How to import cars in Malawi

By Jack Kates

It is actually quite easy to import cars in Malawi. It is a Right Hand Drive and there is no restriction on how old a vehicle may be imported in and no Road Worthy inspection required. In the past all kinds of junks were imported in but in 2010 government imposed excise duty on used vehicle that rises in line with the age of the vehicle. This has made import of new vehicles more affordable, in some cases a new vehicle may end up costing less.

This may change once again as government is contemplating a drastic reduction in duty by end of 2014. We will update you as soon as we know.

Ports

Since Malawi is a landlocked country, Dar es-Salam port in Tanzania, Maputo port in Mozambique and Durban port in South Africa may be used but most of our customers prefer Dar es Salam port as one can drive the car to Malawi after it has been cleared.

South Africa does not allow imported in-transit vehicles to be driven through its roads. You can also use clearance agent to deliver the vehicle to Malawian border or even to your home if you so like. If you use Durban here is some pertinent information

REC Membership: SADC, COMESA
Recommended drop-off point: Blantyre
Carriers per Week: 3
Transit Time in Days: 7

Recommended routing:
Durban>>Johannesburg>>Beit Bridge>>Chirundo>>Mwanza>>Blantyre

African Ports and Countries they serve

Port	Countries covered
Durban	Zimbabwe,Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland
Dar es Salaam	Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Congo, Burundi
Mombasa	Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan
Maputo	Mozambique

How long does it take to get to Dar es Salam

It takes 4 weeks from Thailand to Dar es Salam and two weeks from Dubai to Dar es Salam.

Required Documentation for Import of Cars

Original Commercial/Purchase Invoice.
Drivers License & International Insurance Policy (green card).
Original Certificate of Title and Registration.
Copy of client's work contract.
Original Bill of Lading: It must show Chassis number, Engine number, Cubic Capacity, Manufacturing year, brand and model.
Power of Attorney if you are using Destination Agent to do clearance on your behalf

We always recommend checking with your embassy, a clearing agent in Malawi or the authorities in Malawi to ensure you have up to date information on the rules and regulations. The information here is for guidance purposes only and should not be used as hard and fast rules.

Car Import Duty in Malawi

Taxes and Duties on used vehicles

By Jack Kates

Due to high import taxes, importation of vehicle in Malawi is quite high. In 2010, an excessive excise duty was also added, this has doubled the cost of used vehicles and in some cases making newer vehicles more affordable. This in a country where monthly salary is US$30. There is a 25% import duty on CIF value of the car, the excise duty introduced in 2010 varies from 5% to 100% depending on make and engine capacity as well as age of the vehicle, a surtax of 16.5% and K15,000 fixed destination inspection fee (DIF) for all items valued over K300,000. There hav e been recent proposal to reduce import duty by 20%. If implemented that could revive used car market.

For example, second-hand vehicles with an engine capacity of up to 1,500 cc and below eight years of age attract a basic import duty of 25 percent on their CIF cost, with a further 16.5 percent value added tax (VAT) levied on the sum of the CIF and import duty. Vehicles between 8 and 12 years old with the same engine capacity attract an additional excise duty of 35 percent, levied on the sum of the CIF, VAT and import duty. This punitive excise duty has pretty much destroyed used car import business. This is not justified on environmental grounds as there are only 8 cars per 1000 persons in Malawi compared to 114 in Zimbabwe and 897 in United States.

Most second-hand vehicles are imported through Tanzania’s main port of Dar es Salaam, with some coming through Durban in South Africa. Insurance and freight costs are calculated from the vehicle’s point of purchase to the port of arrival.

The new system was implemented in tandem with a decision by the MRA to suspend all inland clearance of imported goods, including second-hand vehicles, in order to reduce the likelihood of vehicles being smuggled to avoid excise duty. All imported goods are now cleared at the port of entry, and are detained there if their owners do not have the money to pay duties.

If vehicle is sold, disposed within Five years of importation, then used vehicle importer has to pay duties similar to the amount paid to Customs at initial importation. Here are taxes due on import of commercial vehicles :-

Up to 2000cc :- seating capacity less than 10 people.
- Import Duty:- 25%
- VAT:- 16.5%
- Excise:- 15%
2000-2500cc :- seating capacity less than 10 people.
- Import Duty:- 25%
- VAT:- 16.5%
- Excise:- 30%
2500-3000cc- seating capacity less than 10.
- Import Duty:- 25%
- VAT:- 16.5%
- Excise:- 40%
Over 3000c- seating capacity less than 10.
- Import Duty:- 25%
- VAT:- 16.5%
- Excise:- 50%
Minibus holding more than 10 people.
- Import Duty:- 25%
- VAT:- 16.5%
- Excise:- Nil
Trucks under 3 Ton.
- Import Duty:- 10.00%
- VAT:- 16.5%
- Excise:- 5.00%
Trucks over 3 Ton.
- Import Duty:- 1.10%
- VAT:- 2.50%
Truck over 10 Ton.
- Excise:- 1.50%

Cars For Sale Malawi

Malawi cars for sale, Malawi 4WD pick-up for sale, Malawi SUV for sale at Thailand, Australia, UK and Dubai largest new used car dealer and exporter

By Jack Kates

Information about Malawi

Thailand largest new and used car 4WD vigo triton exporter to Malawi A landlocked country in southeastern Africa, Malawi (formerly Nyasaland) has an area of 118,480 sq km (45,745 sq mi), of which 24,400 sq km (9,420 sq mi) consists of water, chiefly Lake Malawi (also known as Lake Niassa). Comparatively, the area occupied by Malawi is slightly smaller than the state of Pennsylvania. Malawi extends 853 km (530 mi) N–S and 257 km (160 mi) E–W. It is bounded on the N and E by Tanzania, on the E, S, and SW by Mozambique, and on the W by Zambia, with a total boundary length of 2,881 km (1,790 mi).

Malawi has four glamorous cities—Blantyre and Zomba in the southern region, and Lilongwe and Mzuzu in central and northern Malawi respectively.

Malawians like their cars

Malawians like their cars, 4WD pick-up trucks, 4WD SUVs. They want them to be of highest quality but are always on the look out for Malawi Cars For Sale and Malawi 4WD Pick-up trucks for sale and Malawi SUV for sale. Most buyers will buy in the local market as they can touch and feel the vehicle and have it right away if they like a particular car or pickup. Many dealers in Malawi offer cars, luxury cars, pick-up truck or SUVs on sale so there is always a car to be found in a person’s budget. Whether you are in Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe or Mzuze, we have the right car for you. Buy or sell new or used cars, saloons, station wagons, 4WDs, pick-ups, motorbikes, buses, taxis, vans and trucks from world's top Right hand drive car dealer and exporters

For those who want greater selection and greater savings you can take the middleman from the equation and buy directly and buy from Jim Autos directly. One email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. gives you access to their Thailand office, England United Kingdom office, Australia office and Dubai office. You can purchase not only largest quality brand New 2014 2015 Thailand vehicles, UK vehicles, Australia vehicles and Japanese vehicles but also used vehicles of all kinds. Our used cars, pickups, suvs, luxury vehicles, vans, trucks, buses and machinery are handpicked by our experts for their quality and value.

For those looking for Malawi cars for sale have to just go to their computer and a quick email will give them access to world’s best auto dealer where all car models are on sale. There are no sale games. You get haggle-free and hassle-free low price that you can take to the bank.

Buying Malawi Cars for Sale from outside Malawi

Wow! What a concept. If you want a real sale then you have no choice but to go to a worldwide dealership which can get you rock-bottom prices on over hundreds of models from over 30 brand names so whether you are looking for used Toyota, used Mitsubishi, used Mazda, used Nissan, used Lexus, used Infiniti, used Hyundai, used Isuzu, used Chevy, used Kia, used Porsche, used Mercedes-Benz, used Honda, used Land Rover, used Saab, used Peugeot, used Jaguar, used Hummer, used Volvo or any other brand of your used vehicle Jim is the best choice.

Malawi is a Right Hand drive country and since it is a land-locked country, Malawians can use Dar es Salam port in Tanzania or Durban port in South Africa or Maputo in Mozambique. Used Japanese cars are generally imported in using Ro-ro (roll-on roll-off) car carriers but used Thai, UK and Australian vehicles and new vehicles are brought in via container.

Cities in Malawi

Cities in Northern Region are Chitipa, Chilumba, Ekwendeni, Karonga, Likoma, Livingstonia, Mzimba, Mzuzu, Nkhata Bay, Rumphi, Chintheche, Champhira, Jenda, Embangweni, Edingeni.

Cities in Central Region are Bwanje, Chipoka, Dedza, Dowa, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Linthipe, Lobi, Madisi, Malaomo, Mayani, Mchinji, Mponela, Mua, Namitete, Mitundu, Nathenje, Nkhotakota, Nkhoma, Nponela, Ntcheu, Ntchisi, Salima, Thete, Tsangano.

Cities in Southern Region are Balaka, Bangula, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chileka, Chiponde, Domasi, Lilangwe, Limbe, Liwonde, Luchenza, Lunzu, Machinga, Malosa, Mangochi, Monkey Bay, Mulanje, Mwanza, Namadzi, Namwera, Ngabu, Nchalo, Njata, Nsanje, Phalombe, Thyolo, Zalewa, Zomba,

Station Wagon Import Excise Rate in Malawi

Taxes and Duties on used vehicles

By Jack Kates

VARIATION OF IMPORT EXCISE RATES ON SALOONS/STATION WAGONS

Many people import saloons or station wagons but do not know that excise rates for such vehicles vary depending on the year the vehicle was manufactured and the engine size. Below is, therefore, a table that illustrates how import excise rates apply for saloons and station wagons for different years of make and engine capacity.

Assume taxpayer X has imported a saloon which is less than eight years old with an engine size of 1500 cc. Taxpayer Y has also imported a similar saloon with an engine size the same as X but is more than twelve years old. Value for Duty Purposes will include the Cost (FOB) + Insurance + Freight value + Port charges) and would be calculated cumulatively as follows:

X. Where Value for Duty Purposes is $5, 714, for example, and the exchange rate is $1 to K350, the total Customs value would be $5, 714 x 350=K2, 000, 000.

Duty calculation:

Import duty = 25% x K2, 000, 000 =K500, 000
Import excise =0% x (K2, 000, 000 + K500, 000) =K0.00
Import VAT =16.5% x (K2, 500, 000 + K0.00) =K412, 500
Total duty payable =K500, 000 + K0.00 +K412, 500 =K912, 500

Y. Where Value for Duty Purposes is $3, 714 and the exchange rate is $1 to K350, the total Customs value would be $3, 714 x 350=K1, 300, 000.

Duty calculation:

1. Import duty = 25% x K1, 300, 000 =K325, 000

2. Import excise =60% x (K1, 300, 000 + K325, 000) =K975, 000

Import VAT =16.5% x (K1, 300, 000 + K325, 000 + K975, 000) =K429, 000
Total duty payable = K325, 000 + K975, 000 + K429, 000 =K1, 729, 000

It is against this background that the Authority would like to advise members of the general public that when importing saloons or station wagons, they should know the year of manufacture and the engine size as the two determine the rate at which excise duty will be computed.

malawi-excise-rates