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All relocation routes

Relocation and Japa

Legal ways for Africans to move to Botswana

The routes Botswana's government runs itself, each linked to its official page. Fees and the money you must show are copied from that page, with the date we read it. You apply yourself. You never need an agent.

Never pay an agent

Every route below is applied for on the government's own website. Fees go to the government only. Anyone who asks you to pay them for a visa, a job offer or a lottery win is not to be trusted. Check a message or offer.

Routes into Botswana

1 route into Botswana.

Work visa Botswana

Work permit

Run by Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, Department of Labour and Social Security

Non-citizens with a job offer in Botswana for a post that has been advertised, or investors. A residence permit is applied for separately at an Immigration office.

Job offer
Required: contract of employment, offer letter and a job advert not older than six months
Language
Not stated on the official page. Foreign-language certificates must be translated into English.
Education
Certified educational certificates, confirmed by the Botswana Qualification Authority if in a foreign language. Some professions need clearance from their regulatory body.
Work experience
Not stated on the official page
Government fee
BWP 1,500 (work permit fee); renewal BWP 1,500
Processing time
14 working days
Money you must show
Not stated on the official page
When and to whom you pay
Not stated on the official page. The application is submitted to the nearest Labour Office.

Read the official page

Checked on 18 October 2026. What the page says

Read on gov.bw on 2026-10-18 (the service page returned a server error, so the same text was read on the gov.bw Residency and Work listing): "This service gives a non-citizen permission to work in Botswana for a reward or to invest in Botswana for profit."; "Work Permit fee - BWP 1,500.00"; "Fourteen (14) working days"; documents include "Copy of job advert not older than six months old" and "CV for understudies". Another official page.

How to keep your money safe