Malawi scraps ID card expiry date, Mukhito announces at Digital Wallet launch

Malawi’s national identity cards will no longer carry an expiry date, the country’s Minister of Homeland Security has announced, in a move aimed at simplifying the national identification system for citizens.

Peter Mukhito made the announcement on Wednesday while delivering a statement at the launch of the National Registration Bureau’s (NRB) Mzika Digital ID Wallet in Lilongwe.

The change comes as the country continues to expand its use of digital identification, with the NRB revealing that 22,000 people have so far registered for the Mzika Wallet, a digital version of the National ID.

Speaking at the launch, NRB Principal Secretary Patrick Machika said the initiative would help improve how government operates and delivers services to citizens, describing the digital system as part of a broader effort to support Malawi’s digital transformation agenda by improving efficiency and bringing government services closer to the public.

United Nations Resident Coordinator to Malawi Rebecca Dontoh described the Mzika Wallet as an important step towards strengthening digital identity in the country.

She said the digital ID could play a significant role across various sectors, including finance, elections and government-supported initiatives, while complementing rather than replacing the physical National ID.

The digital format, she noted, offers greater convenience and faster access to identification services.

However, Dontoh cautioned that digital transformation must remain inclusive, warning that people without reliable access to the internet, smartphones or electricity risked being left behind as the system expands.

She said identity inclusion must remain a central priority as Malawi develops its digital identification infrastructure.

While reaffirming the United Nations’ support for the initiative, Dontoh also called on government to ensure citizens could easily correct errors in their identification information, and stressed the importance of protecting citizens’ personal data, warning that strong safeguards would be essential to building and maintaining public confidence in the system.

The launch of the Mzika Digital ID Wallet marks a further step in Malawi’s transition towards digital public services, while the removal of the expiry date from the National ID is expected to change how citizens manage their identification documents going forward.