VZCZCXYZ0023
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTO #0451/01 1071512
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171512Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 5401
INFO RUCLRFA/USDA FAS WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 000451 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDA FOR FAS/FAA/RANDALL HAGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR MZ
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR RACHEL BICKFORD 
TO VISIT MOZAMBIQUE 
 
REF: PRETORIA 001485 
 
¶1.  Embassy Maputo welcomes and grants country 
clearance for Rachel Bickford, AgAttache, Pretoria, to 
travel to Mozambique on April 19-22, 2006 to attend the 
Africa Regional Technical Seminar for Codex 
Alimentarius and to assist with the 
upcoming USDA/GOM Title I agreement. 
 
Please advise as soon as possible regarding any 
schedule or itinerary changes; refer to para 8 
regarding visa requirements. 
 
¶2. Control Officer: 
 
Brooke Williams, Econ Officer at the Embassy, will be 
control officer. She can be contacted at: 
 
-- Office telephone:  (258) 2149-27-97, ext.3422 
-- Office fax:        (258) 2149-35-74 
-- Cellular:          (258) 82-300-0834 
 
¶3.  Hotel Reservations: 
 
Post understands that no hotel assistance is needed. 
Expeditor will pick-up and drop off at airport. 
 
 
¶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 medevac 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 
 
MAPUTO 00000451  002 OF 002 
 
 
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 highjacking. 
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