Retiring in Malawi: Stay, Taxation and Healthcare

The entry visa has been mandatory for French nationals since 3 January 2026. It is requested online on evisa.gov.mw or, since February 2026, obtained on arrival at the airport. It allows a stay of three months in total: 30 days on arrival, then an extension up to three months to be requested from immigration within the first 30 days. The rates are 50 US dollars single entry, 150 US dollars for six months with multiple entries and 250 US dollars for twelve months.

France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry’s travel advice service) describes no visa or permit intended for retirees. A lasting settlement therefore requires asking Malawian immigration in writing which residence document is open to a retired person, what resources are required and for how long. Repeated stays on a visitor visa do not constitute a right of residence.

The currency control is carried out on entry and on exit: exit is authorised up to the amount declared on arrival. Transfers of savings should be prepared through documented bank transfers.

The BOFiP list of tax treaties indicates that France applies to Malawi the Franco-British convention of 14 December 1950 (Official Journal of 20 and 21 August 1951), supplemented by exchanges of letters of 5 November and 31 December 1963, for income tax only. This old text perhaps contains no article dedicated to pensions: it should be read in its consolidated version before departure.

The general BOFiP doctrine reminds us that private pensions paid to a person who is not tax-resident in France by a payer established in France bear the withholding tax of Article 182 A of the French General Tax Code, unless a treaty deprives France of the right to tax, and that social security and public pensions follow specific rules depending on the treaties. Each category (basic, supplementary, public) should be checked in the applicable text.

On the Malawian side, the tax authority sets the rules for residents; the scales should be checked on its website. A written simulation from the tax office for non-resident individuals is recommended; see receiving your pension abroad.

The pension can be paid into an account in France or, on request, abroad. Each year, Assurance retraite (the French pension fund) sends a proof-of-life certificate to be completed by a competent authority in the country of residence; without proof, payment may be suspended. It is sent online or by post to the overseas pension processing centre in Tours.

For a tax domicile outside France, the CSG, CRDS and CASA are not deducted. A health insurance contribution of 3.20% may be, if the retiree falls under a French compulsory health insurance scheme, or if they are a foreign national with at least 15 years of old-age insurance in France.

See also quarters worked abroad and retirement insurance abroad.

Assurance Maladie (the French national health insurance) reserves form S1 for moves to the European Union, the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, or to a country bound to France by an agreement including healthcare. Malawi is bound to France by no social security agreement: cover is built with the CFE or private insurance. See a retiree’s health insurance abroad.

The CFE offer for retirees concerns holders of a pension from a French basic scheme with no professional activity, with no health questionnaire or exclusion possible; it has a contribution that depends on age and the plan chosen according to the home page, varying by country and age. Membership before departure or within three months of settling in opens immediate rights; beyond that, waiting periods of three months (under 44) or six months (45 and over) apply.

As France Diplomatie publishes neither a list of hospitals nor an emergency number for Malawi and the country has no French representation, insurance with assistance and evacuation usefully complements the CFE. The Cnarefe (the national centre for French retirees abroad) covers temporary stays in France on condition of 15 years of contributions (10 years for those affiliated before 1 July 2019).

No average budget is put forward: prices are compared on the spot and current inflation appears in the “Economic indicators” block. France Diplomatie also gives a GDP per capita of the order of 500 US dollars. Among the major items for a retiree: secure housing, health insurance, travel (roads in poor condition) and trips to France.

Lilongwe, the capital, brings together the most complete services; Blantyre, Zomba and Mzuzu are the other main cities. The lake sites (Nkhata Bay, Senga Bay, Cape Maclear) are exposed to thefts. The 2024 drought and Cyclone Freddy in 2023 are reminders of the country’s exposure to climate shocks.

Malawi has neither a French embassy nor a consulate: consular procedures, including lost passports and registration on the register of French nationals living abroad, fall to the Consulate General of France in Johannesburg, which also covers Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Zambia. A retiree therefore plans to be able to travel or to proceed remotely. See living in Malawi.

The territory is under heightened vigilance because of road risk. France Diplomatie recommends not travelling at night outside built-up areas, on foot or by car, avoiding minibuses, driving with windows closed and doors locked, not wearing valuables and keeping your passport and tickets in a safe place. In Blantyre and Lilongwe, vigilance is heightened at night (thefts, carjackings, assaults).

Local rules include a penalty of up to five years in prison for drunkenness at the wheel, sentences of 10 to 20 years for drug use, a ban on buying raw precious stones and restrictions on photography. Staying away from demonstrations is recommended.

• Ask Malawian immigration in writing for the residence document open to retirees and its conditions.
• Have tax simulated: the 1950 text, the withholding of Article 182 A, tax domicile.
• Notify your pension fund, prepare the proof-of-life certificate and the bank account for payment.
• Compare the CFE and international insurance with medical evacuation.
• Get vaccinated: yellow fever if needed, hepatitis, typhoid; malaria according to medical advice.
• Register with Fil d’Ariane and on the register of French nationals living abroad.