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ID & Civil Registration

How to Replace or Correct Your Malawi National ID Card

updated on : Saturday, 10 Oct, 2026 · 2 min read · from 3 official sources

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Table of contents
  • You must apply to your District Registrar using Form NR1 (for national ID) or NR2 (for resident foreigner ID), plus an affidavit on Form NR63
  • For a lost card, bring a Police Report; for damage or expiry, bring the damaged or expired card itself3
  • The replacement fee is MK2,500.00, payable to the Treasury Cashier3
  • You have six weeks to hand over a card with incorrect details or an unrecognizable photograph to your District Registrar2
  • The new card will be issued after 30 days3

If your national ID card is lost, damaged, defaced, contains incorrect information, or has an expired photograph, you can apply for a replacement or correction at your District Registrar’s office.23

What you need to bring

  • Form NR1 (for a national ID) or Form NR2 (for a resident foreigner ID)3
  • Form NR6, which is an affidavit explaining what happened to your card23
  • If your card was lost: a Police Report3
  • If your card is damaged, defaced or expired: the actual card itself3
  • Make sure Form NR6 is signed and stamped3
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Fees and payment

The replacement fee is MK2,500.00.3 You must pay this to the Treasury Cashier.3 However, if the District Registrar decides your reasons for replacement are justified, you may not have to pay a penalty fee.2

Where to apply

Visit your District Registrar’s office with your completed forms and documents.23

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Timeline

Your new card will be issued after 30 days.3 If your card does not correctly reflect your particulars or contains a photograph that no longer looks like you, you must hand it over to the District Registrar within six weeks and apply for a replacement.2

What happens next

When the Director issues a new card to replace a damaged one, the damaged card will be destroyed and both the national register and district register will be updated.1 If your card was lost, the Director will inform district registrars and other relevant authorities of the loss as soon as practicable.1

Official sources

  1. National Registration nrb.gov.mw · PDF · archived copy
  2. Citation nrb.gov.mw · PDF · archived copy
  3. National Identity Registration Processes nrb.gov.mw · archived copy

Every fact in this guide comes from these official Government of Malawi pages, numbered to match. Fees, dates and rules change: confirm on the official site before you go. Spotted an error? Tell us.

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