Mozambique Background Screening Guide

Mozambique remains one of the few remaining African markets without a dedicated data protection law — a draft bill has been in parliamentary consultation since 2025 — so employers should apply strong default consent and data-handling practices rather than assume reduced obligation from the regulatory gap.

National Identity Verification

Mozambique’s national identity document is the Bilhete de Identidade (BI), issued to citizens through the country’s civil identification services. The BI remains the standard identity reference for employment, banking, and government services.

Criminal Record Check

Mozambique’s formal criminal-clearance document is the Certificado do Registo Criminal (Criminal Record Certificate). It is obtained in person at Criminal Records Headquarters or at civil registry offices located in most provincial cities — there is no nationwide online application channel. Typical turnaround time will be confirmed once Stodacom has processed sufficient volume in-market to report a reliable average.

Employment & Education Verification

Employment history verification is generally workable with established employers in Maputo and other major centers, but slower and more manual outside them. Education verification is reliable for accredited universities; direct verification with the issuing institution remains the most reliable safeguard against fabricated or inflated credentials, particularly important given the market’s more manual record-keeping.

Data Protection & Consent

Mozambique does not yet have a dedicated data protection law. A draft Personal Data Protection Law has been through several rounds of public consultation, with an updated draft released for consultation as recently as November 2025, but it had not been enacted as of this report. In the absence of a comprehensive law, employers should apply the same consent and data-minimization standards they would use in a more heavily regulated market, and monitor for the bill’s eventual passage, which would introduce new compliance obligations.

Practical Notes for Employers

• Plan for an in-person, more manual criminal record process — there is no nationwide online application channel.
• Apply strong consent and data-handling practices by default, given the absence of a comprehensive national data protection law.
• Monitor Mozambique’s draft Personal Data Protection Law, which could introduce new compliance requirements once passed.

Related Resources

See the Africa Criminal Records Index for how Mozambique compares to other markets, and the South Africa Background Screening Guide and Zimbabwe Background Screening Guide for neighboring Southern African markets. To discuss screening for candidates in Mozambique, contact our team.