Application for refugee status
Refugees Recognition and Control Act 1968; Refugees Recognition and Management Act 2024 · Official name: Recognition as a refugee in Botswana
Botswana decides asylum claims itself. Under the 1968 Refugees (Recognition and Control) Act, the Refugee Advisory Committee interviews and assesses each asylum application and recommends a decision to the Minister. Asylum seekers and refugees are hosted at Dukwi Refugee Camp. Parliament passed the Refugees Recognition and Management Bill 2024, which replaces the old Act with four levels: an authorised officer, the Botswana Refugees (eligibility) Committee, a Commissioner for Refugees and an Appeals Board. Whether the new Act is in force was not confirmed.
1 entry rule for Botswana based on recent travel
These apply to people who were recently in certain countries. Sign in and add your trips to see whether any apply to you.
Yellow fever certificate needed after a stay in countries with risk of yellow fever transmission (WHO list)
Travellers aged 1 year and over arriving from a yellow fever risk country or having transited any airport in one need a valid yellow fever certificate.
WHO International Travel and Health, Annex 1: Countries with risk of yellow fever transmission and countries requiring proof of vaccination against yellow fever (18 Nov 2022, revised 3 Jan 2023) WHO ITH Country List: Vaccination requirements and WHO recommendations for international travellers, 2022 edition (18 Nov 2022, revised 3 Jan 2023) Checked October 19, 2026
Life in Botswana
Finance
3
Currency
Botswanan Pula
BWP
Botswanan Pula
Cost of living
39
Price level · US = 100
World Bank price levels, 2025
Tax
5–27.5%
Income tax (national)
VAT 14%
2026/27 resident table (from 1 July 2026): 0% up to BWP 48,000, then 5/12.5/18.75/25%, and 27.5% above BWP 400,000.
Living
1
Happiness
#141 of 145 countries
World Happiness Report 2025
Who it’s for
People in Botswana who fear persecution in their own country.
Eligibility
Refugee definitionApplicant
Botswana's 2024 law gives effect to the 1951 Refugee Convention, its 1967 Protocol and the 1969 OAU Convention.
- Botswana is party to all three instruments
Official wording
Botswana is party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, its 1967 Protocol and the 1969 OAU Convention; the 2024 law gives effect to all three.
AssessmentApplicant
Your application is assessed under the 1968 Act or the 2024 law, which use different steps and decision-makers.
- 1968 Act: Refugee Advisory Committee interviews you, then recommends a decision to the Minister
- 2024 law: an authorised officer receives your application
- 2024 law: it then goes to the Botswana Refugees Committee and the Commissioner for Refugees
- 2024 law: appeals go to an Appeals Board
Official wording
Under the 1968 Act, the Refugee Advisory Committee interviews the applicant and recommends a decision to the Minister. Under the 2024 law, an authorised officer receives the application, which then goes to the Botswana Refugees Committee and the Commissioner for Refugees, with appeals to an Appeals Board.
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- 1 document
- 1 fee
- 4 steps
- Processing times and conditions
