Malawi Visa for Indian - Definitive Guide

One of the most important formalities to follow when you are travelling to a foreign country is to issue a visa. A visa for Malawi is issued at the time when a traveller is wishing to visit the country for tourism, business or to visit your friends and family members based in Malawi. The validity of the permit will also differ as per the purpose of visit and the type of permit. At the same time, it is also important to note that a permit does not guarantee you an entry in the country. If there are any kind of issues found with your permit or your documents, you may be stopped by the airport authorities.

Before applying for the permit, you need to make sure that you are an ideal candidate to get the permit issued. This can be done by going through the eligibility criteria. The process of application of a visa for Malawi is mainly offline. The process for issuing this permit is given as follows:

1. You can start by downloading the Malawi visa application form.
2. Choose the kind of permit you require.
3. Fill out the application form thoroughly. It must be filled out in block letters.
4. Attach all the required documents to the application form.
5. You can then submit the application form to the Malawi High Commission.
6. Pay the Malawi visa fees along the application form and the documents.

When the fee for the application is paid, the processing of the application will begin. The High Commission will provide a visa sticker on the passport when all the documents are submitted. In case the visa sticker are out of stock, you will be provided with a visa certificate that is valid for 30 days. The processing of the permit will take time, therefore, ensure that you are submitting the documents at least a week before your intended date of travel.

Also, when you are filling out the form, it is important that you are providing the correct information in the form. The information must match with the information and the details in the travel documents. If there is any kind of information that is found to be false or unverifiable, there are chances that you can get the application rejected. Such a visa rejection can affect your future applications to Malawi or to any other country.

There are different kinds of permits based on the purpose of visit, validity of the permit, the stay permitted, and the number of entries allowed. These can be classified as follows:

• Malawi Tourist Visa
  A tourist visa for Malawi is issued to the travellers who are willing to visit the country for the sole purpose of leisure. The purpose of this permit is that the tourists and foreigners travelling to the country can visit their friends and family members residing in the country as well.
• Malawi Business Visa
  A business visa for Malawi is provided to the business people who are planning to visit the country to carry out business activities. The process follows to get this permit is generally prior to arrival and the validity can vary as well.

The documents required for the issuance of a visa for Malawi will vary as per the kind of permit that you are issuing. The general Malawi visa requirements as mentioned by the High Commission are listed as follows:

• A passport valid for at least 6 months
• Two recent passport size photographs
• Covering Letter from applicant / company etc.
• Itinerary
• Confirmed Air Tickets
• Invitation Letter from sponsor in Malawi (if applicable)
• Proof of Accommodation - Hotel Booking
• Proof of sufficient funds - Bank Statements for the last 3 months
• Photocopies of Applicant’s Passport
  
  

• One copy must be provided
• Malawi visa photo size: 35 mm x 45 mm.
• Coloured copy must be provided.
• The face must cover about 70-80% of the frame.
• Head should well-centred.
• The picture must not be older than 3 months.
• The background must be white
• Neutral expressions
• Glasses are not permitted.
• Headgears are not allowed except for religious reasons.
• Clothing shouldn’t match the background.
• Both the ears must be visible.
• Teeth should not be shown in the photograph.

The fee to get a visa for Malawi, you will have to make the payment to the Malawi High Commission after the approval of the documents. The Malawi visa fees can be paid in cash to the High Commission. There are timings for depositing the fees. The deposition can be made on Mondays and Wednesdays between 10:30AM - 12:30 AM and 02:00AM - 03:00PM. There are certain factors depending on which the fee will differ such as - type of permit, number of entries required, validity of the permit and others. Also, if you have a visa certificate, you will have to pay the fee after arrival to the country and obtain the visa sticker on your passport.

You can check the status of your visa offline by contacting the High Commission after the submission of the documents and payment of the fees. If you have applied through a professional agency, you can check the status online by visiting their website for the tracking.

To get the visa issued, you can apply directly to the Malawi High Commission. As an alternative, you can even apply to the Malawi visa agencies. You will need to have all the requirements and the documents must be verifiable.

At times, the process may seem complicated and the formalities involved can seem difficult to be carried out individually. In such cases, professional visa consultation from the visa agencies can prove to be useful. This will allow you to have your documents handled professionally and the procedure may even be quicker. This way, the chances of visa rejection also get nullified.