Malawi driving licence
Every step from the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services: register on MalTIS, get a learner licence, pass the driving test, replace a lost licence, convert a foreign one, and get an international or professional permit.
- Learner: 20 lessons
- Test: 40 lessons
- Pay at NBS Bank
Quick answer: First enrol on MalTIS at a DRTSS office with your National ID or passport to get a Traffic Register Card. Take at least 20 lessons at a registered driving school, pass the eye test and the learner licence test (valid six months), then at least 40 lessons over 28 days before the driving test. DRTSS prints a deposit slip with the fee: you pay at NBS Bank, never at the DRTSS counter.
Pick your step
Everyone starts with MalTIS enrolment. Tap a card to jump to it.
Enrol on MalTIS and get your Traffic Register Card
MalTIS is DRTSS’s system for every licence and vehicle job. You enrol once, at age 16 or over.
Bring two identity documents and the form
DRTSS accepts your National ID and a Malawian or foreign passport. Print and fill the Application for Entity Enrolment form from the DRTSS downloads page before you go. No National ID yet? See our National ID guide. Under 16? DRTSS has a separate process for minors.
Biometrics at the office
At your nearest DRTSS office, the Biometric Enrolment Office takes your photo, fingerprints and signature. Then the Person Applications counter scans your documents. You can also name a proxy who may do transactions for you: they must be enrolled too and come with you.
Pay at NBS Bank, then collect the card
DRTSS prints a deposit slip with the amount. Check your details on it, pay at NBS Bank (no money is paid at DRTSS), and bring the stamped slip back to the Document Issuing Office for your Traffic Register Card. Keep it safe: you show it for every DRTSS application.
Get your learner licence
From DRTSS’s learner licence page. You test for a specific vehicle category.
Checklist
- Your Traffic Register Card.
- At least 20 lessons over at least 7 days at a registered driving school (10 lessons for a later application). The school records your lessons on MalTIS.
- The learner licence application form (downloads).
- A valid eye test: at the DRTSS eye test station, or a Vision Certificate from your optometrist. A DRTSS eye test counts for six months.
- A medical certificate from a doctor if you are disabled or over 65.
Submit at the Person Applications counter, pay the deposit slip at NBS Bank, return with the stamped slip and collect your learner licence. It is valid for six months. Failed the aptitude test? Book it again the same way.
Book the driving licence test
From DRTSS’s driving licence test page.
Checklist
- Your Traffic Register Card.
- A valid learner licence for the same vehicle category.
- At least 40 lessons over at least 28 days at a registered driving school for a first licence (10 lessons over 14 days for a later application), recorded on MalTIS.
- A valid eye test, and a medical certificate if you are disabled or over 65.
Apply at the Person Applications counter, pay at NBS Bank and bring back the stamped slip. Your learner licence lasts six months, so plan the 28 days of lessons inside that window.
Replace a lost, stolen or destroyed licence
From DRTSS’s duplicate licence page. The same steps work for a PrDP.
Get a police report
DRTSS will not issue a duplicate without a valid police report, or if your licence is suspended.
Fill the duplicate form and pay
Bring your Traffic Register Card and the completed duplicate application form to the Person Applications counter. Pay the deposit slip at NBS Bank and collect the duplicate at the Document Issuing Office.
Your old licence stops working
Once the duplicate is printed, the original is cancelled, even if you find it. The duplicate keeps the original expiry date.
Renew your driving licence
DRTSS lists ‘Driving licence renewal’ on its website, but the page has no instructions of its own.
DRTSS does not list what to bring for a renewal. Take your Traffic Register Card, your current licence and your glasses if you wear them to a DRTSS office, and ask at the Person Applications counter. As always, the fee is on the deposit slip and you pay at NBS Bank.
DRTSS also renews licences at outreach visits in the districts, announced on its Facebook page (in 2026 it posted visits to Chitipa and Rumphi offering renewals, COF, permits and enrolment).
- Bring
- Traffic Register Card, licence
- Ask at
- Person Applications counter
- Pay at
- NBS Bank
- Outreach
- DRTSS Facebook
Foreign licences and the International Driving Permit
Two different jobs: bringing a foreign licence into Malawi, or taking your Malawian one abroad.
Convert a foreign licence
If you take up permanent residence in Malawi, the law says you must convert your licence after six months. Visitors staying a long time may convert at any time. Bring your Traffic Register Card, a valid foreign licence and an International Driving Permit (1949 or 1968 convention), and the driving licence application form. You sit a theory test, and DRTSS destroys both foreign documents when it issues your Malawian licence (DRTSS).
International Driving Permit (IDP)
To drive abroad on your Malawian licence, apply for an IDP with your Traffic Register Card, your Malawian licence and the application form. You must have held the Malawian licence for more than one year (DRTSS).
Professional Driving Permit (PrDP)
Needed if you carry passengers, goods or dangerous goods for reward: taxi, minibus, kabaza for hire, delivery trucks.
You need a licence for the right category held for more than 24 months, a doctor’s medical certificate, an eye test and the PrDP application form. Minimum age: 21 for goods and passengers, 25 for dangerous goods. DRTSS does not accept PrDP applications from people aged 65 (DRTSS).
Vehicles also need a Certificate of Fitness (COF): every six months for taxis, hire cars, minibuses and driving school cars, every twelve months for private and goods vehicles (DRTSS).
- Goods or passengers
- Age 21+
- Dangerous goods
- Age 25+
- Licence held
- Over 24 months
- COF, passenger vehicles
- Every 6 months
How much does a driving licence cost?
DRTSS does not publish a fee list on its website or Facebook page.
The amount for each job is printed on the deposit slip the counter gives you, and you pay it at NBS Bank. Check that the slip shows your name and the right transaction before you pay. Driving school fees are separate and set by each school. Need an NBS account? See our NBS Bank guide.
- Where to pay
- NBS Bank
- At DRTSS
- No cash
- Proof
- Stamped deposit slip
DRTSS offices
Secretariat in Lilongwe, four regional offices and satellite offices.
Toll free line 4040 (Airtel only). The Mangochi One Stop Service Delivery Centre is at Mangochi Post Office.
- Head office
- Paul Kagame Highway, near CFAO, Lilongwe
- Centre
- Paul Kagame Highway, next to Corporate Mall, Lilongwe
- City Centre (Lilongwe)
- Mpico Building, next to Old Mutual
- South
- Ginnery Corner, ESCOM Power Station Road, Blantyre
- Makata (Blantyre)
- Makata Industrial Area
- East
- Behind National Statistics, Zomba
- North
- Kanjedza Street, opposite Mzuzu Panel Beaters, Mzuzu
- Mangochi
- One Stop Centre, Mangochi Post Office
DRTSS pages and forms
Driving licence FAQ
How do I get a driving licence in Malawi?
Enrol on MalTIS at DRTSS, take 20 lessons and pass the learner licence test, then 40 lessons over 28 days and the driving test.
How many driving lessons do I need?
At least 20 over 7 days before the learner test and at least 40 over 28 days before the driving test, at a registered driving school.
How long is a learner licence valid?
Six months from the date of issue.
How much is a driving licence in Malawi?
DRTSS does not publish fees. The amount is on the deposit slip you get at the counter, paid at NBS Bank.
What do I do if I lose my driving licence?
Get a police report, then apply for a duplicate at DRTSS with your Traffic Register Card. The old licence is cancelled.
Can I drive in Malawi on a foreign licence?
If you settle in Malawi, you must convert it within six months of taking up permanent residence, with your foreign licence and an IDP.
What is the DRTSS toll free number?
4040, for Airtel subscribers.
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