Obtain results of topographic study
Agency: Private licensed company
Time and cost: 7 days, USD 785
Request and obtain building permit from the Department of Construction and Urbanization
Agency: Municipal Council of Maputo City – Department of Construction and Urbanization
Before obtaining the building permit, BuildCo must also obtain the right to the use and enjoyment of the land from the Municipal Council of Maputo City. According to Article 19 of Law 19/97 of 1 October and Article 24/2 of Decree No. 66/98 of 8 December, an exploration plan must be obtained prior to requesting an approval for the right to the use and enjoyment of the land and it costs MZN 320. Obtaining the right to the use and enjoyment of the land from the Municipal Council of Maputo City is often a timely procedure which can sometimes take several months and costs MZN 750. However, these procedures are not recorded because the Doing Business case study assumptions state that BuildCo already owns the land that it intends to build the warehouse on. For the building permit, BuildCo must submit an application to the Municipal Council with the full detailed plan attached.
BuildCo has the right to make a request of prior information to the authority responsible for issuing the building permit, in order to be informed about the planning instruments for the area, as well as the requirements to be met for the construction. The validity of the building permit and the renewal and extension cannot exceed 10 years (Article 27 of Decree No. 2/2004 of March 31).
Time and cost: 28 days, MZN 13,006
Receive inspection from Municipality – I
Agency: Municipal Council of Maputo City
Inspections may occur during construction. According to the law, 2 – 3 inspections should be carried out by the Municipal Council and by the Labor Inspectorate. However, in practice, these inspections rarely occur. When they are undertaken, these inspections are announced by the inspector, who informs BuildCo of the inspection date. Normally, an inspection is carried out when the concrete is poured. BuildCo must keep a construction book where all the important information about the construction is entered. The inspectors use this book to check the actual state of the construction, as well as its conformity with the submitted project.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Receive inspection from Municipality – II
Agency: Municipal Council of Maputo City
Once this phase of construction is achieved, BuildCo. is apt to receive another inspection.
Time and cost: 1 day, no charge
Request water and sewage connection
Agency: Water Department
Upon the termination of the inspection phase, BuildCo. is ready to request the water and sewage services.
Time and cost: 1 day, MZN 13,069
Receive inspection and obtain approval of the plumbing plan from the Water Department
Agency: Water Department
BuildCo must supply the (layout) drawings. The typical waiting time for the approval is about 3 weeks.
Time and cost: 17 days, MZN 151
Obtain connection to water and sewage
Agency: Water Department
Upon the reception of the inspection by the utility company, connection can be received.
Time and cost: 14 days, no charge
Request final inspection for occupancy permit and certidão de benfeitoria
Agency: Municipal Council of Maputo City – Department of Construction and Urbanization
BuildCo can request a final inspection only when the construction is fully complete. The final inspection must take place within 30 days of the request. Under the new initiative of streamlining the process of building control and fighting corruption the Municipality of Maputo requires the request for the final inspection to be made at the main office of the Department of Construction and Urbanization. The rationale behind this step is that before, companies would request the final inspection from their respective district office of the Department of Construction and Urbanization where they could possibly have already established personal ties. These ties might have been used to wield their favorable decision.
According to Decree No. 2/2004 of March 31the cost associated to this procedure is 5 MZN per square meter for the certidao de benfeitorias and 2 MZN per square meter for the occupancy permit. Therefore, the total cost is 7*1300.6 = 9104.2 MZN.
Time and cost: 1 day, MZN 9,104
Receive final inspection
Agency: Municipal Council of Maputo City and other departments (Fire, Health, Water, etc.)
The final inspection is carried out by the Fire Department, the Health Department, the Water Department, and other relevant agencies. This inspection is coordinated by the Municipal Authority, and its cost is included in the fee for the occupancy permit.
Time and cost: 21 days, no charge
Obtain occupancy permit
Agency: Municipal Council of Maputo City – Department of Construction and Urbanization
Once the final inspection is complete, BuildCo can request the Occupancy permit. And in order to do so, it is necessary to submit the certificate of improvements, pay all relevant taxes, and attach the building permit. At the same time, the owner should obtain the certidao de benfeitorias, which is a certificate of the works done on the land. This certificate needs to be presented at the land registry for the first registration.
Time and cost: 21 days, no charge
Register the new building at the Property Registry
Agency: Property Registry (Conservatória do Registo Predial)
Finally, BuildCo. is ready to register the new warehouse. For that purpose, it is necessary to register the building for real property tax purposes. BuildCo must present the occupancy permit. So it cannot be simultaneous with the previous procedure. According to Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Ministerial Diploma N.º 19/98 of 4 March, the registration cost is MZN 200.00. However, other fees are added to this charge such as administrative costs (MZN 150) and the fee for a new certificate (MZN 75) to issue the registration certificate.
Time and cost: 7 days, MZN 425
