Lilongwe – Malawi has gazetted amendments to its immigration regulations, confirming changes to visa entry requirements while maintaining visa free access for nationals of Southern African Development Community member states, including Eswatini.
The amendments are contained in the Malawi Gazette Supplement dated 2 January 2026, issued by the Malawi Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services under Government Notice No. 1. The regulations were made by the Minister of Homeland Security Peter Mukhito in exercise of powers conferred by Section 40 of the Immigration Act Cap. 15:03.
Cited as the Immigration Amendment Citation Regulations 2026, the new rules delete the existing Second Schedule of the Immigration Regulations and replace it with a revised Second Schedule setting out updated visa arrangements.
According to the new schedule, visas for entry into Malawi are required by nationals of all countries except those specifically listed. These include Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Dominica, Ecuador, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Haiti, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kiribati, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu.
The regulations further provide that nationals from Southern African Development Community countries are exempt from visa requirements, unless their countries impose visa requirements on Malawian citizens. As Eswatini is a SADC member state that allows Malawians visa free entry, the amended regulations do not affect Emaswati travelling to Malawi.
A similar provision applies to nationals from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, with visa free entry allowed except where Malawians are subject to visa requirements.
Additional exemptions apply to holders of SADC Laissez Passer documents travelling on official SADC business and holders of COMESA Laissez Passer documents on official COMESA business. The schedule also covers holders of United Nations Laissez Passer documents on official UN duties, African Union Laissez Passer documents on official AU business, and African Development Bank Laissez Passer documents while on official ADB assignments.
Holders of diplomatic or service passports are also exempt from visa requirements, except where their countries require visas from Malawian holders of diplomatic or service passports.
The regulations were made on 18 December 2025 under File No. HA 06 291 and were printed and published by the Government Printer in Lilongwe at a gazetted price of K2,000.00.
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