Register a company in Malawi

No official source we have read requires founders to appear in person, and MBRS accepts accounts opened with a passport by visitor applicants. Each applicant signs the application, and the forms need original signatures. An agent who signs a shareholder's consent must attach the document authorising it. Incorporation documents in another language need an English translation; Malawi is a party to the Apostille Convention. What the registry accepts from a founder abroad we confirm for your case before any work begins.

Registration starts from $2,400. Official CRIPC fees and a legal address, if you need ours, are quoted separately. With an EMI or online bank account, from $4,300. The official fees are K20,000 to reserve the name and K75,000 to register the company, and the business licence fee is paid to the local authority on top, at the amount shown in your quote.

CRIPC, which took over the registry on 1 April 2026, publishes no processing time. MITC's older guidance says registration normally takes 10 working days, and we plan on that until CRIPC publishes its own figure. The TPIN comes from the Malawi Revenue Authority after incorporation. If you need a Business Residence Permit, MITC says processing takes no more than 5 days. Our own preparation time is confirmed in your quote.

Corporate tax is 30% on taxable income up to K5 billion and 40% above it, and VAT is 17.5%. MRA's notices effective 30/31 December 2025 lowered the threshold for the 40% rate from K10 billion and raised VAT from 16.5%. Companies with turnover above K5 billion and three years of trading pay a 0.5% minimum tax on turnover if it exceeds their regular tax. PwC's 2023 summary gives 15% withholding on dividends paid to non-residents. The tax year ends on 31 March, and returns are due within 180 days of the year-end. Since 31 December 2025 gains on all share disposals are taxable, because the exemption for listed shares held at least twelve months was removed.

The second package, from $4,300, adds an account with an EMI or online bank, opened remotely; a local bank account is available on request and quoted separately. Plan the currency side too. MITC lists foreign exchange shortages among the challenges investors face, and the 2026-27 Budget Policy Statement says the foreign exchange regulations are under review. Every bank electronic transfer carries a 0.05% levy, paid by the sender.

Not until it holds a business licence. Plan this step first. Licences come from the local authority's Business Licensing Centre and must be renewed every year. Section 30 of the Businesses Licensing Act says no licence goes to a non-Malawian without a valid immigration permit and evidence of at least $250,000 invested from outside Malawi, in cash, plant, machinery, equipment or buildings; goodwill does not count. The Minister can change the amount by Gazette order, and we have found no such order. Breaching the section carries a fine of K5,000,000 and five years' imprisonment. We test section 30 against your company and its owners in the free consultation, before anything is filed.

We have found no minimum amount in CRIPC's guidance or the 2017 Regulations, and we confirm the point against the Companies Act before filing. CRIPC's statement of capital records the share structure: the number of shares issued, the total face value of existing shares, each share class and what is paid and unpaid on each share, premium included. The capital figures that usually decide a plan sit elsewhere - the $250,000 in section 30 and the $50,000 bank statement for a Business Residence Permit.

We have found no nationality or residency rule for directors of a local company in CRIPC's guidance or the 2017 Regulations, and we check the Act for your filing. The rules that do apply: the director must be a natural person and between 18 and 70. A branch of a foreign company is different. It must appoint at least two Malawi residents to accept service, its registration fee is K250,000, and PwC's 2023 summary gives branches a 35% rate.

Projects worth $50,000 or more must apply to MITC for an Investment Certificate, which is also the route to incentives and regulatory permits; it is valid for 3 years for a foreign investor. A founder who will live in Malawi applies for a Business Residence Permit with that certificate, a bank statement showing at least $50,000 transferred from abroad, a police clearance and a business plan, among other documents. The fees are $100 to process and $2,000 on issue, and the permit lasts 5 years, renewable. A Temporary Employment Permit costs $100 plus $1,000 and lasts 2 years.

An annual return to CRIPC on Form 12, fee K20,000; filing late costs K100,000 up to 25 working days and K200,000 beyond that. The concise annual report is signed by two directors, or by the only director. A private company with turnover of K20 million or less is exempt from audited accounts. On the tax side, the year starts early: PwC's 2023 summary has an estimated-income return due within 25 days of its beginning, with tax then paid in quarterly instalments until the final return, which is due within 180 days of the year-end. The business licence is renewed every year too, at least a month before it expires.