Ellena Mustafa of Ntcheu District applied for an express passport on June 1 2026, hoping to receive it within a few days. She has been commuting almost daily to the Immigration Department’s offices in Lilongwe, but to no avail.
“I was told my passport would be ready by 5 June, but to date I still don’t have it. The lack of electricity has been a constant excuse since my application,” Mustafa said.
For Steven Matumba of T/A Maganga in Salima District, the wait has been far longer. He applied for a standard passport a year ago, a process that should ordinarily take 30 days. The prolonged delay has become a financial and emotional drain as he repeatedly travels to Lilongwe to check on progress.
“At one point I was told to re‑apply because the system did not have my details, which only compounded my frustrations,” Matumba said.
“Since June last year, the story has been ‘come in the next two weeks.’ Transport fare from Salima to Lilongwe is about K50 000, excluding food. I don’t have a relative in Lilongwe, so I usually sleep under a shade waiting for help. Sometimes I think I don’t get help because I am poor. I have seen people apply and get passports in two days, even the same day.”
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services is under immense pressure as applications far outpace available booklets. Department statistics show about 1 200 passport applications are submitted daily.
As of this week, the department had received 274 692 applications but issued only 120 116 passports, leaving a backlog of 154 576 unprocessed applications. Yet the department has only 16 280 booklets in stock, enough for roughly two weeks at current demand.
In an interview, Immigration director general Dennis Chipao confirmed the challenges they are facing.
He said foreign exchange shortages have affected their ability to honour contractual obligations with Madras Security Printers which was contracted from February 2025.
Chipao said failure to fully honour the $29 975 450 (about K52 billion) contract has disrupted the delivery of key components, including passport booklets.
He said this contributed to persistent stock shortages and negatively affected service delivery although efforts are underway to address the situation.
“We are making progress because we did not have this type of stock and we only had one centre in Lilongwe. Government has made payments demonstrating high-level commitment to improve the situation,” said Chipao.
He further noted that frequent system disruptions and unstable network connectivity continue to affect operational efficiency.
Chipao also said the department has experienced rising demand linked to migration trends and deportation flows placing additional strain on existing capacity and resources.
He said the department plans to roll out the e-passport system to all Malawian embassies with the process already at an advanced stage to ease the situation.
“Under the new system, applicants will be able to submit passport applications and pay application fees online as well as visit the embassy only for interviews and biometric capture,” added Chipao.
Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) chairperson Micheal Kaiyatsa said the situation is worrisome because passports should never be treated as a luxury, but an essential document
“In the short term, the government should urgently procure more passport booklets and communicate openly with the public about how it plans to clear the backlog. People deserve clear and regular updates on when they can expect their passports. This will help reduce uncertainty and frustration. It is also important for Parliament and other oversight institutions to establish why this shortage occurred and to hold those responsible accountable,” he said.
International Relations Committee of Parliament vice-chairperson Frank Mwenifumbo said they plan to engage the Treasury on the need to urgently resolve the challenges.
He said at a time many Malawians are stranded and require passport services, the department must have an uninterrupted supply of passport booklets.
“We are working with the Treasury to ensure the department buys the passport booklets and issues them to applicants, giving priority to those stuck in South Africa.
“We have asked the department to reduce passport issuance to those going to seek jobs in South Africa. People must understand that the situation there is not good,” said Mwenifumbo.
Malawi’s passport printing system has faced challenges since 2021 when the previous administration cancelled a $60.8 million (about K106.3 billion) contract with Techno Brain, citing alleged mishandling by its predecessors.
TechnoBrain signed the contract in March 2019.
In 2023, the government re-engaged TechnoBrain on a temporary basis while seeking a long-term replacement.
