Portugal Opens New Visa Centre in Mozambique With Improved Accessibility

Starting February 10, applicants from Mozambique can now file their Schengen visa applications at a new application centre, which offers improved accessibility options, especially for applicants with disabilities.

According to the local media, the location of the new visa application centre remains the same – Maputo, the capital of Mozambique but has been moved to the Maputo Business Tower, Schengen.News reports.

The event was hosted by the Portuguese Ambassador, António Costa Moura and Alok Singhal, the Director of VFS Global Maputo, at the Sub-Saharan Africa level. 

Improved Visa Application Centre to Ease Application Process Slightly 
The process of applying for a Schengen visa can be lengthy and stressful. On a subreddit for South African nationals, a netizen from Mozambique has expressed their frustration with this process.

By improving accessibility, the Schengen visa application process will be easier for some categories of people, making it possible for them to file their visa requests.

Mozambique is one of nine member countries in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP). Portugal recently eased some rules for nationals of CPLP countries, but that would not be sufficient for applicants from this country, who have to go through the application process and obtain a visa to be permitted entry into the Schengen Area. 

Applicants From Mozambique Filed Over 20,000 Schengen Visa Applications in 2023 
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, the number of applications that were received from Mozambique as a country of origin for applicants reached 20,313 in 2023. 

Portugal represents the main destination for applicants from Mozambique, with 66 per cent or two-thirds of all applications being filed to this country alone. That translates to 13,383 Portugal visa applications. 

In general, applicants from Mozambique filed visa applications to only seven out of 27 countries that receive visas; Portugal, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. After Portugal, France and Spain are the second and third countries with the most applications from Mozambique – 1,930 and 1,713, respectively.

Source: https://schengen.news/portugal-opens-new-visa-centre-in-mozambique-with-improved-accessibility/