Kosi Bay – Farazela Border Post

Kosi Bay / Farazela Border Post

Many people who are either staying in Kosi Bay or are passing though will be looking for information relating to the local border crossing to Mozambique.

Border times are strictly 08:00 to 17:00 on most days of the year. Special times are posted for expected peak days due to holiday traffic. These can be changed and are normally posted at the border itself. While this is informative it does not help the people who cannot see the list. We have also had days where the border is expected to stay open and due to no traffic the officials can still decide to close earlier.

The only number we have for the Farazela borderpost is: 035 592 9181. We take no responsibility for this being incorrect/not the one you want. Do not phone us to ask for another number – we really don’t have any more information than you do at this point in time!

If you are late for the border don’t bother calling to ask the staff to keep the border open for you because they won’t under any circumstances. Even if they did the Mozambique side would close on time anyway and you won’t get through.  

They won’t even open for a medical emergency so don’t expect the border to stay open for someone who is arriving late.

With all the road works in South Africa its best to plan ahead and leave early because you will experience delays on the road. If the border is busy there can be a tailback for kilometers and with the limited capacity the border can handle the crossing time can be hours. If you need to cross at times like this, make sure you are prepared with food, drink and entertainment. This normally happens during the hottest part of the year and temperatures outside in the sun can be well over 40C. Don’t arrive at the border drunk especially on the South African side either entering or leaving Mozambique as you could end up with a DUI charge. Also make sure you are wearing your seatbelt even when approaching the South African officials as they can fine you for driving without one.

There is a department of Agriculture official at the border now and searches are conducted for plants, meat, poultry and food stuffs. Anything not allowed to cross the border will be detained. If you bring fish out of Mozambique you are only allowed to bring 10Kg so anything more than this will feed the border officials. The days of fishing and filling your deepfreeze are gone.

What you will need:

Valid passport or temporary passport vehicle registration papers either original or a certified original copy. Your valid driver’s license. Third Party Insurance to be purchased at the border on the Mozambique side. Although South African insurance does cover you in Mozambique you will still be required to purchase Mozambique 3^rd party.

On the South African side you will only need your passport and on the Mozambique side you will need to fill in a immigration form to enter and exit. On the Mozambique side you will need to fill in a temporary import permit for your vehicle and any registered vehicle you are towing. You will hand this in when you cross the border when you leave so don’t lose this form. Road use law in Mozambique requires you to have a reflective vest in the car its best to have 2. If towing you will need a blue triangle sticker and a ZA sticker. The stickers are more essential if you are traveling north of Ponta Malongane.

The traffic officials in the southern area are more lax but if traveling north they will pull you over and demand all these things if you don’t have them you will pay spot fines. Its law in Mozambique to wear your seatbelt, the penalty is quite high, with the single lane sand roads it’s a good idea to wear a seatbelt anyway.

These days the Mozambique officials are asking for till slips for your purchases that you will be taking into Mozambique, in other words you will need to pay duty for them. If you cannot produce till slips to backup your value of the goods the officials will work out their own value and you will pay duty on that. Duty is calculated at 40% in most cases.

The costs:

Entry to Mozambique is free for South Africans. Most other passports will have to pay $80 or the Rand equivalent unless their country has an agreement with the Mozambique government.

Temporary import of your vehicle costs nothing.

3^rd party insurance costs R280.00 per entry per month.

Other Information:

Mozambique is another country and South African Law does not exist there. People misbehaving can easily find themselves in trouble with the law. Things you may get away with in South Africa as a South African can land you in trouble in Mozambique.