Insurance Association to make digital insurance certificates mandatory by January 1, 2025

The Insurance Institute of Malawi (IAM) has set January 1, 2025 as the day when only digital car insurance will be accepted on Malawi roads.

IAM will launch digital insurance certificates in October 2023 and set December 31, 2024 as the last day for drivers to use pre-printed insurance certificates.

The new certificates are digital and issued online and verified through a digital process.

IAM vice president Wales Meja said in an interview yesterday that they launched the digital motor vehicle certificate in response to emerging trends, such as ensuring that all insurance companies use a unified system and database to make data verification easier.

“Besides eliminating false motor vehicle certificates and preventing forgeries through digital verification, this is also a way to support Malawi’s plans to digitize its economy. Digital certificates also enable insurance companies and agents to sell online 24/7. It also makes it easy for law enforcement agencies to detect stolen vehicles during spot checks.”

“The new certificate will also be able to integrate with other systems, such as Maltis, NRB and banks, to make business transactions more efficient,” Meja said.

Meja, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Britam, commended motorists for accepting the new digital certificate but asked them to install the mobile application downloaded from the Play Store or App Store and use the USSD code *4273* to verify the certificate.

Gift Mnami, a driver in Mzuzu, hailed the IAM’s move, saying obtaining the digital certificate online was quick and convenient.

“The system enables us to obtain certificates online, significantly reducing the time and cost previously spent visiting insurance companies,” he said.

The digital insurance certificate is displayed on the windscreen and is similar to a Certificate of Fitness (COF) and features certificate number, vehicle registration number, vehicle chassis number, vehicle make and model, vehicle colour, vehicle seating capacity, body type picture, policy period, policy issue date, policy number, policyholder, insurance type and vehicle usage.