Viajante
Vaccines for Mozambique: malaria, yellow fever and what you need (2026)
Flying from Portugal to Mozambique? Malaria risk includes Maputo and the beaches. Yellow fever depends on stopovers longer than 12 hours in a risk country.
General information — it does not replace a medical consultation. Vaccination centre hours may change.
In Mozambique the main health concern is not yellow fever. It is malaria — present across the whole country, including Maputo and the beaches. Yellow fever depends mostly on something many people do not think about: where you stop over. That is the question for anyone flying out of Portugal, including foreign residents.
A travel consultation (€39, in English) reads the route, stopovers included, and prescribes malaria tablets when they are indicated.
Quick summary
- Required on entry (direct flight from Portugal): no vaccine.
- Yellow fever: required if you arrive from a yellow fever risk country, including stopovers of more than 12 hours in those countries. The CDC does not recommend it for a trip to Mozambique itself.
- Malaria: risk country-wide. The CDC recommends preventive tablets.
- Other vaccines to consider: hepatitis A, typhoid, hepatitis B, rabies.
- When to book: 4 to 8 weeks ahead.
Yellow fever: it all depends on the stopover
Mozambique requires a yellow fever certificate for travellers aged 1 year or older who arrive from countries with a risk of transmission — and that includes airport stopovers in those countries of more than 12 hours.
In practice:
- Direct Lisbon–Maputo flight: you do not need it.
- A flight with a long stopover in Luanda, Addis Ababa, Nairobi or another African risk country: you may need it. Check how long the stopover is.
- A combined trip (for example Angola and Mozambique): you need it.
If you need it, the vaccine is given at an International Vaccination Centre and must be done at least 10 days before arrival. See the centres in Portugal. By city: Lisbon, Porto. Vaccine guide: yellow fever. It is not given at CUF.
Malaria: risk everywhere
Malaria exists in every region of Mozambique and is mainly Plasmodium falciparum, the most severe form. The parasites are resistant to chloroquine. The CDC recommends preventive tablets with one of these options: atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine or tafenoquine.
That also applies to:
- Maputo and other cities;
- Beaches and islands (Tofo, Vilankulo, Bazaruto, Ilha de Moçambique);
- Parks and reserves.
The choice of medicine is medical and needs a prescription: malaria prophylaxis.
As well as the medicine:
Travel consultation · video
Prepare your trip with a personal vaccine plan
- €39 · video consultation
- Prescriptions and vaccine plan the same day, when indicated
- Vaccines paid separately, at an International Vaccination Centre
- A suitable repellent, especially in the late afternoon and at night.
- An insecticide-treated net, or a room with air conditioning.
- Any fever during the trip or in the months after you return is an emergency. Always tell the doctor you were in Mozambique.
Other vaccines to consider
- Hepatitis A: for most travellers.
- Typhoid: family visits, rural areas, long stays.
- Hepatitis B: long stays, healthcare work, or a chance of medical treatment on the ground.
- Rabies: long stays, outdoor activities, contact with animals.
- Cholera: only in specific situations (for example humanitarian work in an outbreak area).
- Routine vaccines: measles and tetanus in particular. If your record is from outside Portugal, bring it.
More context: malaria and hepatitis A/B.
How far ahead to book
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6–8 weeks before | Travel consultation and a vaccine plan |
| At least 10 days before | Yellow fever vaccine, if your stopover requires it |
| 1–2 weeks before | Collect malaria tablets |
| Last minute | Still worth it: malaria tablets can be prescribed in time |
The online consultation is how you settle the stopovers and the prescription before you go to a centre, if yellow fever is actually needed.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need yellow fever vaccine for Mozambique?
Only if you arrive from a yellow fever risk country, or you stop over there for more than 12 hours.
I am only going to Maputo and the beaches. Do I need malaria tablets?
Yes. The risk exists across the whole country, including cities and beach areas.
I am Mozambican and I live in Portugal. I am visiting family. Do I still need this?
Yes. Time living outside a malaria area reduces the partial protection people sometimes assume they still have, and the entry rules apply the same way.
Book the travel consultation
Other destinations
- Vaccines for Brazil
- Vaccines for Angola
- Vaccines for Cape Verde
- Vaccines for Thailand
- Vaccines for India
- Safari in Kenya and Tanzania
- All destinations
Sources
- CDC Yellow Book — Yellow Fever Vaccine and Malaria Prevention Information, by Country
- CDC Yellow Book — Malaria
This article is information. It does not replace a medical consultation. Entry rules can change; check them before you travel.
