Mozambique cruise ship visa.

I know there are some very clever people on here and I'm asking for help.

I am booked on a 5 night cruise with MSC departing in April from Durban. Just received information that the Mozambique government has told cruise ships they can't do the visas anymore and visas have to be arranged before getting on the ship. The problem is that Australia doesn't have a consulate with the closest being Japan or South Africa. We have to provide proof to MSC that we have this visa by the end of the month.

Any help would be appreciated,

Regards Elaine.

I don't have any useful suggestions, however according to DFAT there is/was a Mozambique consulate in Sydney and also one in Melbourne. Maybe they would be useful.

New South Wales

Consulate of the Republic Mozambique (New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory)

Consulate:

Suite 4.05, 247 Coward Street

Mascot NSW 2030 Tel: (02) 9669 1099

Fax: (02) 9317 4514

Email: mozambique.honconsul@gmail.com

Hours of Business:

Wednesday - Friday: 10.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m.

Mr Andrew STRANG Honorary Consul (09/02/2012)

Ms Camilla STRANG

Sorry, cannot help except to point you to the smartraveller site. http://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/africa/east/Pages/mozambique.aspx

Mozambican visas can be arranged prior to travelling through the nearest Embassy or Consulate of Mozambique. There have been reports of travellers having difficulties obtaining visas on arrival. Be aware that visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) can change at short notice.

Australians travelling to or from Mozambique through South Africa (including transiting) should read the Entry and exit section of our travel advice for South Africa. South Africa has introduced specific documentation requirements for all children travelling to South Africa. Please note South Africa’s Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate requirements and be aware that it does not accept provisional travel documents (i.e. one page travel documents).

If you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present, a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate is required.

Make sure your passport has at least six months’ validity from your planned date of return to Australia.

Thanks for the replies. I posted it on the roll call and someone who booked direct with the cruise line phoned MSC Australia with the response that we can use Visa Link who will do the visa in Japan as this is our closest embassy for $690 plus $89 for the visa.

Currently trying to cancel but MSC want to keep my deposit even though the Mozambique government changed the rules after I booked.

Regards Elaine.

Hi Elaine,

The whole thing sounds very strange to me. I found this on Trip 24.. dated April 2017

http://www.traveller24.com/TravelPlanning/VisaInfo/mozambique-introduces-tourist-visa-on-arrival-20170410

Mozambique introduces tourist visa on arrival

2017-04-10 08:30

Have things changed again since then?

I thought they were trying to encourage tourists to visit Mozambique.

The Mozambique government changed the rules last November. You can still obtain visa on arrival at border crossings and airports but no longer at cruise ports.

I'm just annoyed that MSC want to keep the deposit of $700 if I cancel as when I booked you could still get the visa from the cruise ship. Also they state we can go on the cruise without a visa but we wouldn't be able to get off at the ports which is not what I wanted.

Regards Elaine.

Thanks for the replies. I posted it on the roll call and someone who booked direct with the cruise line phoned MSC Australia with the response that we can use Visa Link who will do the visa in Japan as this is our closest embassy for $690 plus $89 for the visa.

Currently trying to cancel but MSC want to keep my deposit even though the Mozambique government changed the rules after I booked.

Regards Elaine.

What did the local consulate say?

Was told they don't do visas and haven't had a reply to the email I sent.

Regards Elaine.

The Mozambique government changed the rules last November. You can still obtain visa on arrival at border crossings and airports but no longer at cruise ports.

I'm just annoyed that MSC want to keep the deposit of $700 if I cancel as when I booked you could still get the visa from the cruise ship. Also they state we can go on the cruise without a visa but we wouldn't be able to get off at the ports which is not what I wanted.

Regards Elaine.

I'm not suggesting anything, but I have heard that US $20 note works wonders in certain parts of the world.

What a shame, hope you can get it resolved to your satisfaction.

Was told they don't do visas and haven't had a reply to the email I sent.

Regards Elaine.

They don't make it easy for tourists, do they?!

If you're happy to do it yourself, they have it set up for you to do that. The information is here:

http://embamoc.jp/english/visa/index.html

It looks like it'll probably cost you about $300, though the bulk of that is courier fees, so if for two or more people you wouldn't need to pay double courier fees. Plus you may be able to send it from your end with a cheaper service, though coming back would be stuck with their standard.

$136 for the visa and a lot of hassle, what a real ****ake.:p

In 2016, we stayed onboard Sun Princess when docked in Mozambique - didn't need a visa. It was the only port in our travels around the World where we chose not to leave the ship. As far as I could make out, it was a good decision.

In 2016, we stayed onboard Sun Princess when docked in Mozambique - didn't need a visa. It was the only port in our travels around the World where we chose not to leave the ship. As far as I could make out, it was a good decision.

We were also on that Indian Ocean Cruise and if I remember correctly, someone from our Roll Call had obtained a letter from the Mozambique authorities stating that if they didn't get off the ship, a Visa wasn't required. We, along with numerous other passengers queried this with Passenger Services and eventually Passenger Services sent a questionnaire to ALL passengers asking whether they intended going ashore in Maputo. We were told approximately 500 stayed onboard and we were not issued or charged for a visa.

One of the main reasons for not wanting to go ashore was that we were going to be 5 hours late getting into port on a Sunday afternoon (when everything would be closed) because of strong winds/currents. Another reason was Smartraveller's warnings about safety in the town. I think that those who changed their minds later were able to get a refund of their pre-paid shuttle tickets to the (morning) market but not for the visa.

From the top Deck we could see passengers walking to the Town Square past derelict buildings. We were able to take photos from the ship of the statue in the Square and the nice railway Station with the Dome designed by Eiffel.

Can't really remember the details - that was 2 years ago!!! :) - but I think we had decided before we departed that we wouldn't go ashore in Maputo. It was a great cruise- loved what we saw in South Africa - I also learned to never go to Perth/Fremantle in Summer!! :)

Just received an email from my TA stating that we can now obtain a visa on the ship for $50US. We have 3 ports in Mozambique so I wanted to get off the ship. I wouldn't have booked the cruise otherwise. Just glad it is sorted.

Regards Elaine.

Just received an email from my TA stating that we can now obtain a visa on the ship for $50US. We have 3 ports in Mozambique so I wanted to get off the ship. I wouldn't have booked the cruise otherwise. Just glad it is sorted.

Regards Elaine.

Great News, glad to see that common sense has prevailed! We were also on the Indian Ocean Odyssey 2 years ago, absolutely fantastic voyage. (I will not mention the Indian Visa saga foisted on all the passengers, it still causes great wailing and gnashing of teeth).

Good news Elaine. Glad its all sorted . You did not need all that stress. Now you can relax and enjoy your cruise.:cool:

Wonderful news, so glad it was worked out so well for you.

Yes, very relieved and looking forward to the cruise. Haven't cruised MSC before so it will be interesting to see how things are done.

Regards Elaine.

I’ll be joining HAL’s world cruise shortly for the last half and we also visit Mozambique. The visa issue was a much followed topic on my roll call.

There was a problem with some officials a couple of months ago when it came to issuing visas so one cruise ship turned around and cancelled the port altogether. There was such an outcry from locals losing valuable tourist dollars and govt officials that the system has been reviewed and the couple of ships that have visited since have had no issues getting the visas on board.