Do I need a visa for Malawi?
Whether you need a visa for Malawi depends on the passport you hold. Of the 21 most-checked passports, 2 enter visa-free and 7 need to apply for something in advance. Visa-free stays run to 90 days depending on nationality. Find your passport in the table below for the exact rule, the stay length, the passport validity required, and any arrival registration you have to complete separately.
Now pick the passport you travel on.
Entry rules by passport
Select your nationality for the full answer: stay length, passport validity, pre-registration and how to apply.
| Passport | What you need | Max stay |
|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Germany | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| United States | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| France | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Poland | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Netherlands | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Spain | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Italy | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Brazil | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| India | e-Visa | 30 days |
| China | e-Visa | 30 days |
| Türkiye | e-Visa | 30 days |
| Nigeria | e-Visa | 30 days |
| South Africa | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Philippines | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Pakistan | e-Visa | 30 days |
| Bangladesh | e-Visa | 30 days |
| Indonesia | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Egypt | e-Visa | 30 days |
| Vietnam | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
What to do next
The part most visa checkers leave out: what actually needs doing before you fly.
Confirm with the official source
Rules change without notice, and only the immigration authority of Malawi can tell you where you stand. Search for its official site before you travel.
Check your passport
Passport validity required: valid on arrival. Renew first if you are close, because this is the most common reason travellers are turned away.
Health Declaration required
Separate from any visa: Malawi requires this registration before or on arrival. Do it even if you need no visa.
Common questions
Entry to Malawi, answered from the same rules the table shows.
It depends on the passport you hold. Of the 21 most-checked passports listed above, 2 enter Malawi without a visa, 7 have to apply for something before travelling and 12 are issued a visa at the border. Find your nationality in the table for the exact rule, the stay it allows and what has to be applied for.
2 of the 21 most-checked passports listed above: South Africa and Philippines. Of the rest, 7 must apply in advance and 12 are issued a visa at the border.
90 days on every visa-free rule in the table. The limit is per entry, and staying beyond it needs a different permission rather than an extension at the border.
Valid on arrival. Renew before you travel if you are close to that, because it is one of the most common reasons travellers are refused boarding — by the airline, before they ever reach the border.
Yes, for Lithuania, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, France, Poland, Netherlands and Spain among others. It is issued at the border, and the fee and documents it requires are checked at the counter rather than corrected there.
Yes, for India, China, Turkey, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt. The application is completed online with no embassy appointment.
Yes. Malawi requires Health Declaration, separately from any visa and regardless of whether you need one. Travellers who are told they need no visa miss this most often.
Travelling somewhere else?
Check any passport against any destination