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The Blue Lagoon and Coconut Palms
The Blue Lagoon and Coconut Palms
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Customs: Customs officers are very active on the Moçambican side of the border and all vehicles are inspected before being cleared into the country. The emphasis is on collecting import duty rather than on confiscating any goods. Customs officers are more circumspect about taking bribes as their jobs are now on the line. Officially, they see their function as encouraging people to buy in Moçambique so as to boost internal trade, (and they are closely monitored by their superiors). Most tourists will have little to fear from the Moçambique Customs as they will not be importing anything other than personal effects. There is little point in importing beer or whisky as these are available and cheap in Moçambique. Other booze that originates in SA is very expensive because it is bought at retail prices in SA. SA wines are scarce in Moçambique and only 2 liters may be imported per person but Portuguese wines are plentiful and not terribly expensive (see what to bring). Food items to the value of US$50 may be imported without duty. There is a R10 charge for stamping the TIP and R12 per passport sticker, when available, or just a stamp when the stickers are out of stock. All goods for re-export such as kayaks, jet-ski's and quad bikes should be listed on the vehicle's Temporary Import Permit (TIP) and no duty will be levied on them. Any items that are obviously not for re-export such as furniture or building materials should be well-hidden or declared. To pay the import duty you will need a credible invoice for the goods to be imported and you will have to pay the duty in Meticais. Most classes of goods seem to attract a duty of 46% but there is a schedule, in Portuguese, stuck to the wall which you can refer to. You will receive an elaborate receipt for all duties paid, which you should keep because there is another customs inspection post a few km inside the border which does spot checks in order to keep the border officials pure. There are often 'assisters' to be found at the Moçambique side of the border that offer to jump the queue and get you cleared quickly. For a fee. The fee depends on the length of the queue to be jumped and the number of people in the party to be so assisted, but should vary between R20 and R50. The assistance is needed more on exiting Moçambique because the queues can become very long and get-home-itis can be acute. Use them with caution and expect a certain amount of wheedling for more money when they hand back your documents. On exiting the country you should present your TIP to Customs who will check that you haven't overstayed your 30 day welcome and then stamp the remaining TIP pages and rip out the second last one. On some occasions Customs will physically check the vehicle for the extra items listed on the TIP and a few people have been asked to explain the absence of these goods. Nobody else will look at the TIP after this time. Hence some people have 'forgotten' to call at Customs on the way out. After this you proceed to Immigration where they stamp your passport with an out-going stamp. This stamp is rarely checked at the exit gate, leading to more amnesia.
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