Malawi
Laos passportEdit check
Visa on arrival, 30 days
The allowance is per visit: it starts again on your next entry.
Entry and stay only. What this covers
Your stay
Add your arrival date to work out the stay that fits this rule.
Add entry dateSource & evidence Read the original words
Official wording
CATEGORY TWO COUNTRIES COUNTRIES AND REGIONS THAT CAN OBTAIN A VISA ON ARRIVAL WITH OR WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORIZATION 1. Åland Islands 2. Albania 3. American Samoa 4. Andorra 5. Anguilla 6. Antarctica 7. Argentina 8. Armenia 9. Australia 10. Austria 11. Azerbaijan 12. Bahrain 13. Belarus 14. Belgium 15. Bermuda 16. Bhutan 17. Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 18. Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba 19. Bosnia and Herzegovina 20. Bouvet Island 21. Brazil 22. British Indian Ocean Territory (the) 23. Brunei Darussalam 24. Bulgaria 25. Burkina Faso 26. Cabo Verde 27. Cambodia 28. Cameroon 29. Canada 30. Cayman Islands (the) 31. Chile 32. Christmas Island 33. Cocos (Keeling) Islands (the) 34. Colombia 35. Comoros (the) 36. Congo (the Republic), Congo-Brazzaville 37. Cook Islands (the) 38. Costa Rica 39. Côte d'Ivoire 40. Croatia 41. Cuba 42. Curaçao 43. Cyprus 44. Czechia 45. Denmark 46. El Salvador 47. Equatorial Guinea 48. Estonia 49. Falkland Islands (the) [Malvinas] 50. Faroe Islands (the) 51. Finland 52. France 53. French Guiana 54. French Polynesia 55. French Southern Territories (the) 56. Gabon 57. Georgia 58. Germany 59. Gibraltar 60. Greece 61. Greenland 62. Guadeloupe 63. Guam 64. Guatemala 65. Guernsey 66. Guinea 67. Guinea-Bissau 68. Guyana 69. Heard Island and McDonald Islands 70. Holy See (the) 71. Honduras 72. Hungary 73. Iceland 74. Indonesia 75. Ireland 76. Isle of Man 77. Israel 78. Italy 79. Japan 80. Jersey 81. Jordan 82. Korea (North) 83. Korea (South) 84. Kosovo 85. Kuwait 86. Kyrgyzstan 87. Lao People's Democratic Republic (the) 88. Latvia 89. Liechtenstein 90. Lithuania 91. Luxembourg 92. Macao (China) 93. Macedonia (the former Yugoslav Republic of) 94. Madagascar 95. Maldives 96. Malta 97. Marshall Islands (the) 98. Martinique 99. Mayotte 100. Mexico 101. Micronesia (Federated States of) 102. Moldova (the Republic of) 103. Monaco 104. Mongolia 105. Montenegro 106. Montserrat 107. Myanmar 108. Netherlands (the) 109. New Caledonia 110. New Zealand 111. Nicaragua 112. Niue 113. Norfolk Island 114. Northern Mariana Islands (the) 115. Norway 116. Palau 117. Panama 118. Papua New Guinea 119. Paraguay 120. Peru 121. Pitcairn 122. Poland 123. Portugal 124. Puerto Rico 125. Réunion 126. Romania 127. Saint Barthélemy 128. Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha 129. Saint Maarten (Dutch part) 130. Saint Martin (French part) 131. Saint Pierre and Miquelon 132. San Marino 133. Sao Tome and Principe 134. Saudi Arabia 135. Sierra Leone 136. Slovakia 137. Slovenia 138. Solomon Islands 139. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 140. Spain 141. Sri Lanka 142. Suriname 143. Svalbard and Jan Mayen 144. Sweden 145. Switzerland 146. Taiwan (Province of China) 147. Thailand 148. Timor-Leste 149. Tokelau 150. Tonga 151. Turks and Caicos Islands (the) 152. United Arab Emirates (the) 153. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the) 154. United States Minor Outlying Islands (the) 155. United States of America (the) 156. Uruguay 157. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 158. Viet Nam 159. Virgin Islands (British) 160. Virgin Islands (U.S.) 161. Wallis and Futuna
Aevamo’s reading
This instrument replaces the Second Schedule ('Visa Arrangement') to the Immigration Regulations made under section 40 of the Immigration Act (Cap. 15:03), and that schedule currently imposes the visa requirement on every nationality it does not exempt — it creates the obligation rather than describing one created elsewhere; the Department's Category One and Category Two lists administer the mode (advance vs on-arrival) within it.
The Category Two list names the countries and regions whose nationals may obtain a visa on arrival at Malawi's ports of entry (with or without prior authorisation); every issuer in this row is named in that list, so its passport holders may board for Malawi and obtain their visa on arrival rather than arranging one in advance.
Source details
How the documents behind this regime are dated
The Malawi Gazette Supplement, dated 2nd January, 2026; the Immigration (Amendment) Regulations were made on 18 December 2025. The Corrigendum in the Gazette Supplement of 9th January 2026 (GN 2) corrects the title and citation from '2026' to '2025' without changing the Second Schedule. The Category One and Category Two lists were fetched live on 21 August 2026 from the Department's e-visa portal; the portal's public notice is effective 24th February 2026.
What this answer covers Limits & assumptions
Work and residence rights are separate from this check. This is the entry rule and the length of stay the instrument grants. It is not a decision about you: the officer at the border decides admission, and we do not evaluate the purpose of your trip, your passport's remaining validity, an onward ticket, funds, insurance or health requirements.
Informational planning, not legal or immigration advice. The source is linked so you can check our reading.