NRB Says Failure To Renew National ID Will Attract Penalties

The National Registration Bureau (NRB) has cautioned people against failure to renew their national identification cards.

Identity cards that were issued in 2016 expired on 1st January 2021, and according to the bureau, people affected were supposed to effect a request for a new Id thirty days before the start of 2021.

According to Norman Fulatira, Spokesperson for NRB, people who will be found using invalid identities will face unspecified penalties.

As part of the renewal process, people will be required to pay a prescribed fee of MK2, 500.00 at the Treasury Cashier.

People will also have to present themselves before the Registration Officer to update biometric data.

The standard waiting period for issuance of the renewed card is 30 days.

The registration exercise came for the first time after 50 years since Malawi’s independence and national identity cards (IDs) were distributed to 9 million people.

The Government of Malawi resolved to introduce the National Registration and Identification System (NRIS) to address problems associated with lack of universal and compulsory registration.

This was done through the registration of births, adults, marriages, resident foreigners and deaths.

This has been devolved to all the district councils in the country.

The District Registration Offices in the office of the District Commissioner perform this function through the decentralized structures at district level.