Malawi Passport Documents & Application
Malawi issues its passport through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, and applications for the ePassport are made online. This checklist sets out what the Department itself states: its mandate over travel documents, the ePassport application route and portal, the passport act, and what its pages do not publish — so nothing is guessed. Verified against the Malawi Department of Immigration (immigration.gov.mw), October 2026.
Who issues it
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services states its mandate in one line:
“It is mandated to provide quality services to the general public in areas of border control, issuance of travel documents, residential and work permits, Visas and Citizenship to eligible persons.”
So issuance of travel documents is one of the Department’s core mandates, alongside border control, permits, visas and citizenship. The Department sits under the Ministry of Homeland Security of the Republic of Malawi.
How to apply: the ePassport portal
On its passport pages the Department gives a single instruction for applying:
“You can apply for Malawi ePassport by using this link” — to the official portal at ePassport.gov.mw.
The route is therefore online, through the ePassport portal. The Department’s site also carries quick links to apply for a passport, a permit, or a visa.
Documents and application materials
The Department publishes its forms and applications in a Downloads / Applications section, reachable from its services menu. Rather than a flat paper list on one page, the material is distributed across the Department’s services:
- Passport — apply through the ePassport portal (ePassport.gov.mw)
- Permit — the epermit.gov.mw portal
- Visa — through the Department’s visa application route
- Downloads / Applications — the Department’s forms section
Because the passport application itself is completed on the ePassport portal, the definitive document list to prepare is the one the portal presents as you apply. For the photo requirement, see the Malawi passport photo page.
The Passport Act
Malawi’s passport is governed by legislation: the Department’s /passport/ route resolves to its Passport Act page, which is the statutory layer behind the issuance of travel documents. Where a question turns on eligibility, entitlement or procedure, the Act is the governing text.
What the Department does not publish
Across the pages checked, the Department does not publish, as a plain consolidated list: a document checklist for the passport in one place, a photo specification (no millimetre size, background or head-height figure), or the fees and processing times. Those details live on the ePassport portal and the Department’s service pages, so this checklist does not invent them:
- Photo — no size is published; see the Malawi passport photo page
- Documents — confirm on the ePassport portal as you apply
- Fees / times — not stated on the pages checked
60-second Malawi checklist
- ☐ Passports are issued by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services
- ☐ Apply for the ePassport online, through the official portal (ePassport.gov.mw)
- ☐ Forms and applications sit in the Department’s Downloads / Applications section
- ☐ Permits and visas use their own portals (epermit.gov.mw, visa route)
- ☐ The Passport Act is the governing statutory layer
- ☐ No consolidated document list, photo size, fee or processing time is published — confirm as you apply
Frequently asked questions
Who issues Malawian passports?
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, which is mandated to issue travel documents among its core services.
How do I apply for a Malawi passport?
Apply for the Malawi ePassport online, using the link the Department provides to the official portal at ePassport.gov.mw.
Where are the application forms?
The Department publishes forms and applications in its Downloads / Applications section, alongside its passport, permit and visa services.
Is there a document checklist?
The Department does not publish one consolidated checklist on a single page; the application is completed on the ePassport portal, which presents the documents as you apply.
What photo size does Malawi require?
Not published on the Department’s pages checked; see the Malawi passport photo page, and follow the portal’s own instruction.
What law governs Malawian passports?
The Passport Act, which the Department’s passport section links to as the statutory layer for travel-document issuance.
Source note: the mandate statement, the ePassport application line and portal reference, and the Passport Act page are from the Malawi Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, immigration.gov.mw (home, passports/apply-for-passport, services/download-applications and passport-act pages; checked October 2026). No consolidated document list, photo size, fee or processing time is published there.
Related: the Malawi passport photo page, the full photo size chart, the other document checklists, and the passport photo checker.