The economy of Malawi may not be as developed for the tech giants, although it sure has attracted businessmen from across the world in different areas of commerce. A Malawi business visa is a courtesy to the businessmen making it easier for them to carry out their business in Malawi.
A business visa for Malawi is to be issued when a business person is willing to travel to the country for business-related activities. These activities include attending business meetings, exhibitions and conferences, business meetings for a branch of your own company or a sister company, or attend client meetings and other business errands. The holder can even tour the country on this permit.
The validity of the visa can vary depending on certain factors. It can be single-entry permit or a multiple-entry permit. There are two kinds of multiple-entry permits, one of which is valid for 6 months and the other one is valid for 12 months. The stay permitted per visit is 30 calendar days.
The process for the application of a business visa for Malawi is mainly offline and is carried out by the Malawi High Commission. The application must be done by following the guidelines provided by the High Commission and you need to match the eligibility criteria for the same. The process is given as follows:
When you are filling out the application form for the issuance of a Malawi business visa for Indian passport holder, you must make sure that proper details are being provided including nationality, date of birth, and others. The details must match the information in the travel documents. If there are any issues found with the information provided or the application itself, your application may get rejected. Such a visa rejection can affect your future applications to Malawi or to any other country. Therefore, it is safer to acquire professional assistance which will minimize the errors to be caused.
The eligibility criteria must be fulfilled when you are applying for any permit, including business visa for Malawi. These are the parameters that decide whether you are an ideal candidate to issue the permit for or not. Major eligibility criteria are listed as follows:
There are different kinds of requirements for the permit that can vary from case to case as well. The common requirements for the issuance of a business visa for Malawi are as follows:
The processing time required for the issuance of a business visa for Malawi or a visa certificate is about 3 to 5 days. There are several factors that affect the processing time of the permit. Such as the workload at the embassy office, the staff availability, whether the documents are complete or the rest of the documents are yet to be submitted and others.
The fee to get a business visa for Malawi is to be paid to the High Commission after the approval of the application. The fee will differ for a visa sticker and a visa certificate. It can also change depending on the number of entries you require and the validity of the permit.
When you have submitted the application form for business visa for Malawi to the Malawi High Commission, there are certain things that you need to note -
The status for the processing of Malawi business visa can be checked offline by contacting the embassy. In case you have applied through a professional visa agency, you can check the status of the permit on the website or contacting them offline.
After the submission and processing of a business visa for Malawi, you will receive a visa sticker in your passport. In case the visa stickers are out of stock, you will be given a visa certificate. There are certain things that you need to remember after you have received your permit:
Before applying for an extension of business visa for Malawi, you need to make sure that you have a convincing reason for the authorities. In order to apply for the extension, you will have to the Immigration Offices in Lilongwe. You can get an extension for MK 5000 for a month and the amount can exceed as per the span of extension you require. You also need to make sure that you apply at least 3 to 4 weeks before the expiration.
Once the visa has expired, you are not permitted to stay in the country any longer. If you have humanitarian reasons to stay back in Malawi, the government may grant you an extension. However, if you were not able to leave the country post-expiration of your visa, you may have to face charges and could be deported or even banned from re-entering in certain cases. If you have to stay, you can extend your visa with reliable causes within the timeline.
A medical test is a health examination performed by an authorized doctor to ensure that the applicant does not possess any kind of contagious diseases. These do not just include HIV/AIDS, but also other contagious diseases that can spread. However, this medical test is not necessarily required for the business visa. You will, however, be required to issue medical insurance.
You are not permitted to convert one type of visa to another and hence, you cannot convert your business visa for Malawi into a work permit. You may be allowed to do any kind of volunteer work in the country as a visitor, but for paid employment, you will have to issue a work permit separately.
The amount that is required in your savings bank account is not specified clearly by the High Commission. There may be requirements as per the type of your visa and whether the visa is a long term or a short term visa. You may need to confirm this information once you know what kind of visa you require. The requirements may change based on several factors, even for a business visa for Malawi.
It depends on the processing time of the visa. In the case of a business visa for Malawi, you can apply at least a week or two prior to the intended date of travel as the processing time varies from 3 to 5 working days. However, ensure that you have sufficient time as a delayed visa can cost you your flight.