Botswana is one of the safest destinations in Africa, and one of the most traveller friendly. This guide sets out the latest Botswana travel advice for all visitors to Botswana.

As the longest continuous multi-party democracy, Botswana is one of the most stable countries in Africa. In 2020 Botswana was ranked the most peaceful country in Africa, and no 30 in the world on the Global Peace Index. With a peaceful history, low crime, modern infrastructure and welcoming people it is consistently regarded as one of the safest countries in Africa.

Establishing all travel, health and entry requirements when visiting a foreign country can be a daunting task so we have provided a useful summary of the regular entry requirements for visiting Botswana. We recommend checking with your embassy to check the latest Botswana travel advice and contacting us with any questions.

Travel during COVID-19 Pandemic

Botswana’s borders remain open – all visitors are required to show proof of vaccination and to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival. Only paper copies of test results will be accepted. Further details for Botswana travel advice during the Covid pandemic are provided on our COVID travel information page.

Regular entry requirements 

Below are the standard entry requirements to be considered in addition to the latest Covid-19 entry and exit requirements.

Passports

The following standard entry requirements should be noted in addition to the special COVID conditions for entry.

• Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry to Botswana
• Passports must include at least two clear pages facing each other
• Dual nationals using two different passports can only enter the country on the same passport they used to exit the previous country.

Botswana Travel Advice – Travelling with children

As part of the regional anti child trafficking measures the Botswana government requires all children (under 18 years of age) who are travelling into or through Botswana to provide a certified copy of their full unabridged birth certificate (or the original) as well as a valid passport. An abridged (short) birth certificate won’t be accepted. If only one parent is travelling with the child an affidavit from the other parent consenting to the travel should be presented. If both parents are not travelling then temporary guardianship must be given.

Botswana Travel Advice – Health Requirements

No immunisations are required in order to enter Botswana. However, if you have previously been to an area designated as ‘at risk’ of yellow fever will need to show proof of immunisation in order to enter Botswana. This is in order to prevent the introduction of Yellow Fever to Botswana. A complete list of countries at risk of Yellow Fever can be found on the WHO site.

Travellers should note that malaria is present in the Okavango Delta and are advised to take the necessary precautions, especially during the summer months.

Botswana Travel Advice- Visas

The majority of visitors to Botswana do not require a visa for tourism and can visit for up to 90 days without a visa. Those who do require a visa can apply through the new online visa system, launched in August 2021. This Botswana travel advice platform can also be used to check which nationalities will require a visa to travel to Botswana. A summary is provided below though travellers should also check the latest travel advisory as well.

A list of countries whose citizens do require a visa to enter Botswana can also be found on the Botswana Tourism Page.

List of countries whose citizens do not require a visa to enter Botswana:

Angola	Germany	Monaco	South Sudan
Antigua & Barbuda	Greece	Mozambique	Spain
Argentina	Grenada	Namibia	St. Kitts & Nevis
Australia	Guyana	Nauru	St. Lucia
Austria	Holy Sea	Netherlands	St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Bahamas	Hong Kong	New Zealand	Swaziland
Bahrain	Hungary	Norway	Sweden
Barbados	Iceland	Oman	Switzerland
Belgium	Ireland	Papua New Guinea	Tanzania
Belize	Israel	Paraguay	Tonga
Brazil	Italy	Peru	Trinidad & Tobago
Brunei Darussalam	Jamaica	Poland	Turkey
Bulgaria	Japan	Portugal	Tuvalu
Canada	Kenya	Qatar	Uganda
Chile	Kiribati	Romania	United Arab Emirates
Costa Rica	Kuwait	Russia	United Kingdom
Croatia	Latvia	Samoa	United States of America
Cuba	Lesotho	San Marico	Uruguay
Cyprus	Liechtenstein	Saudi Arabia	Vanuatu
Czech Republic	Lithuania	Seychelles	Venezuela
Denmark	Luxembourg	Sierra Leone	Yugoslavia
Dominica	Malawi	Singapore	Zambia
Dominican Republic	Malaysia	Slovak Republic	Zimbabwe
Estonia	Maldives	Slovenia
Finland	Malta	Solomon Islands
France	Mauritius	South Africa
Gambia	Mexico	South Korea

List of countries whose citizens do require a visa to enter Botswana:

It is strongly recommend that visitors allow a month to process their Visa.

Afghanistan	Egypt	Mali	Taiwan
Albania	El Salvador	Mauritania	Tajikistan
Algeria	Equatorial Guinea	Micronesia	Thailand
Andorra	Eritrea	Moldova	Togo
Armenia	Ethiopia	Mongolia	Tunisia
Azerbaijan	Fiji Island	Montenegro	Turkmenistan
Bangladesh	Gabon	Morocco	Ukraine
Belarus	Georgia	Myanmar (Burma)	Uzbekistan
Benin	Ghana	Nepal	Vatican City
Bhutan	Guatemala	Nicaragua	Vietnam
Bolivia	Guinea	Niger	Yemen
Bosnia & Herzegovina	Guinea Bissau	Nigeria
Burkina Faso	Haiti	North Korea (Dem. People’s Rep. of)
Burundi	Honduras	Pakistan
Cambodia	India	Palau
Cameroon	Indonesia	Panama
Cape Verde	Iran	Philippines
Central African Republic	Iraq	Rwanda
Chad	Jordan	Sao Tome & Principe
China	Kazakhstan	Senegal
Colombia	Kyrgyzstan (Kirghizia)	Serbia
Comoros	Laos (Lao People’s Dem. Rep.)	Somalia
DRC- Democratic Republic of Congo	Lebanon	Sri Lanka
Congo (Republic of)	Liberia	Sudan
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)	Libya	Sumatra
Djibouti	Macedonia	Suriname
Ecuador	Madagascar	Syria