Mozambique

Last update: 2026-04-23
MZ MZNMT Portuguese
Pros
Abundant natural gas and mineral reserves offering significant private sector growth opportunities.
Strategic maritime access to global markets through extensive Indian Ocean coastline.
Emerging tourism and real estate markets with potential for high-yield private development.
Cons
Pervasive institutional corruption and heavy bureaucratic hurdles for business operations.
Significant security threats from regional insurgencies impacting northern investment stability.
Inadequate transport and energy infrastructure increasing operational costs for entrepreneurs.
Personal income
10 → 32%
progressive
Corporate
32%
flat
Capital gains
10 → 32%
progressive
VAT (standard)
16%
standard rate
i 6.4 PRIVACY GRADE
i 3.5 VERY LOW TAX
i 2 CRYPTO HAVEN
i 2 EASY CITIZENSHIP
i 1.7 DIVIDEND PIPELINE
i 1.6 HOLDING
VERYLOW TAX 3.5/10 HOLDING 1.6/10 DIVIDENDPIPELINE 1.7/10 CRYPTOHAVEN 2/10 PRIVACYGRADE 6.4/10 EASYCITIZENSHIP 2/10
01/08

Will Mozambique tax what you earn?

income tax tax residency territorial system

YES, A LOT. Mozambique taxes personal income heavily (top marginal rate 32%), and its definition of tax residence is wide: prolonged stay, economic centre of gravity, the net closes. The classic combo of high rate and broad catchment. Leaving is rarely as simple as buying a plane ticket.

Personal income taxi
10 → 32%
progressive · 5 brackets
Income simulatori
Income
Tax due
Effective rate
all-in
Marginal rate
Tax residence testi
no day count
183-day rule
Economic interest
Family centre
Habitual abode
Extended-stay test
Just one rule above is enough to make you tax-resident here.
02/08

Will Mozambique tax what you own?

capital gains wealth tax inheritance dividends interest

YES, A LOT. Capital gains are taxed heavily in Mozambique at 32%, with no annual wealth tax. But inheritance takes a second bite when assets transfer. Two trigger events on the same value: sale and succession.

Capital gainsi
32%
progressive
Dividend taxi
20%
flat
Interest incomei
20%
flat
Wealth taxi
NONE
no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment
Crypto · tax regimei
Regime
PROGRESSIVE
Rate
32%
As of January 1, 2026, Mozambique has implemented Law No. 11/2025, which explicitly incorporates cryptocurrencies and virtual assets into the Personal Income Tax (IRPS) Code. These are classified as 'digital goods' (intangible assets). Gains from the transfer of these assets are treated as capital gains and are subject to autonomous taxation at progressive rates ranging from 10% to 32%. While the law is now in effect, the government has a 180-day window from early 2026 to finalize specific implementing regulations.
Crypto-to-cryptoi
TAXABLE
each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade
FATF travel rulei
NOT SIGNED
no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers
Inheritance systemi
APPLIES
system · heir-based · 5 heir classes
HeirTop rateAllowance
Spouse 2%
Children 2%
Siblings
Other relatives
Non-relatives 10%
03/08

Is it easy to run a company in Mozambique?

corporate tax criminal liability public registry VAT IP box

NO. Mozambique runs the full pressure stack: corporate tax at 32%, criminal liability for misuse of corporate assets (your own consent doesn't waive the offense; using company funds for personal purposes is prosecutable, even as sole shareholder), and public corporate registries (your name as shareholder visible to anyone with a browser). Heavy rate, real prosecution risk, full ownership visibility. Hard to design a worse operating frame for an owner-operator.

Corporate taxi
32%
flat · +35% Confidential and illicit expenses, as well as any expenses without proper supporting documentation
IP Box · Patent Boxi
NONE
no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules
Misuse of corporate assetsi
CRIMINAL LIABILITY
Article 448 of the Penal Code (Código Penal), Law No. 35/2014 (as revised by Law No. 24/2019)
Mozambique follows the principle of the 'Autonomy of the Legal Entity' (Autonomia Patrimonial). Under Article 448 of the Penal Code, it is a criminal offense for a manager or director to use corporate assets or credit for personal benefit or for the benefit of another entity in which they have an interest. This applies strictly even to a sole shareholder-manager because the company's assets are legally distinct from the individual's personal patrimony. The law protects the integrity of the company's capital and the interests of potential creditors, meaning the act is punishable regardless of whether the company is currently solvent.
Shareholders privacyi
PUBLIC PAYWALL
Conservatória do Registo de Entidades Legais (CREL)
Directors privacyi
PUBLIC PAYWALL
Conservatória do Registo de Entidades Legais (CREL)
Incorporation costi
Private Limited Liability Company
Sociedade por Quotas (Lda)
Government Registration and Notary Fees USD 157
Publication in the Official Gazette (Boletim da República) USD 393
Professional Legal and Incorporation Services USD 2,280
Total USD 2,830
VAT standard ratei
16%
2 distinct tiers in force
0% 16%
Food & drink
0%
food
Agriculture
0%
farm inputs
04/08

Is Mozambique good for your holding company?

treaty network participation exemption withholding

NO. Mozambique doesn't carry a treaty network, which makes it unsuitable as a holding jurisdiction. Any dividend flowing in or out faces full statutory withholding, and no domestic participation exemption can compensate for missing relief on the source side.

Territorial systemi
Individuals
WORLDWIDE
Corporates
WORLDWIDE
Individuals: worldwide income taxation regardless of source. Corporates: worldwide.
Participation exemptioni
NONE
no dividend participation exemption regime
CFC rulesi
APPLY
Profits from foreign entities in low-tax areas are attributed to Mozambican shareholders owning at least 25%, or 10% if residents collectively hold over 50%. A low-tax regime is one with no income tax or an effective rate of 19.2% or less.
WHT · dividendsi
20%
non-resident outbound
WHT · interest
20%
non-resident outbound
WHT · royalties
20%
non-resident outbound
Tax-haven WHT
no punitive rate on record
Treaties signedi
0
active
Treaties pending
in negotiation
Tax treaty networki
origin · MZ 0% > 0% no treaty
Inspect a country
Hover any country on the map to read its withholding-tax treaty with MZ.
Country Status Dividends Interest Royalties
// no treaties match
05/08

What does it cost to come and go from Mozambique?

exit tax territorial system dual citizenship

SOME. Mozambique taxes worldwide income while you're resident, but there's no exit tax on the way out. The cost of leaving is mostly paperwork: unrealised gains follow you to the next jurisdiction untouched.

Exit taxi
NONE
no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism
Dual citizenship
FORBIDDEN
naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship
Citizenship paths
Residence
Marriage
Birth
Descent
Investment
06/08

Will Mozambique protect your privacy?

info exchange corporate registries

YES. Mozambique has signed few exchange frameworks, so foreign tax authorities won't routinely see what you do here. But corporate registries are public: ownership and directorships are queryable by anyone with a browser. Privacy from abroad, transparency at home.

Multilateral reporting frameworks 0/10 active
CRS
CARF
FATCA
MLI
BEPS
MAAC
GLOBAL FORUM
EOIR
CRYPTO-CARF
CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE
07/08

Is Mozambique itself a liability?

blacklists FATF standing

NO. Mozambique carries no entries on any major blacklist, though it sits outside FATF membership. Counterparties may apply light extra due diligence, but no formal stigma attaches to dealing with it.

Blacklist exposure Clear everywhere
FATF
grey / black list
EU
non-cooperative list
FRANCE
ETNC list
SPAIN
tax-haven list
PORTUGAL
favourable regimes
BRAZIL
low-tax list
08/08

Will you feel free in Mozambique?

press freedom crypto CBDC EU

NO. Press freedom in Mozambique is restricted (RSF rank #101). Civic space and independent media operate under pressure or not at all, a constraint that typically extends to financial expression as well, even where crypto isn't formally banned.

Press freedom · RSF indexi
101/180
score 52 · ↑ 4 ranks year-on-year
Central bank digital currencyi
NONE
no announced CBDC program · no pilot · no retail or wholesale prototype on record
SEE ALSO

Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Mozambique. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.
NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.
NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.