Mozambique: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: No dedicated crypto/digital-asset law; Banco de Moçambique (central bank) exercises general financial oversight; general income-tax (IRPS/IRPC) and capital-markets legislation apply by default in the absence of crypto-specific rules

Mozambique has enacted no legislation specifically governing cryptocurrencies or virtual assets; activities are neither explicitly banned nor formally authorised or licensed. The Banco de Moçambique has historically cautioned citizens that crypto is unregulated and that transactions on foreign-domiciled platforms are entirely at the user's risk. Regulatory momentum is building, the country exited the FATF grey list in October 2025 and the central bank governor has publicly acknowledged the need for dedicated crypto oversight and capacity-building.

Framework: National Commission for Artificial Intelligence (CNIA), Council of Ministers Decree (March 2025); National AI Strategy under development by INTIC with UNESCO technical support

Mozambique has no enacted AI-specific legislation or adopted regulatory framework for artificial intelligence. In early 2025 the Council of Ministers formally established the National Commission for Artificial Intelligence (CNIA) by decree to advise on ethical, legal, security, and social dimensions of AI. A National AI Strategy is actively being drafted by INTIC with UNESCO technical assistance, supported by a completed AI Readiness Assessment, while existing digital law (the 2017 Electronic Transactions Law and a pending Cybersecurity Bill) offers only a partial foundation.

Framework: No comprehensive data protection law in force as of May 2026. Fragmented privacy obligations exist under Law No. 3/2017 (Electronic Transactions Law), the Constitution, Civil Code, Penal Code, Labour Law, and Consumer Law. A standalone Personal Data Protection Bill (Proposta de Lei) was approved by the Council of Ministers in March 2026 and submitted to the Assembly of the Republic for final vote.

Mozambique currently lacks a dedicated, comprehensive data protection statute. Privacy-related obligations are scattered across several sectoral laws, most notably the Electronic Transactions Law (Law 3/2017), which restricts unauthorised access to personal data files. A GDPR-inspired Personal Data Protection Bill advanced through public consultation in late 2025, was approved by the Council of Ministers in March 2026, and was pending a final vote in the Assembly of the Republic as of May 2026.

Framework: Law No. 20/2020 (Credit Institutions and Financial Companies Law) + Decree No. 50/2024; supervised by Banco de Moçambique

Mozambique has a foundational licensing regime for payment and e-money institutions embedded within its broader banking law (Law 20/2020), under the supervision of Banco de Moçambique, with electronic money institutions classified as credit institutions. The framework is actively developing: a new national instant payment system (SPIM) was launched in March 2026, and a multi-edition regulatory sandbox provides a fintech licensing pathway, but dedicated standalone payment-services legislation, open banking rules, and BNPL-specific regulation do not yet exist.

Framework: Mozambique Foreign Labour Law (Lei do Trabalho), administered by the National Migration Service (SENAMI, Serviço Nacional de Migração) and the Ministry of Labour (MITESS); residence formalised through the DIRE (Documento de Identificação e Residência para Estrangeiros)

Mozambique has no dedicated digital-nomad or remote-work visa. Remote workers and freelancers must use existing visa categories: the business visa (up to 120 days), or a work visa combined with Ministry of Labour authorisation for longer-term independent work, leading to a DIRE residence permit. A tiered investor-residency programme (minimum USD 500,000) was announced in 2024-2025 but targets capital investors rather than remote workers.

Framework: Electronic Transactions Law (Law 3/2017); Cybersecurity Law and Cybercrime Law (passed by Assembly of the Republic, April 2026); Decree 59/2023 on Registration and Licensing of Intermediary Electronic Service Providers and Operators of Digital Platforms (amended by Decree 44/2025); Telecommunications Traffic Control Regulation (Decree 48/2025); Personal Data Protection Bill under legislative process

Mozambique has a patchwork of partial online-safety and cyber-governance rules rather than a single comprehensive statute: the Electronic Transactions Law (2017) provides the base, while the Assembly of the Republic approved dedicated Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Laws in April 2026 and Decree 59/2023 (amended 2025) obliges digital platform operators to register and meet security standards. There is no consolidated online-safety regime comparable to the EU DSA or UK Online Safety Act, no specific age-verification rules, and the government imposed social-media blocks and internet curfews during post-election unrest in late 2024.

Framework: Cyber Security Act & Cybercrimes Act (approved first reading by Parliament April 2026, not yet promulgated); National Cybersecurity Strategy 2021; INTIC as primary regulatory body

Mozambique's parliament cleared the Cyber Security Act and Cybercrimes Act at first reading on 16-17 April 2026, establishing a dedicated legal framework and a new National Cyber Security Authority, but the laws had not yet completed full parliamentary passage and presidential promulgation as of May 2026. Prior to this, cybersecurity obligations rested on a 2021 National Cybersecurity Strategy, limited provisions in the 2019 Penal Code and 2017 Electronic Transactions Law, and a 2023-established national CSIRT. A general breach-notification obligation does not yet exist outside the banking sector.

Framework: Commercial Code (Decreto-Lei No. 1/2022 of 25 May 2022); Investment Law No. 8/2023 of 9 June 2023; Investment Regulations (Decree No. 8/2024 of 7 March 2024); administered by APIEX (Agency for Promotion of Investments and Exports) and Commercial Registry Offices (Conservatórias do Registo Comercial)

Mozambique permits 100% foreign ownership in most sectors under the 2023 Investment Law, with business formation completed via a 5-7-step process at Commercial Registry Offices or the electronic one-stop shop (E-BAU) in 10-30 days. No statutory minimum paid-up capital is required for basic company formation, but foreign investors seeking profit-repatriation protections must meet a minimum FDI threshold of MZN 6.5 million (~USD 100,000). All filings must be in Portuguese, with foreign documents requiring apostille and certified translation, adding procedural complexity for foreign founders.