States

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on 23 August 2026.

US Embassy in Mozambique — Tourism & Visitor Visas (mz.usembassy.gov/tourism-visitor-visas): routine visa services in Maputo have ceased and from 1 August 2026 Mozambican nationals and residents apply at the regional hub at the US Consulate in Johannesburg; USD 185 visitor visa fee; "Mozambican passport holders are eligible for three month validity visas only"; look for appointments 2-3 months before travel; from 2 April 2026 nationals found otherwise eligible must post a bond of up to USD 15,000, instructed by the officer, never via a third-party site, visa not issued until paid; interview waiver no longer available to Mozambican passport holders due to the bond programme; photo 2x2 inch within 6 months; invitation letters not a factor. Read 2026-08-23.
US Embassy in Mozambique — Visas (mz.usembassy.gov/visas): the same 2 April 2026 bond notice; Proclamation 10998 suspends or limits entry for nationals of 39 countries from 1 January 2026; Routine Visa Services Update effective 1 August 2026 listing Maputo among the 25 posts ceasing routine visa services. Read 2026-08-23.
US Embassy & Consulates in South Africa — Realignment of U.S. Visa Services in Africa to Regional Hubs: Johannesburg is a regional visa hub and Maputo provides American Citizen Services and limited NIV services from 1 August 2026; visa bond requirements and Proclamation 10998 remain in place. Read 2026-08-23.
US Department of State — Visa Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country, Mozambique: B-1/B-2 reciprocity fee none, one or multiple entries, validity 3 months. travel.state.gov blocks automated clients, so read from the Wayback Machine capture of 2 July 2026; the 2024 and 2025 captures show the same 3 months. Read 2026-08-23.
Federal Register, 3 August 2026, Visas: Visa Bond Program (2026-15726) — permanent programme replacing the pilot that began 20 August 2025; bonds of USD 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 set by the consular officer, 15,000 the expected default; refundable on compliance; entry and departure only through commercial airports including preclearance; visas under the programme valid three months single or multiple entry or up to 12 months by reciprocity; countries announced on travel.state.gov on 15 days notice and amended on a rolling basis. Read 2026-08-23.
Countries Subject to Visa Bonds, 18 March 2026 revision: Mozambique added, effective 2 April 2026, in a group of twelve that also included Mauritius, bringing the list to 50. travel.state.gov refuses automated clients, so this is taken from two independent immigration-law trackers of that revision (Ogletree, Fragomen) cross-checked on 2026-08-23 and corroborated by the Maputo embassy notice above. NOT a browser read of the Department list.
Federal Register, 19 December 2025, Proclamation 10998 of 16 December 2025 (2025-23570) — full text read and searched on 2026-08-23: Mozambique does not appear in either the full or the partial suspension list. Read 2026-08-23.
US Department of Homeland Security — Visa Waiver Program, current programme countries: 42 designated countries, Mozambique absent. Read 2026-08-23.
US Customs and Border Protection, Carrier Liaison Program — Six-Month Passport Validity Update, 18 December 2025 (PDF): "Citizens of the countries listed below are exempt from the six-month rule and need only have a passport valid for their intended period of stay." Mozambique is listed. Read 2026-08-23.
Federal Register, 9 June 2026, Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (2026-11513) — USD 185 MRV fee
Public Law 119-21, 4 July 2025, section 100007 Visa Integrity Fee (congress.gov): USD 250 for fiscal year 2025, payable by any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa at the time of issuance, not waivable, inflation-adjusted from FY2026, reimbursable after the visa expires on proof of compliance. No official collection start date found; the Maputo embassy fee list read 2026-08-23 does not include it. Read 2026-08-23.
South Africa Department of Home Affairs — Visa Exemption List issued 9 December 2025: Mozambique (Republic of), ordinary passport, 30 days. Read 2026-08-23.
Federal Register, 5 August 2025, Visas: Visa Bond Pilot Program (2025-14826, via govinfo.gov): Form I-352 is submitted through Treasury’s Pay.gov within 30 days of notification by the consular officer; CBP officers at the port of entry limit the period of admission to 30 days; the visa carries an annotation that a bond was posted; the bond is cancelled and refunded in full without interest on timely departure captured at a designated airport. Read 2026-08-23.
US Mission South Africa — Realignment of U.S. Visa Services in Africa to Regional Hubs, FAQ (za.usembassy.gov, updated 15 July 2026): a fee paid at a post with limited NIV services from 1 August is not refunded if no appointment was scheduled there by 31 July; applicants on or after 1 August 2026 schedule and pay at the designated hub; current valid visas are unaffected. Read 2026-08-23.
US Visa Appointment Service South Africa — Visa Fees (ais.usvisa-info.com/en-za/niv/information/fee): MRV fee charged in USD, cash or card; "U.S. visa fees paid to apply in a specific country cannot be transferred to another country"; fees expire 365 days after purchase; cash payments take up to 2 business days to register. Read 2026-08-23.
US Department of State — Transit Visa (travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-visa-categories/transit.html): a citizen of a country that is not in the Visa Waiver Program transiting the United States en route to another country needs a C-1 transit visa unless already holding a valid visitor visa; interview waiver not available for C visas. travel.state.gov blocks automated clients; wording taken from the US Embassy Mozambique transit guidance and the Visa Waiver Program country list (Mozambique absent), NOT a browser read of the Department page. Read 2026-08-23.

Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.

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