Mozambique: Incident of Detention Due to Lack of Identification

Incident Summary:

1. On May 29th at around 4:00 PM, a Japanese national visiting Mozambique was detained by the police while traveling by vehicle in southern Manica Province.
2. The individual was asked to stop and present identification by the police. Since they did not have their passport with them (it had been left at their hotel), they were taken to the border control office near Zimbabwe. There, they were held for approximately one hour and requested to pay a sum of money. They were released around 6:00 PM after making the payment.

Important Note:

• Although Mozambican law does not mandate fines for not carrying a passport or ID, there is a risk of detention by the police for identity verification purposes. To avoid such issues, always carry your passport or an official ID card issued in Mozambique when traveling or moving around the country.