VZCZCXYZ0012
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTO #0146/01 0320802
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010802Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4928

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000146 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB OTRA AFIN AO SF KE MZ
SUBJ: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR MOZAMIBQUE DESK OFFICER 
HERB TREGER TO TRAVEL TO MOZAMBIQUE 
 
REF: STATE 07862 
 
¶1. Embassy Maputo welcomes and grants country clearance for 
Mozambique Desk Officer Herb Treger to travel to Mozambique on 
February 5-10, 2006. 
 
Please advise as soon as possible regarding any schedule or 
itinerary changes; refer to para 7 regarding visa 
requirements. 
 
¶2. Control Officer: Control officer for the visit will be 
Chief Econ/Pol Officer John Wysham. He can be contacted at: 
 
-- Office telephone:  (258) 2149-27-97, ext.3425 
-- Office fax:        (258) 2149-35-74 
-- Cellular:          (258) 82-315-7170 
 
¶3.  Hotel Reservations: 
 
Post has made hotel reservations at the Hotel Polana. The 
rate for a single room is USD$120.00, which includes a 
breakfast buffet. Maputo per diem is currently USD$242.00 
(lodging USD$185 and meals/incidentals USD$57). The hotel 
accepts U.S. Dollars or South African Rand; Diners Club, 
VISA, MasterCard, or American Express credit cards for 
payment of hotel bills. 
 
The hotel can be contacted at: 
 
- Telephone:          (258) 21 49-10-01 
-- Fax:               (258) 21 49-14-80 
-- E-Mail             res@polana-hotel.com 
 
Reservation Policy: Hotels charge for no-shows, and 
most will debit one day's room rate for no-shows and 
reservations canceled with less than twenty-four hours' 
notice prior to arrival. Therefore, advance planning 
and prompt notification of changes well in advance of 
the twenty-four hour limit are necessary otherwise such 
charges will be assessed to the intended traveler. 
Please contact your control officer promptly with 
details of any changes. 
 
¶4.  Briefing by RSO on Security Situation:  Please see 
para 9 below. Foreigners have been crime targets 
recently. TDY visitors staying longer than two days 
must come to the Embassy for a security briefing from 
the Regional Security Office shortly after arrival. 
Guidance will include helpful do's and don'ts about 
walking around Maputo, dangerous areas in the city, use 
of taxis, etc. 
 
¶5.  Medical Services:  Maputo has limited medical 
facilities. Visitors will have to be medevaced in the 
event of a major injury or illness.  In the past, we 
have had visitors nearly die because details of their 
medevac insurance were not readily available.  Post is 
therefore very strict in not granting country clearance 
unless we are assured that the traveler is adequately 
covered if a medavac is required. 
 
Post has been provided the required medevac 
information. 
 
¶6.  Consular Registration: All TDY visitors spending 
more than two work days in Maputo are required to 
register with the Consular Section in the Chancery to 
ensure that the Mission has current emergency contact 
information for each visitor. 
 
¶7. Financial Matters: With the exception of the main 
hotels in Maputo, Mozambique is essentially a cash 
economy.  Credit cards are of limited utility.  Vendors 
will accept U.S. dollars (or South African rand) in 
lieu of the local currency, the metical.  For a day 
trip to Maputo, we recommend visitors bring with them 
USD 100 in cash for spending money.  Dollars can be 
exchanged at any bank or currency exchange facility. 
Embassy Maputo recommends against the use of travelers' 
checks, as transaction charges are uniformly high. 
Please note that Embassy Maputo will need fiscal data 
in the event that extensive services or goods are 
required during the visit.  There are no currency 
import/export restrictions in affect at this time.  The 
American Express credit card is accepted by Mozambican 
Airlines (LAM). Please note that charge limits are in 
effect on most credit card transactions, and hotel 
bills need to be settled every few days. 
 
¶8. Visas:  Visas are required for entry into 
Mozambique, and Embassy Maputo urges travelers to have 
them prior to traveling.  Travelers arriving from a 
country without a Mozambican embassy can get visas at 
 
the airport or land border entry points for USD 20 or 
300,000 meticais.  Those arriving from a country with a 
Mozambican embassy can obtain visas at the airport or 
land border entry points for USD 25. Diplomatic 
visitors without visas will have their passports held 
pending processing of a visa, which requires Embassy 
Maputo to process a diplomatic note. 
 
¶9. Security/Threat Assessment:  The biggest threat 
facing U.S. citizens visiting Mozambique is crime.  The 
State Department has designated Mozambique a critical- 
threat post for crime. Street crime and vehicle 
hijackings are common and can be violent.  Visitors 
must be vigilant when out in public areas, and should 
not display jewelry or other items of high value. 
Visitors should avoid carrying backpacks or purses, as 
these can draw unwanted attention of would-be muggers. 
Isolated areas, such as along the Marginal (the area 
along the sea), should be avoided as joggers and 
pedestrians have been mugged frequently, even during 
daylight hours. 
 
There are no known terrorist groups active in 
Mozambique and no current indications that U.S. 
citizens are being targeted by terrorist organizations. 
 
The police are poorly paid, poorly equipped, and lack 
the professionalism that U.S. citizens are accustomed 
to in the United States. Visitors requiring emergency 
assistance should not rely on local emergency services, 
but should contact the Marine Security Guard at Post 
One at 21-49-07-23.  Mozambican law requires that all 
persons carry an identity document, such as a passport, 
when out in public, and produce it if requested by 
police. A copy of passport identity and visa pages is 
acceptable.  There are certain areas in the city of 
Maputo where pedestrian traffic is prohibited, e.g., in 
front of the presidential offices located north of the 
Hotel Polana on the seaside of Avenida Julius Nyerere. 
 
Overland travel after dark is extremely dangerous due 
to poor road conditions, lack of emergency services, 
and the increased potential for vehicle high-jacking. 
Official Americans serving in Mozambique are prohibited 
from overland travel outside city limits during the 
hours of darkness. 
 
TDY visitors spending more than two work days in 
Mozambique must schedule a security briefing with the 
Regional Security Officer. 
 
¶10. Airport Departure Tax: There is an airport 
departure tax, payable only in cash in U.S. dollars or 
in meticais, of USD 20 or its equivalent for long- 
distance international flights and USD 20 or its 
equivalent for regional flights (those within Southern 
Africa).  A domestic departure tax of 55,000 meticais 
is levied. 
 
¶11. Airline Reservations: Changing airline tickets 
after arriving in Maputo is often difficult.  Passenger 
reservations on all airlines can be changed through the 
national airline and/or travel agents in South Africa, 
but reissuing tickets have proven difficult. Travelers 
should be sure to confirm onward flight reservations. 
 
¶12. Health: Travelers are advised that chloroquine- 
resistant malaria is present in Mozambique.  The most 
recent guidance from the Department of State Medical 
Office recommends weekly use of mefloquine as the drug 
of choice for malaria prophylaxis in chloroquine- 
resistant areas.  Mefloquine must be started one to two 
weeks before arriving at post. Daily doxycycline is an 
alternative regimen. Doxycycline must be started three 
days before arriving at post.  Both malaria prophylaxis 
medications must be continued for four weeks after 
departing post. 
 
LA LIME