Malawian passport ranking 2026 and visa-free countries list
Where the Malawian passport lets you travel without a visa arranged in advance, country by country, and how it ranks against 198 passports.
Malawi
Rank 63rd of 93 ranks · joint with 2
Score
61
Visa-free
39
On arrival
19
eTA
3
e-Visa
38
Visa required
94
Many trips still need a visa arranged in advance. A second citizenship or a residence permit can change that for the whole family.
Visa-free countries for Malawian passport holders (39)
Enter with the passport alone. Days shown are the usual maximum stay where the source states one.
- Angola30 days
- Antigua and Barbuda30 days
- Bahamas90 days
- Bangladesh90 days
- Barbados180 days
- Belize
- Benin90 days
- Botswana90 days
- Dominica180 days
- Ecuador90 days
- Fiji120 days
- Gambia90 days
- Grenada90 days
- Haiti90 days
- Jamaica180 days
- Kiribati30 days
- Lesotho90 days
- Malaysia30 days
- Maldives30 days
- Mauritius90 days
- Micronesia30 days
- Mozambique
- Namibia90 days
- Palau30 days
- Philippines30 days
- Rwanda30 days
- Saint Lucia42 days
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines30 days
- Samoa60 days
- Seychelles90 days
- Singapore30 days
- South Africa30 days
- Tanzania90 days
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu30 days
- Uganda90 days
- Vanuatu120 days
- Zambia90 days
- Zimbabwe90 days
Visa on arrival (19)
The visa is issued at the airport or border, normally for a fee.
- Bolivia90 days
- Burundi30 days
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia30 days
- Comoros45 days
- Ethiopia90 days
- Ghana30 days
- Guinea-Bissau90 days
- Iran30 days
- Jordan
- Laos30 days
- Madagascar90 days
- Nepal90 days
- Nicaragua30 days
- Senegal90 days
- Sierra Leone
- Sri Lanka30 days
- Timor-Leste30 days
- Togo7 days
Electronic travel authorisation, eTA (3)
A short online form before you fly, not a full visa application.
- Israel90 days
- Kenya90 days
- Saint Kitts and Nevis90 days
e-Visa (38)
A visa you apply for and receive online before travel. Not counted in the score.
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Bahrain
- Bhutan
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Chad
- Colombia
- Congo (DRC)
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Cuba
- Djibouti
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Guinea
- India
- Iraq
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Qatar
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- Vietnam
Visa required (94)
Apply through the embassy, consulate or an appointed visa centre before travel.
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chile
- China
- Congo
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Myanmar
- Nauru
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Niger
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sudan
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tonga
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
- Yemen
Territories with their own entry rules
Places such as Hong Kong, Macao, Bermuda or the Cook Islands set their own rules. They are listed here but not counted in the score.
Open without a visa arranged in advance (9)
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Cook Islands
- Hong Kong
- Kosovo
- Macao
- Montserrat
- Niue
- Palestine
e-Visa or visa required (15)
- Anguilla
- Aruba
- Bermuda
- Curaçao
- Faroe Islands
- French Polynesia
- Gibraltar
- Greenland
- GuernseyFollows GB entry rules
- Isle of ManFollows GB entry rules
- JerseyFollows GB entry rules
- New Caledonia
- Puerto Rico
- Taiwan
- Turks and Caicos Islands
Second passports that would add the most
Citizenship-by-investment passports we advise on that rank above the Malawian passport, with the number of countries each opens that the Malawian passport does not. Worked out from the same data as the ranking.
| Passport | Rank | Score | Countries added | Programme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 21st | 130 | +75 | St. Kitts & Nevis citizenship |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 24th | 126 | +71 | Antigua & Barbuda citizenship |
| Dominica | 27th | 120 | +65 | Dominica citizenship |
| Grenada | 28th | 119 | +62 | Grenada citizenship |
| Saint Lucia | 32nd | 114 | +62 | Saint Lucia citizenship |
| Türkiye | 38th | 105 | +53 | Turkey citizenship |
| Vanuatu | 51st | 75 | +21 | Vanuatu citizenship |
| Nauru | 59th | 65 | +15 | Nauru citizenship |
Passports ranked close to the Malawian passport
Common questions
What is the rank of the Malawian passport in 2026?
On the XIPHIAS Passport Power Index (12 October 2026), the Malawian passport ranks 63rd, joint with 2 other passports. It opens 61 of 193 countries without a visa arranged in advance; the top passport scores 167.
How many countries can Malawian passport holders visit without a visa?
39 countries are visa-free for Malawian passport holders. Counting 19 that give a visa on arrival and 3 that need only an online eTA, 61 countries need no visa arranged before travel. Another 38 offer an e-visa you apply for online, and 94 need a visa from an embassy.
Which countries give Malawian passport holders a visa on arrival?
Bolivia, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Comoros, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Jordan, Laos, Madagascar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Togo. Conditions apply at the border, usually a return ticket, proof of funds and a fee.
Do Malawian passport holders need a visa for the US, the UK, Canada or Schengen?
The United States: visa required; the United Kingdom: visa required; Canada: visa required; the Schengen area (checked for France): visa required; the UAE: e-visa (apply online before travel); Australia: visa required; Singapore: visa-free; Japan: visa required.
Where the data comes from
Entry rules for this passport are taken from the Wikipedia article Visa requirements for Malawian citizens (revision 1370373625), read on 12 October 2026, which cites each destination’s own rules. The article is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the lists on this page are adapted from it and shared under the same licence.
Check before you travel
Entry rules change, sometimes overnight, and can depend on the purpose of the trip, the passport’s validity and the visas you already hold. Always confirm with the destination’s embassy or official immigration website before you book. This page is general information, not legal advice.