Building in Mozambique

What this country imposes on a build: the networks, the permit, the legal wages, the VAT and the bodies that collect.

Networks at the boundary

ElectricityEDMIntermittent network
Electricidade de Moçambique generates, transmits and distributes. **The country exports Cahora Bassa power to South Africa while a large part of its territory is unconnected**: that is the structural contradiction of the sector. The network is stretched along 2,700 km of coast, which makes it vulnerable to cyclones: Idai and Freddy cut the centre of the country for weeks. Maputo is decently served, the rest far less so.
WaterFIPAG / AdRMIntermittent network
FIPAG owns the urban water assets and Águas da Região de Maputo runs the capital’s network, the other cities having their own operators. The network does not keep up with Greater Maputo’s sprawl and pressure drops during the day where it does reach: a tank is the rule. **A borehole is not a reliable fallback here**: the coastal aquifer is brackish over a wide belt around the city.

Building permit

building licence (licença de construção, municipal council)

This is the name it is applied for under locally. The design, drawings and permits package carries it in the estimate.

How it is obtained

Obtain or confirm the DUAT for the plot from the municipal cadastre, or the provincial cadastre services outside municipal areas. Land in Mozambique belongs to the State: the DUAT is a use right, not ownership. No building licence can be applied for without it, and obtaining one can take several months.
Ask the municipal planning directorate for prior information: location plan, alignments and urban parameters. The applicant has a right to request this before designing.
Commission the architectural and specialty designs from a licensed technician, together with the supervision commitment declaration and a copy of the supervising technician’s licence, both required with the application under Decreto 2/2004.
File the building licence application with the municipal council, in Maputo the urbanisation and construction directorate, or with the district administration outside municipalities, attaching identity document, DUAT, drawings and the technician's licence.
Technical appraisal and approval, payment of the municipal licensing fee set by the local code of by-laws, then issue of the alvará de licença de construção, typically valid one to two years and renewable. Starting without it exposes the owner to fines, embargo and demolition.
Build under the declared supervision, with municipal inspections during the works; the responsible technician must attend the inspection visit.
On completion, request the final inspection from the municipal construction department.
Obtain the licence of use or habitation following that inspection, before occupying the building.

Read on 2026-08-30 from the published guides. Regulatory text ages differently from a price: a fee changes with a finance act, not with a shortage. Check it against the ministry before relying on it.

Who handles it locally

No professionals on record for this country. The permit is still applied for under that name.

Statutory minimum wages

A grid, not a single wage, set by Salário mínimo, sector 6. A day rate quoted below its category floor fails the test suite.

Sector 6, Construção (ministerial diploma 39/2026)

333 MTper day

What is collected

VAT: 16%
Customs: Autoridade Tributária de Moçambique
Payroll bodies: INSS
Registrations: NUIT, Alvará

7 sources cited in this country See local prices

Networks at the boundary

ElectricityEDMIntermittent network

Electricidade de Moçambique generates, transmits and distributes. **The country exports Cahora Bassa power to South Africa while a large part of its territory is unconnected**: that is the structural contradiction of the sector. The network is stretched along 2,700 km of coast, which makes it vulnerable to cyclones: Idai and Freddy cut the centre of the country for weeks. Maputo is decently served, the rest far less so.

WaterFIPAG / AdRMIntermittent network

FIPAG owns the urban water assets and Águas da Região de Maputo runs the capital’s network, the other cities having their own operators. The network does not keep up with Greater Maputo’s sprawl and pressure drops during the day where it does reach: a tank is the rule. **A borehole is not a reliable fallback here**: the coastal aquifer is brackish over a wide belt around the city.

Building permit

building licence (licença de construção, municipal council)

This is the name it is applied for under locally. The design, drawings and permits package carries it in the estimate.

How it is obtained

Obtain or confirm the DUAT for the plot from the municipal cadastre, or the provincial cadastre services outside municipal areas. Land in Mozambique belongs to the State: the DUAT is a use right, not ownership. No building licence can be applied for without it, and obtaining one can take several months.

Ask the municipal planning directorate for prior information: location plan, alignments and urban parameters. The applicant has a right to request this before designing.

Commission the architectural and specialty designs from a licensed technician, together with the supervision commitment declaration and a copy of the supervising technician’s licence, both required with the application under Decreto 2/2004.

File the building licence application with the municipal council, in Maputo the urbanisation and construction directorate, or with the district administration outside municipalities, attaching identity document, DUAT, drawings and the technician's licence.

Technical appraisal and approval, payment of the municipal licensing fee set by the local code of by-laws, then issue of the alvará de licença de construção, typically valid one to two years and renewable. Starting without it exposes the owner to fines, embargo and demolition.

Build under the declared supervision, with municipal inspections during the works; the responsible technician must attend the inspection visit.

On completion, request the final inspection from the municipal construction department.

Obtain the licence of use or habitation following that inspection, before occupying the building.

Read on 2026-08-30 from the published guides. Regulatory text ages differently from a price: a fee changes with a finance act, not with a shortage. Check it against the ministry before relying on it.