Mozambican travellers abroad to renew passports and IDs without going home

Mozambicans living abroad are set to gain local centres where they can apply for identity cards, passports and driving licences instead of flying back to Mozambique. The Mozambican government plans to extend its Centro Pronto document application service to citizens in South Africa, Portugal and England within six months, Adilson Gomes, chairman of the board of the Agency for Digital Transformation and Innovation (ATDI), said on 26 October 2026.

Key facts

• Timeline: centres planned within six months in Cape Town (South Africa), Porto and England
• Who it affects: Mozambican citizens living abroad, including students
• Documents covered: identity cards, passports, driving licences and proof of residence
• Delivery partner: Indian company VFS, selected through a public tender
• Existing site: Centro Pronto in the Shopping Marés centre in Maputo, inaugurated this month by President Daniel Chapo

What is changing?

The first Centro Pronto, located in the Shopping Marés shopping centre in Maputo, offers an alternative to traditional government service counters. It allows applications for identity cards, passports, driving licences and proof of residence to be submitted there, and it opens outside normal public administration hours, including on Saturdays.

The plan is to take this model abroad so Mozambicans in the diaspora can start applications locally. Gomes said the goal was to cut costs and remove the need to travel to Mozambique, giving the example of citizens studying overseas who must buy an air ticket back to the country simply to obtain an identity card.

Who is affected?

The expansion is aimed at Mozambican citizens living in South Africa, Portugal and England. The Maputo site is serving as a pilot to test the cooperation model between the State and a private entity before it is rolled out to other regions of Mozambique and to the diaspora.

How will the centres work?

Validation and issuance of documents will continue to be handled by the competent public institutions. The technological component and data collection systems remain under State control, while VFS will handle customer service, collect applications and forward them under procedures set by the authorities.

The expansion will depend on the technological and operational preparations needed to launch the service abroad, Gomes said. Within Mozambique, further centres will use service models adapted to local economic conditions and demand, and prices may differ between units in shopping centres and those serving areas with more limited access to public services.

What this means for travellers

Mozambicans abroad who need an identity card, passport or driving licence may soon be able to lodge their application in Cape Town, Porto or England rather than travelling to Mozambique. Documents will still be validated and issued by the State institutions responsible. The source does not state exact opening dates or fees for the overseas centres.

The target is to have the three overseas locations operating within six months, with further centres planned inside Mozambique.