What you need to enter Botswana with a Basotho passport
Basotho citizens do not need a visa to travel to Botswana: a passport is enough, for stays of up to 90 days.
- Maximum stay
- 90 days
- Processing time
- Not applicable: direct entry with your passport.
- Entry cost
- Free
- Minimum passport validity
- 6 months after departure
Why is this passport validity required? →
Last verified: 25 September 2026
Verified practical details
You don't need a visa to enter Botswana, but here are some practical details worth knowing before you travel:
Authorisation system
Visa exemption up to 90 days (no advance formality)
At the border, check how long you have been granted and, if you plan to leave and come back, that your entry allows it; the stay can be extended at Immigration offices. The 50-dollar KAZA visa allows day trips into Botswana from Zambia or Zimbabwe. Work, technical assistance or volunteering require a visa or work permit applied for in advance.
Required documents
- Passport valid for at least six months from the planned departure (the UK Government counts from arrival) with three blank pages.
- An entry stamp in the passport showing the date and port: an unstamped passport raises suspicion of illegal entry.
- Under-18s: a full birth certificate showing both parents (original or certified copy less than three months old), translated into English. If travelling alone, with one parent or with other adults, also a consent statement from the absent parent made before a notary or the police, translated, and a certified copy of their passport.
- International driving permit to drive or rent a car.
Transit rules
Botswana may apply health screening to travellers arriving from areas with an Ebola outbreak. Anyone transiting a South African airport with children must also carry the documents South Africa requires.
More Botswana rules
They don't depend on your passport, so they are on the Botswana page:
Official portal: https://www.gov.bw/. Destination data verified on 25 September 2026. Sources: exteriores.gob.es (travel advice of Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Botswana, updated 26 May 2026: six-month passport, 90 days visa-free, High Commission in London, extension, penalties, minors, international permit, risk areas); gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/botswana (UK Government: three pages, entry stamp, 90 days, minors, yellow fever, Ebola, 10,000-pula declaration); gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/zambia (KAZA visa); sanidad.gob.es ("Listado de países") and who.int (WHO): yellow fever; data.unesco.org (World Heritage List). All checked on 25 September 2026. Also: burs.org.bw (Botswana Unified Revenue Service, "Duty Free Allowance": allowances and values of 3,000 and 500 rand, 25 September 2026).
Travel insurance for Botswana
It isn't listed as mandatory for this entry, but without insurance, medical care during the trip can get expensive.
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Things to see and do in Botswana
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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This pair in context
In the other direction, citizens of Botswana can enter Lesotho visa-free. See the Botswana → Lesotho page.
All 4 passports from Southern Africa that VisaRadar tracks can enter Botswana visa-free. Same result as Lesotho: Eswatini, Namibia and South Africa.
With a passport from Lesotho, in the rest of Southern Africa you can enter Eswatini, Namibia and South Africa visa-free.
A passport from Lesotho ranks 120 of 199 in the VisaRadar passport ranking and reaches 69 of 198 destinations without applying for a visa in advance.
Counts from the same requirements matrix behind this page's verdict, using the UN M49 subregions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Basotho citizens need a visa for Botswana?
No. You can enter Botswana with just your passport, for up to 90 days.
How long can I stay in Botswana?
Up to 90 days with no additional paperwork.
What minimum passport validity is required?
Passport valid for at least six months from the planned departure (the UK Government counts from arrival) with three blank pages.
What currency is used in Botswana?
Botswanan Pula (BWP).
What do Basotho passport holders need for the countries near Botswana?
With a passport from Lesotho, in the rest of Southern Africa you can enter Eswatini, Namibia and South Africa visa-free.
Related pages
See Botswana requirements for other passports →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.