NRB did not specify the penalty fee.

“Malawian citizens who have just turned 16 years of age, including those that are above 16 years but have not yet registered  for the national ID, should  immediately go to the nearest NRB district registration office to register with the bureau,” NRB said in a statement.

“According to the National Registration Act of 2010, every citizen who turns 16 years of age is required by law to register with NRB for a national ID within 30 days upon attaining the age of 16.

“In addition, NRB would also like to encourage the vulnerable segment of the society such as the elderly to go and register for the national ID. All district registration officers shall accord people with disabilities and the elderly first priority when they seek NRB services,” NRB added.

The national ID registration project is led by Malawi Government’s NRB with technical support from other international agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UK’s Department for International Development (DfID), European Union (EU), Irish Aid, Norway and USAID.

About 10milion Malawians have national identity cards, which have become he accepted documents at banks, voter registration and obtaining passports.

Malawi’s population sands at 17 million, according to the latest census.