Rules for overlanding in Malawi

An Italian licence is accepted. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

Third-party liability cover must be taken out at the border. Most private vehicles here run with no valid insurance at all, so check the cover carefully on a rental, and also when hiring a taxi privately.

A Carnet de Passages en Douane is recommended for a temporarily imported vehicle.

Supplies of both petrol and diesel are irregular. Stock up before setting off on a drive inside the country and make sure you are carrying enough to finish the route you have planned.

Road conditions are poor and demand your full attention at the wheel.

Night driving is discouraged: the road network is often in bad shape, vehicles run without headlights, and broken-down cars and trucks are usually left in the carriageway with no warning markers.

Wild and grazing animals cross the carriageway from the verges, so stay cautious at the wheel at all times.

Since the official gazette of 2 January 2026, Italian citizens need a visa even for tourism. It can be requested on arrival at the airport without prior authorisation, and the fee is always in US dollars, cash only at the airport. Overstaying brings anything from a fine to detention, and entering on the wrong visa type does the same, so contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship before your visa expires if you want to extend.

Foreign cash must be declared on entry, whatever the amount, and exchanges must be made at banks or authorised bureaux. Keep the entry declaration and every exchange or spending receipt with you. Taking out cash up to the equivalent of 5,000 US dollars requires authorisation from a local bank.

Foreigners must now pay for hotels, lodges and B&Bs in foreign currency. Get a receipt for every payment, because they can be inspected when you leave the country.

Drugs are banned with no distinction between soft and hard, and none between possession, dealing and trafficking. Sentences run up to 10 years in prison.

A Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) public notice on the customs and excise tax measures effective February 2024 refers to motor vehicles imported under a Temporary Import Permit (TIP). It says that fines for failure to re-export a vehicle under this facility will be reduced from 50 to 20 percent of the duty payable. The notice does not describe who can obtain a TIP or for how long. (Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) — Public Notice: New Tax Measures for Customs & Excise (effective February 2024))

COMESA stated in September 2021 that the Yellow Card, a regional third-party motor vehicle insurance scheme, was operational in 13 countries, including Malawi. The page does not say whether the card is compulsory or where it can be bought. (COMESA — Yellow Card Council of Bureaux edges closer to full autonomy (29 September 2021))