The Government of Ireland is recommending against all non-essential international travel until further notice. This includes Malawi. The full Travel Advice is available here.

International flights to and from Malawi have resumed. A negative COVID-19 test is required for entry and exit, taken within the previous 72 hours. 

New pre-departure testing requirements for entry into Ireland come into effect from 16 January 2021. If you plan to travel to Ireland, consult the Government advice here.  

We strongly encourage Irish citizens remaining in Malawi to register your contact details on Citizens’ Registration, which allows us to contact you with updated information. 

Public access to the Embassy is by appointment only. To contact us, please use our Contact Us form. For emergency consular assistance outside working hours, contact +265 888 207 543.

Passports

The Passport Service is open for online renewal applications from Malawi, but have paused processing as Ireland is at Level 5 of the National Framework for Living with COVID-19. There will be an update after 5 April. Visit Passport Online to renew your passport. First-time passport applications and paper-based renewals remain suspended until further notice.

Visas

As part of a wide range of travel measures announced on the 26 January, and in light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, visa-free travel to Ireland for nationals of South Africa and all countries in South America has been suspended from midnight on the 27^th January. Nationals of these countries will require to be in possession of an entry visa or transit visa, as appropriate, for travel to Ireland regardless of where they reside or the purpose of their travel to Ireland. See Government press release here

In addition, with effect from 29 January 2021, the Department of Justice has temporarily ceased accepting new visa/ preclearance applications globally.

Increasing travel restrictions and the measures introduced as part of the Irish Government’s efforts to interrupt the transmission of COVID-19 means that travel may not be possible and even if possible is not advisable unless absolutely essential. It is currently against the law for any person (regardless of nationality or passport) to travel within Ireland for non-essential purposes and people can be fined for doing so. Enforcement of this has been strongly increased over the last few days.

These measures are designed to support our public health restrictions on movement, including into and out of Ireland. The strong advice is that everyone, regardless of their nationality, visa/preclearance status, or the origin of travel, who cannot provide proof of an essential purpose to travel to or within Ireland, should not travel to Ireland.

The situation will continue to be reviewed in consultation with the relevant authorities in the coming weeks.

We intend to resume accepting visa applications as soon as safety concerns abate. In the meantime, only certain emergency cases will be processed. Further information is available on the website of Immigration Service Delivery.

For further details or if you believe that your application should be considered as an emergency case, please use the Contact Us form.

Useful Links

The Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade information page on Coronavirus

Information on the Coronavirus from the Health Service Executive of Ireland

Malawi Ministry of Health Updates

Embassy of Ireland Social Media
Twitter @IrlEmbMalawi