The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) has introduced a set of new restrictions on how much foreign and local currency individuals can carry across the country’s borders, according to notices published in the Malawi Gazette Supplement dated 18 September 2026.

The three notices — Government Notices No. 88, 89, and 90 — were made under the Foreign Exchange Act, 2025 (No. 18 of 2025) and signed on 7 September 2026 by RBM Governor Dr. G. B. Partridge.

Under the Foreign Exchange (Limit on Exportation of Foreign Currency) Notice, 2026, no person may take or send more than USD 1,000 — or its equivalent in any other foreign currency — out of Malawi, unless they can show the currency was purchased from an authorized dealer, or they have obtained specific permission from the central bank.

A separate notice, the Foreign Exchange (Limit on Exportation of Malawi Currency) Notice, 2026, caps how much Malawian currency can leave the country without the Bank’s permission. Cross-border traders are limited to an amount equivalent to USD 5,000, while ordinary travellers face a much lower ceiling of USD 100 equivalent.

The third notice, the Foreign Exchange (Limit on Physical Possession of Foreign Currency) Notice, 2026, restricts individuals from physically holding more than USD 1,000 (or its equivalent in other foreign currencies) at any one time, absent permission from the Bank.

The notices were issued under the newly enacted Foreign Exchange Act, 2025, which grants the RBM authority to regulate currency exportation (sections 15 and 21) and physical possession of foreign currency (section 13(3)). All three measures took effect upon publication in the Gazette.