Tanzania, United Republic of
2.3.6 Tanzania Border Crossing of Kasumulu (Malawi)
Home

Overview

The Songwe M1 Bridge crosses the river between Malawi and Tanzania. Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania are working on the creation of a One Stop Border Post at the Songwe-Kasumulu entry point, which aims to facilitate the free movement of persons and goods (SARDC, 2016). The objective of this project is to establish a single customs and immigration centre at the Songwe-Kasumulu border.

Border Crossing Location and Contact

Name of Border Crossing

Tanzania: Kasumulu
Malawi: Songwe

Province or District

Mbeya district

Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing

Kasumulu (5 km)

Latitude

-9.589674

Longitude

33.776242

Managing Authority / Agency

Tanzanian Revenue Authority (TRA)

Contact Person

Mr. Omany Majanwa, Officer-in-charge

+255 764 484 882

 

Travel Times

Nearest International Airport

Songwe Airport (521 km)

Truck Travel Time: 2h 30 min

Car Travel time: 2h 30 min

Nearest Port

Dar es Salaam Port (905 km)

Truck Travel Time: 21 hrs

Car Travel time: 21 hrs

Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity

Mbeya (111 km)

Truck Travel Time: 2h 30 min

Car Travel time: 2h 30 min

Other Information

The route to reach Kasumulu from Mbeya is paved and in good condition.

Hours of Operation

Mondays

08:00 – 19:00

Tuesdays

08:00 – 19:00

Wednesdays

08:00 – 19:00

Thursdays

08:00 – 19:00

Fridays

08:00 – 19:00

Saturdays

08:00 – 19:00

Sundays

08:00 – 19:00

National Holidays

No

Seasonal Constraints

No seasonal constraints.


Daily Capacity

On average, 125 trucks and tankers and 20 private vehicles are crossing Malawi border from Tanzania daily. In addition, a lot of pedestrians are transiting the border crossing every day. The border crossing authorities give priority to certain type of vehicles. Thus, tankers have priority to cross the border, then private vehicles, and finally the cargo trucks. That said, the volume of activity at the border is relatively low and there is no major congestion problem.

Customs Clearance

Usual documents are required for the custom clearance including invoice, packing list, permits, and the contract signed between the customer and the clearance agent, if any. The truck driver has to present his passport to the authority. Note that the goods could be subject to examination upon entering country. The fees vary in function of the origin, destination, and the number of axles. For small vehicles, the fees are mainly based on the longer of the journey in Tanzania.

For more information on customs in Tanzania, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information. 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List.


Jump to top