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Doing business
Doing business in Mozambique
The official bodies a foreign company, investor or professional deals with in Mozambique – linked to their own websites – plus the treaties that matter for contracts and disputes, and law firms there that list business work.
Key facts
Key facts for business in Mozambique
The short answer
Company registry in Mozambique: Serviços de Registos e Notariado (SRN) – Portal do Utente, Entidades Legais. Requirements, fees and timelines change – confirm them with the body concerned and a lawyer admitted in Mozambique before you act.
| Legal system | Civil law (Portuguese-based, with customary law) |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Portuguese |
| Currency | Mozambican metical (MZN) |
| Regional blocs | SADC |
| OHADA business law | No |
| AfCFTA (continental free trade) | Ratified (instrument deposited) |
| New York Convention (arbitral awards) | Party – in force since 1998 |
| ICSID Convention (investment disputes) | Contracting state – in force since 1995 |
| Apostille Convention (public documents) | Not a party – documents usually need legalization |
Treaty status from the official depositary records (UNCITRAL, ICSID, HCCH), regional blocs from their own websites, AfCFTA from tralac – checked October 2026. Not legal advice.
Official bodies
Who does what in Mozambique
| What for | Official body | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Registering a company | Serviços de Registos e Notariado (SRN) – Portal do Utente, Entidades Legais | utente.srn.gov.mz |
| Central bank, currency and foreign exchange | Banco de Moçambique – Bank of Mozambique | bancomoc.mz |
| Courts and justice | Tribunal Supremo da República de Moçambique – Supreme Court of the Republic of Mozambique | ts.gov.mz |
We could not confirm an official website for: investment promotion, tax, work and residence permits. We only link to sites we could open and confirm as the body’s own in October 2026.
Each link was opened and checked as the body’s own website in October 2026. Links to official sites only – never to agents or look-alike sites.
Getting started
What foreign businesses usually sort out first
- Choose how you will operate. A subsidiary, a branch, a representative office, or working through a local partner or distributor. The options and their conditions are set by national company law.
- Register the business. Company registration: Serviços de Registos e Notariado (SRN) – Portal do Utente, Entidades Legais.
- Register for tax. Tax registration: the national tax administration.
- Check investment rules and incentives. Some sectors have licensing, local-ownership or registration rules, and some investors qualify for incentives. Investment agency: the national investment agency.
- Permits for foreign staff. Work and residence permits: the national immigration authority.
- Banking and foreign exchange. Rules on accounts, moving money in and out and paying dividends abroad come from the central bank (Banco de Moçambique) and the banks.
- Contracts and disputes. Agree the governing law, the courts or arbitration seat, and the language. Mozambique is a party to the New York Convention, so arbitral awards made in other member states can be recognized there under it.
A general checklist, not legal advice. What applies to you depends on your sector, structure and nationality.
Law firms
Law firms in Mozambique for business matters
ABCC Advogados
Maputo
I.K Advogados, Sociedade Unipessoal, Lda.
Maputo
JLA Advogados
Maputo
MDR Advogados (Mendes, Duarte Rocha e Associados)
Maputo
SAL & Caldeira Advogados, Lda.
Maputo
5 firms in Mozambique list corporate, tax, employment or other business work on their own websites. See every firm in Mozambique.
Checking a lawyer in Mozambique
Who admits lawyers:
Professional title: Advogado
Official roll:
Check the 'Advogados Inscritos' (registered lawyers) section of the OAM website, or ask the OAM to confirm the lawyer's registration number.
We could not confirm every detail from official sources, so use this as a starting point.
Sources: , . Checked October 2026. Not legal advice.
Questions
Doing business in Mozambique: questions
Where do you register a company in Mozambique?
With Serviços de Registos e Notariado (SRN) – Portal do Utente, Entidades Legais (utente.srn.gov.mz). Requirements change, so confirm them with the registry and a lawyer admitted in Mozambique.
Is Mozambique a party to the New York Convention?
Yes – in force since 1998 (UNCITRAL status table, checked October 2026).
Does Mozambique accept apostilles?
Mozambique is not a party to the Apostille Convention (HCCH status table, checked October 2026), so foreign public documents usually need legalization – typically through the issuing country’s foreign ministry and Mozambique’s embassy or consulate. Confirm with the authority that will receive the document.
What currency is used in Mozambique?
Mozambican metical (MZN).