Mozambique
Are Mozambique stamps public domain?
It depends on the date: Mozambican stamps issued in 1955 or earlier are public domain in 2026, in the archive's reading of Wikimedia Commons. Commons marks Mozambican stamps copyrighted: works of applied art, which it says appear to include stamps, are protected for 70 years after completion. The cutoff moves forward one year each January.
Why 1955?
Commons' note on stamps cites Mozambique's copyright law of 2001, which protects works of applied art for 70 years from completion, and says that category appears to cover stamps.1 Law No. 9/2022 of June 29, 2022 repealed the 2001 law and keeps the same 70-year term from creation for applied art, and both laws run every term to the end of the calendar year.1 Commons counts from completion; the archive uses the year of issue in its place, so a stamp issued in 1955 became free on January 1, 2026. Its note on stamps does not address status in the United States, where Commons also requires a file to be free.1
Postal history and copyright
Mozambique was a Portuguese territory until its independence on June 25, 1975.1 Its stamps date from 1877; district issues served Lourenço Marques, Inhambane, Zambezia and other areas from the 1890s until 1920, and the chartered Mozambique Company issued its own stamps from 1891 to 1942, according to Wikipedia.2 On June 25, 1975 existing stamps, some going back to 1953, were overprinted to mark independence.2 Commons says Portuguese law applies to banknotes that circulated before independence. Its note on stamps cites only Mozambican law, and the archive treats the law covering colonial stamps as open.1
References 2
- ↑ Copyright rules for Mozambique. Wikimedia Commons, September 15, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
- ↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Mozambique. Wikipedia, August 15, 2024. Accessed October 8, 2026.
Copyright law in Mozambique
Mozambique’s own stamps follow the rule below. The historical issuers named here are read under the country’s general copyright law. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.
- Named designer
- 70 years after the designer’s death
- Anonymous
- 70 years from issue
- Note
- Stamps appear to count as applied art, protected 70 years from creation.
Historical issuers read under this law: Africa (Portuguese Colonies), German East Africa, Inhambane, Kionga, Lourenco Marques, Mozambique Company, Nyassa, Quelimane, Tete, Zambezia.
Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Mozambique, revision 1276942227, checked October 8, 2026
The rule by period
Mozambique stamps and the public domain: questions
- Are Mozambique stamps public domain?
- It depends on the date. In the archive's reading, Mozambican stamps issued in 1955 or earlier are public domain in 2026, because works of applied art, which appear to include stamps, are protected for 70 years after completion. The cutoff moves forward one year each January.
- Are Portuguese colonial stamps of Mozambique public domain?
- Which law governs them is open. Mozambique was a Portuguese territory until its independence on June 25, 1975, and Commons applies Portuguese law to banknotes that circulated before then. Its note on stamps cites only Mozambican law, so the archive treats the law covering colonial stamps as open.
- When do Mozambique's 1975 independence stamps become public domain?
- On January 1, 2046, in the archive's reading. Mozambican stamps are protected for 70 years, and the archive counts from the end of the year of issue, so stamps issued in 1975 become free when 2045 ends. The cutoff moves forward one year each January and in 2026 reaches stamps issued in 1955.