Malawi Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in Malawi, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals.
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Prohibited and Restricted Imports
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Several import and export commodities are subject to licensing and/or permitting requirements.  Licenses are required for certain goods of national security significance as stipulated in the Control of Goods Act (COGA). This includes military or police uniforms and radioactive substances. The Ministry of Industry and Trade issues import and export licenses. It frequently reviews and changes the lists of goods subject to licensing.  In principle, changes are published in the Government Gazette.

Licenses are valid for six months but may be extended.

The following goods require an import and export license. The requirements are provided in the Control of Goods Act which was enacted in 2020: 


A.   Goods for which an import permit is required:

Wild animals, Wild Animal Trophies, and Wild Animal Products

  • Meat; Bovine and Swine
  • Live Poultry, Day Old Chicks, Undressed, and Dressed Poultry
  • Fish whether frozen, dried, or live and eggs and spawn thereof
  • Fruit and Vegetables (Fresh & Preserved), including lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, rape, turnips, fresh beans, fresh peas, green pepper, fresh chilies, garlic, onions, carrots, beetroot, radishes, tomatoes, eggplants, Irish/sweet potatoes, bananas, mangoes, pineapples
  • Grain of any variety such as barley, beans, soya beans, pigeon peas, and groundnuts in all forms including meals, flours, and residues
  • Maize:  Dried maize on or off the cob; Crushed maize; Samp; Maize grits; Maize cones; Hominy chop; Maize offal; Processed maize meal with or without additives
  • Refined and Crude Cooking Oil
  • Cane Sugar
  • Canned, Glass, & Plastic Bottled Non-Alcoholic drinks exceeding three cases
  • Liquor in Sachets
  • Canned and Bottled Alcoholic drinks exceeding three cases
  • Coarse and Table Salt
  • Cement
  • Soap:  Laundry bar soap and powdered detergent (loosely packaged detergent powdered soap weighing more than 15 kg)
  • Plastic Products - below 60 microns
  • Secondhand Clothes exceeding one bale.  Underwear (pants, bras) strictly not to be imported
  • Secondhand items:  Kitchen utensils; Refrigerators.
  • Ball Point Pens
  • Fertilizer
  • Sweets
  • Hot Chili sauces
  • LPG Cylinders
  • PVC Pipes

 

B.   Goods for which an export permit is required:

  • Implements of war (other than arms and ammunition), atomic energy materials of strategic value, and items of primary strategic significance used in the production of arms and ammunition and other implements of war, including the following - Beryllium; tantalum; uranium; lithium; columbite Cobalt; thorium; germanium; titanium; nickel; and any materials containing such metals.
  • Petroleum products
  • The following gemstones in the unmanufactured state – Corundum; Garnet; Quartz; Tourmaline; Turquoise; Beryl; Zircon; Jade; Olivine; Feldspar; Topaz; Opal; Chrysoberyl; Spinel; Lazurite
  • Scrap Metal
  • Hides and Skins in processed and non-processed forms
  • Rice, including:  rice meals; rice bran; and rice residues
  • Maize including Dried maize, on or off the cob; Crushed maize; Samp; Maize grits; Maize cones; Hominy chop; Maize offal; or processed maize meal with or without additives
  • Raw round hardwood timbers
  • Sorghum
  • Soya beans
  • Cotton Lint and Seed
  • Oil seeds and residues from oil seeds
  • Beans
  • Cane Sugar
  • Pigeon Peas

 

In March 2025, Malawi announced a two-year import ban on various goods, including food items and other products that are also produced locally. While not enforced, the purpose of this ban is to reduce the country’s reliance on imports and promote domestic production, especially in sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. It is also a measure to deal with severe foreign exchange shortages and a surge in import demand. The ban is designed to safeguard the economy during challenging times and create an environment where local businesses face reduced competition from imported goods.  

The list of goods which are prohibited:

  • Maize flour
  • Rice
  • Fresh milk
  • Peanut butter
  • Honey 
  • Popcorn
  • Meat products
  • Toothpicks
  • Matches
  • Bottled water
  • Table eggs
  • Plastic utensils
  • Wooden furniture
  • Mops
  • Potatoes
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Onions
  • Security boots
  • Fruits and vegetables except those that do not grow in Malawi

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

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The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

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The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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