Quick info guide

Online Registration

For online registration, you must create a user account first. Follow these steps:

o Step 1: Ensure you have a working email account; internet browser; and printer to print your reference number
o Step 2: To register, go to the Registrar General’s website 
o Select the Malawi Business Registration System (MBRS) link which takes you to the “User registration form” after selecting the “Register” link
o Complete the process by pressing the “Submit” tab
o Step 3: Log into the system using your user account and follow the steps to register. your business You can also make payments online. For details visit www.registrargeneral.gov.mw.

Registrar General offices

The Department of Registrar General has offices in all three administrative regions of Malawi.

Central Region
Pagat House
Paul Kagame Road
P.O Box 1780, Lilongwe
Web: www.registrargeneral.gov.mw
Email: info@registrargeneral.gov.mw
Contact person: Ada Kaposa Bakali
Tel: +265 (0) 999479968

Southern Region
Fatima Arcade
Haile Selassie Road
P.O. Box 100, Blantyre
Tel: +265(1)824355 / +265(1)824668 / +265(1)824785 / +265(1)824394
Contact person: Flora  Shawa
Tel: +265 (0) 991141857

Northern Region
1st Floor Amina House, IK Building
P.O. Box 912, Mzuzu
Contact Person: Violet T. Chibambo Mhango
Tel: +265 (0) 999148915

Registering a business in Malawi

The Department of Registrar General (in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs) is responsible for business registration. There are three ways a woman entrepreneur in Malawi can register her business:

1. One is by registering online (www.registrargeneral.gov.mw);

2. Applying through the One Stop Service Centre at Malawi Investment and Trade Centre (MITC) or;

3. Submitting an application directly to the Office of the Registrar General or any of its branch offices.

Registration takes only five (5) days on average if done in person or online, and 14 days if done by mail.
angle-left Which forms of business can you register?

Which forms of business can you register?

Two forms of businesses can be registered. A business name registration applies to sole proprietorships and partnerships. Once registered these are renewable every three years. There are two ways of registering these entities:

a) the online business registration system (MBRS) or;

b) offline registration; where where the client walks in to one of the Department of Registrar General’s offices to register.

Secondly, business incorporation applies to limited liability companies which are registered and administered under the Companies Act (Cap 46:03). There are four types of limited liability companies that are can be registered in Malawi namely:

1) private limited liability companies,

2) public limited liability companies,

3) companies limited by guarantee and,

4) state owned companies (SOCs).

Company incorporation is also registered through MITC’s One Stop Service Centre (especially Foreign Direct Investment) where a Companies Specialist (attached from the Department of Registrar General) sits.

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