Botswana: visa and entry rules
What you need to get in, how long you may stay, and what an overstay costs
Botswana's borders: every crossing point
Botswana's land border crossings, neighbour by neighbour:
With South Africa: Tlokweng, Skilpadshek, Martin's Drift and Ramokgwebana.
With Namibia: Mamuno - Buitepos on the Gaborone - Windhoek road; Ngoma in the north.
With Zimbabwe: Ramokgwebana - Plumtree and Kazungula.
With Zambia: Kazungula, where a ferry used to run and a bridge across the Zambezi has now been built.
Kazungula is a rare place where four countries meet: Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The bridge across the Zambezi has made the route to Victoria Falls much easier.
Veterinary cordons inside the country are a feature of their own: when you move between districts your car and your shoes are treated, and meat and dairy may not be carried through.
Bringing a car into Botswana
Overland routes work with all the neighbours.
A road fee is paid at the border for a foreign car.
Traffic drives on the left.
A rental car is taken across the border with a letter from the rental company.
The veterinary cordons inside the country must be passed through, and meat and dairy products cannot be carried across them.
How long the car may stay in the country will be told to you when you bring it in. Check with customs in advance: the time limits get revised.
Travelling to Botswana with a pet
An import permit is required, arranged in advance with the veterinary service.
The rabies vaccination must be valid on the date of entry.
An international veterinary certificate is required.
Veterinary control inside the country is strict - the cordons apply to animals too.
Agree the vaccinations and the quarantine for bringing an animal into Botswana with the local veterinary service in advance - before you buy tickets.
Overstaying your visa in Botswana
A fine is charged for exceeding your permitted stay and is paid when you leave.
The fine is calculated on departure, and you will learn the figure at passport control. It cannot be established in advance in Botswana: the rates get revised and reference sources disagree. Allow for cash and for time.
You have to count both limits: 30 days per trip and 90 per half-year.
A serious overstay means deportation and an entry ban.
What else to check before you go
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Entry rules change faster than anything else on this site, and they change without notice. We cross-check every page against several sources and state the date it was verified, but that does not replace the main step: before you travel, check an official source — the country’s consulate, its immigration service or its e-visa portal. Especially if more than a couple of months have passed since our check.