Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi (NMCM): Licensure Exam, Registration, Annual Licence and Foreign Nurses

No one can practise as a nurse or midwife in Malawi without passing through the Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi (NMCM). Here’s how the licensure examination, registration and annual licence work, plus the route for internationally trained nurses.

Imagine waiting months for your licensure results, then learning you have three attempts in two years before you must retrain. In Malawi, the council exam is the gate to your career, and knowing the rules early changes how you prepare.

This article is part of our guide: Nursing Councils, Associations and Unions Explained.

What is the NMCM?

The NMCM regulates nursing and midwifery education and practice under Malawi’s Nurses and Midwives Act. It indexes students, sets the pre-registration licensure examination, keeps the register and issues annual practising licences. Its office is at Anamwino House in Lilongwe.

Locally trained nurses: from indexing to licence

1. Your institution submits your name to the council before the exam.
2. Complete the indexing form with your MSCE certificate (verified), national ID, photos and proof of fee payment.
3. Sit the pre-registration licensure examination.
4. If you pass, you receive a logbook and provisional licence for your clinical placement.
5. After placement, return the logbook for verification and receive your registration certificate, badge, practising licence and CPD logbook.

If you fail

Candidates who fail can reapply up to three times within two years. After that, additional training is required before trying again.

Internationally trained nurses

1. Write to the Registrar to request the application forms.
2. Your training institution and home regulator complete their parts of the forms and send them back.
3. Attend a personal interview at the council.
4. Pay the indexing fee and obtain a work permit.
5. Complete a three-month clinical placement at an accredited hospital, then return your logbook for verification.

Annual licence renewal

Practising licences are renewed every year with a practice fee. If you don’t renew within six months, your registration may be cancelled and you would need to start again, so renew on time.

But if many candidates fail, isn’t the exam just unfair?

Pass rates have caused real debate in Malawi, and it’s fair to question them. But the exam is how the council protects patients, and it isn’t going away. The best response is to prepare early with past topics, clinical skills practice and study groups, and to know the resit rules so one bad day doesn’t end your plans.

Related: Nursing and Midwifery Council of Zambia · Free CPD ideas · Council vs association vs union

Sources: Nurses and Midwives Act (Malawi); NMCM procedures as published on Wikiprocedure. Fees and procedures change; confirm with the NMCM.