> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://v2.docs.conduit.financial/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Malawi > How to collect KYB documents from business customers in Malawi (MWI) when onboarding through the Conduit API. ## Overview | Field | Value | | ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | Region | Africa | | ISO 3166-1 | MW / MWI | | Registry | CRIPC (Companies, Registrations and Intellectual Property Centre) | | Last updated | 2026-05-06 | ## Identifiers Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Malawi and submit them as strings on the application body. | API field | Local name | Issuer | | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | `businessInfo.taxId` | **TPIN** | MRA (Malawi Revenue Authority) | | `businessInfo.businessEntityId` | **Company Registration Number** | CRIPC (Companies, Registrations and Intellectual Property Centre) | *Tax ID:* Unique number issued on registration; used on all MRA correspondence; obtained via Msonkho Online portal (mra.mw) or any MRA Domestic Taxes office. *Registration number:* Assigned on incorporation via MBRS; appears on the Certificate of Incorporation. ## Sector regulators `RBM` · `FIA` ## Legal structures | Local name | Abbreviation | Description | | --------------------------------- | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Private Company Limited by Shares | Ltd | Closely-held share-capital company; up to 50 shareholders with restricted share transfers; the standard SME incorporation vehicle under the Companies Act 2013. Equivalent to a US LLC. | | Public Company Limited by Shares | PLC | Share-capital company with unlimited shareholders; may list on the Malawi Stock Exchange; subject to enhanced disclosure obligations under the Companies Act 2013. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. | | State-Owned Company | — | Company controlled by the Government of Malawi under s.26 Companies Act 2013; commonly called a parastatal; governed by public-company rules. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp or Nonprofit Corporation. | | Company Limited by Guarantee | — | No share capital; members guarantee a fixed amount on winding up; used for non-profits, professional bodies, and associations. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation. | | Partnership | — | Two to twenty persons carrying on business together for profit; each partner bears unlimited personal liability; registered with the Registrar General. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership (GP). | | Sole Proprietorship | — | Single individual trading under a registered business name; no separate legal personality; owner bears unlimited personal liability. Closest US equivalent: Sole Proprietorship. | | Cooperative Society | — | Member-owned entity registered under the Cooperative Societies Act and the Financial Cooperatives Act No. 8 of 2011; profits distributed among members; common in agriculture and savings sectors. Closest US equivalent: Cooperative. | | External Company | — | Foreign body corporate that establishes or maintains a place of business in Malawi; must register with CRIPC under Part XV Companies Act 2013. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Rep Office. | ## How documents combine For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below. | Evidence area | Documents needed | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | Legal Registration | Certificate of Incorporation | | Constitutive Documents | Memorandum and Articles of Association | | Tax Registration | TPIN Certificate | | Operating Permit | Business Licence | | Ownership Records | Register of Members | | Governance Records | *Any one of:* Register of Directors · Annual Return | | Signing Authority | *Any one of:* Board Resolution · Power of Attorney | | Address | *Any one of:* Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement | ## Documents to collect The physical documents you'll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil's Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed. | Document | Proves | | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Certificate of Incorporation** | Legal Registration | | **Memorandum and Articles of Association** | Constitutive Documents | | **TPIN Certificate** | Tax Registration | | **Business Licence** | Operating Permit | | **Register of Members** | Ownership Records | | **Register of Directors** | Governance Records | | **Annual Return (MBRS)** | Governance Records | | **Board Resolution** | Signing Authority | | **Power of Attorney** | Signing Authority | | **Lease Agreement** | Address | | **Utility Bill (≤90 days old)** | Address | | **Bank Statement (≤90 days old)** | Address | | **Sector-Specific License** | RBM sector licence, FIA — Financial Intelligence Authority (Financial Intelligence Act 2016 / No. 6 of 2016) | **Not applicable in Malawi:** Good Standing. Skip these areas — no local artifact exists. ### Collection notes * **Legal Registration:** Issued by Registrar General via MBRS on successful incorporation under Companies Act 2013. * **Constitutive Documents:** Paired constitutive document filed at incorporation; auto-generated by MBRS and must be printed, signed, and scanned back. * **Tax Registration:** Issued by MRA upon tax registration; obtainable via Msonkho Online portal at mra.mw. * **Operating Permit:** Issued by local Business Licensing Centres (city/district councils); renewed annually. * **Sector-Specific License:** RBM issues banking, insurance, capital markets, microfinance, and payment-system licences under Financial Services Act 2010 and sector-specific acts. FIA oversees AML/CFT compliance for reporting institutions. * **Governance Records:** Director particulars filed on incorporation and updated via Annual Return in MBRS. * **Signing Authority:** Board resolution authorising a named individual to act; notarised POA for external engagements. * **Address:** Lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement, with utility/bank dated within 90 days. Same evidence satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks. ## Person roles When you submit a person on the application body, set their `role` to one of Conduit's canonical `BusinessPersonRole` values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role. | Local role | Canonical API role | Description | | ------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Director | `CONTROLLING_PERSON` | Named officer with day-to-day management authority; minimum 1 for private company. | | Authorised Signatory / Attorney | `LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE` | Holder of board resolution or POA authorising execution of documents. | ## Notes * Hague Apostille party since 1967. HCCH status table confirms Malawi acceded 24 February 1967 (entry into force 2 December 1967). Apostille is accepted for foreign public documents. * RBM is the single financial supervisor for banking, insurance, capital markets, microfinance, and payment systems. There is no separate securities commission — use RBM for all sector-licence verifications. * Informal addressing is common outside urban centres; GPS coordinates or a local authority letter may substitute for a utility bill proof-of-address in rural/semi-urban onboarding.