Guidance

Malawi: Knowledge Base profile

Published 25 March 2025

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/malawi-knowledge-base-profile/malawi-knowledge-base-profile

Version 2.0

About: Malawi

This document contains useful information about Malawi which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

  • version 2.0

  • published for Home Office staff on 21 March 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with formatting changes.

Malawi: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Malawi.

Names in Malawi consist of:

  • 1 forename

  • 1 or more middle name

  • 1 surname

The Malawi passport has a maximum restriction of:

  • 22 characters including spaces for the forename field

  • 17 characters including spaces for the surname field

A Malawi passport may not show all middle names if the maximum number of characters has been reached on the personal details page.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Malawi.

Name alignment

A Malawi passport may not include the middle names due to the character limit.

HM Passport Office will not ask a customer to align their Malawi passport if a middle name is not included on the personal details page, due to the maximum number of characters being reached.

Malawi: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Malawi.

Dual nationality is allowed in Malawi, but only for citizens by birth or descent.

Malawi: legitimacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Malawi.

Legitimacy

Malawi does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means all births are considered legitimate whether a child’s parents are married or not.

Malawi: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoptions in Malawi.

Adoption is legal in Malawi.

Malawi: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Malawi.

Same sex relationships are illegal in Malawi.

Polygamous marriages are not legally recognised in Malawi.

Malawi: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Malawi.

All births, marriages and deaths are registered with the Registrar General in the local district.

Birth certificates

All births in Malawi must be registered within 3 months of the date of birth. Birth certificates are issued after registration.

Any errors on a certificate must be corrected by the Registrar General.

Malawi issue both long and short birth certificates. Only the long certificate is acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes and shows the:

  • full name of the child

  • date and place of birth

  • full name, address and nationality of the mother and father

  • full name and address of the informant

  • date of registration

  • regional officer who completed the certificate

Marriage certificates

Marriage certificates are issued in Malawi by the Local Registrar General on the day the couple are married. A marriage certificate shows the:

  • date of marriage

  • bride and groom’s

    • names

    • if they are an adult or a minor

    • marital status (condition)

    • rank or professions

    • residence at the time of marriage

    • father’s names

    • father’s profession

  • 2 witnesses to the marriage

Death certificates

Death certificates are issued by the Local Registrar General. A death must be registered within 3 months. Late registrations are allowed.

Identity documents

In 2017, Malawi introduced a national identity card for all Malawi citizens over the age of 16.

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