eSIM for Mozambique

Viasimo's Mozambique eSIM starts at $8.00 for 1 GB over 7 days, running on Vodacom with 4G LTE where available. Plans last 7 to 30 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app.

Works everywhere in Mozambique

Cabo Delgado Province
Gaza Province
Inhambane Province
Manica
Maputo City
Maputo Province
Nampula

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Duration

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Quantity

1 GB · 7 Days$8.00

1 GB · 7 Days ×1

$8.00

Does my phone take an eSIM? Check now

Dial *#06# on your phone. If you see an EID number, your phone takes an eSIM. Most phones sold since 2019 do.

Not sure it works on your phone? Check compatibility

Network

Which networks does the Mozambique eSIM use?

Host networks: Vodacom

Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them.

Data: 1 GB – 20 GB
Validity: 7–30 days
Speed: 4G LTE
Hotspot / tethering: Supported on most devices
Activation: Starts when you first connect in your destination
Speed management: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced
Top-ups: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires
Text messages (SMS): Data only: use an app for verification codes
Connects via: United States
Unused validity: 180 days before it must be installed

Setting up Buy, scan the QR code we email you, and switch on the travel line when you land. How it works

Choosing a plan

How much data do you need?

The allowances below are our sizing recommendations, not measurements. The plan beside each one is the cheapest option on this page that covers it.

Recommended data allowances matched to the plans sold for this destination
You are	Plan for	Cheapest plan that covers it
LightMaps, messaging and the occasional lookup	About 1 GB a week	$8.001 GB, 7 days
TypicalMaps, social, photos and some browsing	About 3 to 7 GB a week	$31.995 GB, 30 days
HeavyVideo streaming, video calls and uploads	10 GB a week or more	$58.0010 GB, 30 days
Working or sharingTethering a laptop, calls and cloud sync	20 GB a week or more	$109.9920 GB, 30 days

Work it out from your own habits

What a week abroad costs

eSIM, local SIM or roaming?

Charged per day

Your carrier roaming

Queue and plastic

A SIM at the airport

$8.00

Viasimo, one bundle

Only the Viasimo figure is a price: it comes from today’s live catalog. The other two rows are directional, not quoted rates.

About this eSIM

Mozambique is a coastline with a country attached. Most trips here run north or south along the shore, between dive sites, dhow crossings and lodges reached down long sand roads, and almost every arrangement you make gets confirmed by message rather than by phone call. A Mozambique eSIM puts a local data line on your phone before you leave the airport, sitting alongside your usual number rather than replacing it.

Getting online when you land

Do the install while you still have a connection you trust. Adding an eSIM profile is itself a download, and an arrivals hall queue is the worst possible place to discover that. Add it at home, leave the line switched off, and forget about it until the plane is on the ground.

Landing at Maputo, Beira, Nampula or Pemba, come off airplane mode and switch the travel line on. Set it as the line your phone uses for data, allow roaming for that line specifically, then turn mobile data off on your home line while leaving its calls and texts running. Registration normally completes while you are still walking to immigration.

That first connection buys you the practical things: reopening the message thread with your lodge, pulling up a map pin for a guesthouse with no street address, checking what a transfer should cost before you agree to it at a counter, and getting directions loaded for the drive out of the city.

The networks you'll be on

Your phone attaches to Vodacom, which runs 4G LTE in Mozambique. There is no 5G in that mix, so treat 4G/LTE as the good case rather than the floor, and expect the odd drop back to 3G without warning. The handset moves between them on its own; there is no list to pick from and nothing to configure.

The honest framing is that this is a messaging, maps and booking connection rather than a streaming one. Size your expectations that way and the network will feel fine. Try to run a video call from a beach camp and it will not.

Where coverage holds, and where it thins

Signal follows population and the main road. Maputo holds up across the city, and Beira, Nampula, Quelimane, Xai-Xai, Inhambane and Pemba are all usable. The EN1, the long spine road that carries most overland travel here, is broadly covered where it passes towns, with real gaps in the empty stretches between them, some of them hours long.

Where it thins is predictable once you have driven it. The sand tracks out to beach camps around Tofo, Barra and Vilankulo lose signal well before you reach the water. Offshore, on the Bazaruto and Quirimbas islands, assume you are offline unless your lodge has wifi, and plan the day on that basis. The Gorongosa and Niassa interior, the Zambezi delta, and the roads inland toward the Tete and Zambezia hinterland are sparse. Northern Cabo Delgado is thin on infrastructure generally and should be treated as an offline region for planning purposes.

None of that is unusual for the country, and it does not mean the eSIM has failed. It means you should be doing your planning in town and travelling on what you downloaded there.

What you'll actually use data for here

Almost everything runs through WhatsApp. Lodges, dive centres, drivers and guides all confirm and rearrange by message, and voice notes are normal here even where the connection is too weak for a call. Keep the app installed, keep notifications on, and answer when you have bars because you may not have them again for a while.

Maps are the second thing. Addresses are unreliable outside the cities, so what you actually want is a shared pin, downloaded onto the phone before you drive. Tides and dive schedules matter on this coast more than opening hours do, and both get confirmed by message the night before.

Then the small stuff: a Portuguese phrasebook or translation app for markets and checkpoints, currency conversion before you agree to anything, checking whether the ferry or the road is the better option today, and uploading photos in the evening when you are back somewhere with a signal rather than trying to push them from the beach.

Before you fly

Install and test the profile on home wifi, and screenshot the activation confirmation so it is readable without a connection.

Download offline maps for the whole coastal strip you plan to travel, not just the towns. Save the specific pins for every lodge, dive shop and airport transfer, because you will need them exactly where you cannot search for them.

Download a Portuguese language pack for offline translation. Outside the tourist coast, English will not carry you far.

Carry a power bank and a car charger. Distances between towns are long, days are hot, and searching for signal is one of the fastest ways to flatten a battery.

Leave your home line active for calls and texts, with its mobile data switched off so nothing leaks onto it. Then let the travel line do the rest.

Before you buy

Important to know

This is a data-only eSIM. It carries no calls or SMS on its own number.
Your existing number stays on your primary SIM, so calls and verification texts keep working.
Your phone must support eSIM, and some carrier-locked phones cannot install one.
Signal varies with location, terrain, congestion and your handset. Dense urban areas are consistently better served than remote ones.
The eSIM selects a host network automatically. You cannot pick or switch between them.

Looking for more information?

Frequently asked questions

Does an eSIM work in Mozambique?

Yes. Your Mozambique eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are Vodacom. Coverage runs on 4G LTE. There is no 5G on our host network in Mozambique yet.

Do I get 5G in Mozambique?

No. Vodacom do not yet offer 5G to visitors in Mozambique, so your eSIM connects over 4G LTE or slower. Anyone claiming 5G for this destination is quoting a spec sheet, not the network you will actually get.

Do I need an Electronic Travel Authorisation for Mozambique?

British visitors staying up to 30 days need one, according to the UK Foreign Office. Apply on the official evisa.gov.mz portal at least five working days before travel and pay about US$47 online, as payment on arrival isn't possible. Print the approval and receipt. Other nationalities should check the current rules before booking.

Can I show a photo of my passport at a Mozambique police checkpoint?

No. The UK Foreign Office says police won't accept copies or photos of your passport, so carry the original whenever you're out. Hand it only to an official, and ask to see their ID if you're unsure. If you're fined without a clear reason, ask for a written fine to pay at a police station.

Has Mozambique blocked the internet?

During protests after the October 2024 elections, Amnesty International accused the authorities of blocking internet access and media websites. The protests ended in March 2025. Restrictions like this would affect every network, so keep offline copies of your ETA, bookings, maps and emergency contacts, especially around elections or demonstrations.

Which network will my phone show in Mozambique?

Your eSIM uses Vodafone's network, which in Mozambique is run by Vodacom, a Vodafone-group company with around 10.7 million customers. Your phone may show Vodacom or Vodafone. Leave network selection on automatic, and don't choose another Mozambican operator manually, because this plan doesn't use them.

How much data do I need for 7 days in Mozambique?

For 7 days in Mozambique, Viasimo sells 1 GB for $8.00. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone.

Installing, keeping your number, topping up and hotspot work the same everywhere: see how it works →

Know before you go

Mozambique: what to know before you land

In Mozambique your eSIM connects to Vodafone's network on 4G/LTE. Locally, it's run by Vodacom Mozambique, part of the Vodafone-controlled Vodacom Group. Before you fly, you'll probably need to apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorisation. Once you're there, police checkpoints expect your actual passport, and photographing airports or officials is illegal.

Emergency: 112 fire also 198
Plugs: CFMN 230V
Currency: Mozambican metical (MZN)

Main airports

MPM Maputo International Airport

Apps worth having WhatsAppGoogle MapsGoogle Translate (Portuguese offline)Yango

Vodacom Mozambique: the Vodafone-group network you'll use

In Mozambique, Vodafone's network is operated by Vodacom. Vodafone Group holds about 65% of the South Africa-based Vodacom Group, which in turn owns 85% of its Mozambican subsidiary. Vodacom Mozambique reported around 10.7 million customers in 2023, so you'll be on one of the country's largest networks. Your phone may show either Vodacom or Vodafone as the network name. Other Mozambican operators, such as Movitel, aren't used by this plan, so don't manually select them.

Your eSIM runs on 4G/LTE. That's reliable for messaging, maps and booking apps in Maputo and the coastal towns, and service will drop to slower speeds or disappear on long rural stretches.

One local habit worth knowing is that M-Pesa mobile money is widely used, but you can't use it with a data-only eSIM, as it needs a registered local number. Carry Mozambican meticais and a card for hotels and larger restaurants. The UK Foreign Office recommends using ATMs inside banks during the day, not on the street at night.

Applying for Mozambique's Electronic Travel Authorisation

According to the UK Foreign Office, British visitors staying up to 30 days for tourism or business now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before they travel. Other nationalities should check the current rules with their own government or Mozambique's embassy.

The details:

Apply on the official portal, evisa.gov.mz, and be wary of lookalike sites charging extra fees.
Apply at least five working days before you leave, because processing takes at least that long.
The cost is about US$47, made up of a US$37 visa fee and a 650-metical processing fee. You must pay online; payment on arrival isn't possible.
Print the approved ETA and your payment confirmation. Officials can ask to see them when you arrive or leave.
Be ready to show proof of accommodation, a return or onward ticket and enough money for your stay.
Your passport needs six months' validity from arrival and at least two blank pages.

Also keep a PDF copy on your phone, but carry the paper copies the Foreign Office recommends, as you can't rely on your battery or signal at the border.

Police checkpoints, photography and protests in Maputo

Checkpoints are common on Mozambican roads. The UK Foreign Office says police won't accept copies or photos of your passport, so carry the original and hand it only to an official. Some visitors report harassment or requests for bribes. If you're fined for no clear reason, ask for a written fine that you can pay at a police station.

Be careful with your phone camera. Photographing government offices, airports, military sites, official residences or police without permission is illegal, and the Foreign Office's advice is not to take a photo if you're unsure. That includes Maputo International Airport (MPM).

Mozambique saw widespread protests after the October 2024 elections, and Amnesty International accused the government of blocking internet access and media websites. The protests ended in March 2025, but demonstrations can still start at short notice. Avoid crowds and follow local news.

The Foreign Office also advises against travelling after dark outside the main cities, and against displaying phones in the street because knife and gun crime is increasing. It advises against all travel to most of Cabo Delgado province and to parts of Niassa and Nampula provinces.

Researched October 2026 · 7 sources

gov.uk Mozambique travel advice – GOV.UK
gov.uk Mozambique travel advice: entry requirements – GOV.UK
gov.uk Mozambique travel advice: safety and security – GOV.UK
gov.uk Mozambique travel advice: getting help – GOV.UK
en.wikipedia.org Vodacom – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org 2024–2025 Mozambican protests – Wikipedia
worldstandards.eu Plug, socket & voltage by country – WorldStandards

7-day itinerary

Seven days in southern Mozambique: Maputo, Inhambane, Tofo and the Bazaruto Archipelago

A coast-focused week in the south of the country, well away from the northern provinces under travel warnings: two days in Maputo and on Inhaca Island, then a flight to Inhambane for Tofo's ocean life and a daytime drive to Vilankulo for the Bazaruto islands.

Length: 7 days
Bases: 4

When to go May to November is the dry, cooler season with calmer seas; humpback whales pass Tofo from about July to October, and cyclones and heavy rain are possible from December to March.

Day 1 Maputo

Maputo: the Baixa and the railway station

Maputo International Airport is a short drive from the centre; use a pre-arranged transfer and don't photograph the airport.

Make sure your approved ETA and payment confirmation are printed. In Maputo, start at the Central Railway Station, the domed early 20th-century station building in the Baixa, then walk to the Fortaleza, the old Portuguese fort. See the prefabricated Iron House and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, then browse the Mercado Central for spices, cashews and fabrics.

Signal Your eSIM uses Vodafone's network, run locally by Vodacom, with reliable 4G in central Maputo. Don't manually select other Mozambican operators.
Day 2 Maputo

Day trip to Inhaca Island

Boats from Maputo take about 1 to 2 hours depending on the vessel; check the return time before you go.

Take a boat across Maputo Bay to Inhaca Island, with its sandy beaches, mangroves and coral reefs. Walk or take a guided trip to see the old lighthouse and the coastal dunes, and snorkel at nearby Portuguese Island if sea conditions allow. Return to Maputo in time to be back in the city before dark.

Signal 4G covers the main settlement on Inhaca, but signal is patchy on the far beaches and at sea. Agree your return trip with the boat operator in advance.
Day 3 Tofo

Fly to Inhambane and Tofo

Flights from Maputo to Inhambane take about 1 hour. Tofo is about 30 minutes by road from Inhambane.

Take a morning flight to Inhambane. Spend an hour in the old town, one of the oldest settlements on the coast, with its Portuguese-era cathedral, mosque and waterfront market. Continue to Tofo, a beach village on the Indian Ocean, and walk out to the low headland of Tofinho for views along the coast at sunset.

Signal Inhambane and Tofo have usable 4G, though speeds can slow in the evenings when the village is busy.
Day 4 Tofo

Tofo: ocean safari

Boats launch directly from Tofo beach.

Join a licensed ocean safari or dive trip from Tofo, which is known for whale sharks and manta rays offshore, and, from about July to October, passing humpback whales. Pick an operator that follows responsible marine-wildlife codes and carries proper safety gear. Spend the afternoon on the beach or walk to neighbouring Tofinho for snorkelling in calmer conditions.

Signal No signal far offshore during the boat trip. Back in the village, 4G is enough for messaging and uploading photos.
Day 5 Vilankulo

Drive north to Vilankulo

About 4 to 5 hours by road from Tofo; transfers can be arranged locally.

Leave early for the drive north along the EN1 to Vilankulo, so you arrive well before dark: the UK Foreign Office advises against road travel after dark outside the main cities. Expect police checkpoints and carry your original passport. In the afternoon walk along Vilankulo's waterfront, where dhows anchor in the shallow bay facing the archipelago.

Signal Coverage is good in towns along the EN1 but has gaps on the long stretches between them. Download offline maps and share your route before leaving.
Day 6 Vilankulo

Bazaruto Archipelago National Park

Boats from Vilankulo reach the islands in about 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the boat and tides.

Take a day trip by dhow or motorboat into the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, protected since 1971. Climb the high sand dunes on Bazaruto Island for views over the turquoise channels, snorkel on the reefs around Two Mile Reef or Magaruque, and keep watch for dugongs, which survive here in Mozambique's largest remaining population. Pay park fees and go with a licensed operator.

Signal Expect little or no signal on the islands and reefs. Let your accommodation know your return time.
Day 7 Departure

Vilankulo and departure

Flights from Vilankulo to Maputo take about 1 hour 15 minutes; some airlines also fly to Johannesburg.

Spend a quiet morning in Vilankulo, perhaps walking the beach at low tide or visiting the local market, before flying from Vilankulo airport back to Maputo or on to Johannesburg. Keep your printed ETA and passport to hand for departure checks.

Signal 4G in Vilankulo and at the airport is usually enough to check in online. Your Mozambique plan won't work in South Africa if you connect there.

Staying connected on this route

Apply for your ETA at evisa.gov.mz at least five working days before travel and carry printed copies.
Download offline maps of the EN1 and the coast; coverage gaps are common between towns.
Carry cash in meticais: M-Pesa needs a registered local number, so it won't work with a data-only eSIM.
Keep offline copies of key documents, as internet access was restricted during the 2024–2025 protests.

Itinerary sources · 5

gov.uk Mozambique travel advice: warnings and insurance – GOV.UK
gov.uk Mozambique travel advice: safety and security – GOV.UK
gov.uk Mozambique travel advice: entry requirements – GOV.UK
en.wikipedia.org Bazaruto Archipelago – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org Vodacom – Wikipedia

Where this comes from

Information and verification

Each block below says what was checked and when. Anything we cannot date, we do not claim.

Prices and plans: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in.; Verified October 30, 2026
Host networks: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM.; Verified October 30, 2026