VZCZCXRO9718
RR RUEHLMC
DE RUEHTO #1026/01 2261251
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 141251Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP  0072
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5856

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MAPUTO 001026 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
MCC FOR SGAULL 
AF/S FOR HTREGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KMCA EAID ECON OVIP AFIN OTRA MZ
SUBJ: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR MILLENNIUM 
CHALLENGE CORPORATION (MCC) TO TRAVEL TO MOZAMBIQUE 
 
REF: MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP 447 
 
¶1.  Embassy Maputo welcomes and grants country 
clearance for, Jonathan Saiger, Director, 
Infrastructure and Omar Hopkins, Associate Director, 
Infrastructure to travel to Mozambique on August 21-25, 
2006 and for Cassia Carvalho-Pacheco, MCC Associate 
Country Director to travel to Mozambique on August 31, 
2006 to September 14, 2006 to further program design 
the MCA-Mozambique Program. 
 
Please advise as soon as possible regarding any 
schedule or itinerary changes; refer to para 8 
regarding visa requirements. 
 
¶2. Control Officer: 
 
John Wysham, Acting DCM at the Embassy, will be the 
control officer. He can be contacted at: 
 
-- Office telephone:  (258) 2149-27-97, ext.3643 
-- Office fax:        (258) 2149-35-74 
-- Cellular:          (258) 82-315-7170 
 
¶3.  Hotel Reservations: 
 
Post has made hotel reservations at the Hotel Avenida. The 
rate for a single room is USD$105.00, which includes a 
breakfast buffet. Maputo per diem is currently USD$224.00 
(lodging USD$146 and meals/incidentals USD$78). 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             bookings@hotelavenida.co.mz 
 
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. 
 
Expeditor will pick-up and drop off at airport. 
 
¶4.  Briefing by RSO on Security Situation: 
 
Please see paragraph 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 dos 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 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 
 
MAPUTO 00001026  002 OF 003 
 
 
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 
 
MAPUTO 00001026  003 OF 003 
 
 
tickets have proven difficult. Travelers should be sure 
to confirm onward flight reservations. 
 
¶12. Transiting Johannesburg Airport: 
 
Please be aware that baggage security is a significant 
problem at the Johannesburg airport. Many items have 
been stolen from checked bags, including the checked 
bags themselves.  The items stolen most often are 
electronics (including I-Pods, digital 
cameras/cameras, and alarm clocks), toiletries (such 
as soap, shaving kits and cologne)and shoes 
(especially expensive running/athletic shoes). A 
LOCKED BAG DOES NOT ENSURE SECURITY - please put items 
such as these in your carry-on baggage.  One security 
measure that seems to meet with some success is to 
have your luggage stretch-wrapped at your point of 
departure.  The stretch-wrapping makes it more 
difficult for the thieves to gain access to your 
luggage.  Be aware that flights between Johannesburg 
and Maputo are often serviced by a small plane with 
little space for carry-on luggage.  This may require 
passengers to check their larger carry-on items. 
Please ensure your valuables are kept in a bag small 
enough to carry on your lap to keep them with you at 
all times.  We take this problem very seriously and 
are doing what we can to help aid a solution. In 
brief, please: 
 
- Leave behind irreplaceable valuables; 
- Always lock your bags; 
- Have your luggage stretch-wrapped when possible; 
- Keep your valuables with you in a small carry-on. 
 
¶13. 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. 
 
¶14. 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. 
 
DUDLEY