The Bank of Mozambique (BdM) has halved the annual limit on overseas payments made by bank cardholders, reducing the ceiling from 6 million to 3 million meticais (€40,700), while strengthening the control mechanisms governing these transactions.
The measure is set out in Notice No. 4/GBM/2026, which revokes the previous notice approximately seven months after it came into force in December last year. According to the BdM, the change is intended to “adjust the limits on payments made through bank cards in transactions involving foreign counterparties.”
As under the previous framework, which since December had imposed additional limits on top of rules set by individual banks, the new measure applies to all credit institutions under the central bank’s supervision, as well as to holders — whether individuals or legal entities — of cards issued in the country, regardless of whether they are foreign-exchange residents or non-residents.
The new notice establishes that “individuals and legal entities may only make overseas payments using bank cards up to the annual limit” of 3 million meticais (€40,700). This represents a 50 percent reduction from the previous ceiling of 6 million meticais (€81,400).
As with the earlier regime, the new limit continues to be applied on an aggregate basis per cardholder across the entire national banking system, irrespective of the number of banks with which a client operates, the number of cards held, or the channels used to conduct transactions, including cash withdrawals.
The new restriction comes against a backdrop of persistent foreign currency shortages, which the business community has identified as one of the main constraints on economic activity. In November 2025, Álvaro Massingue, president of the Confederation of Economic Associations (CTA), described the situation as an “economic emergency” and called for priority access to foreign currency for productive and exporting companies.
When the 6 million metical annual limit was introduced in December last year, the measure coincided with widespread reports of difficulties in accessing foreign exchange through commercial banks. The shortage affected the importation of raw materials and led some economic operators to resort to international payments via bank cards.
In the hours following the publication of the notice, social media was flooded with ironic messages from citizens expressing willingness to “transfer” their annual overseas payment allowance to others in exchange for a commission.
The new framework introduces a prior-verification mechanism that did not exist under the previous regime. Financial institutions are now required to consult the Bank of Mozambique before issuing or renewing a bank card, in order to verify a client’s status relative to the annual overseas payment limit.
The notice also reinforces the mechanism for blocking overseas transactions, stipulating that once the annual limit has been reached, “all credit institutions must immediately block the bank cards of the same holder for overseas transactions.”
When the 6 million metical annual limit was introduced in December last year, the measure coincided with widespread reports of difficulties in accessing foreign exchange through commercial banks. The shortage affected the importation of raw materials and led some economic operators to resort to international payments via bank cards.
A further change relates to enhanced client monitoring. While the previous regime required banks to notify the BdM when a cardholder reached half of the annual limit, exhausted the authorised amount, or had their card blocked, the new notice introduces an additional interim communication threshold when usage reaches 75 percent of the limit.
The notice also simplifies the documentary requirements for exceptional payment requests. Under the previous framework, applicants were required to specify not only the amount sought but also the period and destination country of the intended payments — details that are no longer expressly required under the new framework.
The notice further includes a transitional provision stipulating that, “irrespective of the level of usage made under Notice No. 9/GBM/2025,” all cardholders automatically become subject to the new limits with effect from 28 July.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/08/12/economia/banca/bdm-reduz-para-metade-limite-anual-de-pagamentos-com-cartao-no-exterior/
