# Visa requirements for Botswana citizens

Visa requirements for Botswana citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Botswana. As of 15 June 2024, Botswana citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 91 countries and territories, ranking the Botswana passport 59th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.

## Visa requirements

| Country | Visa requirement | Allowed stay | Notes (excluding departure fees) |
| Afghanistan | Visa required | | |
| Albania | eVisa | | |
| Algeria | Visa required | | |
| Andorra | De facto visa required | | Andorra imposes no visa requirements on its visitors but entry is only possible through Spain or France, multiple entry Schengen area visa required. |
| Angola | Visa not required | 30 days | For a maximum total stay of 90 days within year period. |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Visa not required | 3 months | |
| Argentina | Electronic Travel Authorization | 90 days | Electronic Travel Authorization must be approved before travel and is valid for tourism purposes. |
| Armenia | Visa required | | |
| Australia and territories | Visa required | | May apply online (Online Visitor e600 visa). |
| Austria | Visa required | | |
| Azerbaijan | Visa required | | |
| Bahamas | Visa not required | 3 months | |
| Bahrain | eVisa / visa on arrival | | |
| Bangladesh | Visa not required | 3 months | |
| Barbados | Visa not required | 6 months | |
| Belarus | Visa required | | |
| Belgium | Visa required | | |
| Belize | Visa not required | | |
| Benin | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Bhutan | eVisa | | |
| Bolivia | Visa on arrival | 90 days | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Visa required | | |
| Brazil | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Brunei | Visa required | | |
| Bulgaria | Visa required | | |
| Burkina Faso | Visa required | | |
| Burundi | Visa on arrival | 1 month | |
| Cambodia | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days | |
| Cameroon | eVisa | | |
| Canada | Visa required | | |
| Cape Verde | Visa on arrival | | |
| Central African Republic | Visa required | | |
| Chad | Visa required | | |
| Chile | Visa required | | |
| China | Visa required | | |
| Colombia | Electronic Visa | | May apply online. |
| Comoros | Visa on arrival | | |
| Republic of the Congo | Visa required | | |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | eVisa | | |
| Costa Rica | Visa required | | |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Electronic Visa | | |
| Croatia | Visa required | | |
| Cuba | Tourist card required | | Tourist card must be obtained in advance via travel agency, airline or at the embassy. |
| Cyprus | Visa required | | |
| Czech Republic | Visa required | | |
| Denmark | Visa required | | |
| Djibouti | Electronic Visa | 31 days | |
| Dominica | Visa not required | 6 months | |
| Dominican Republic | Visa not required | 30 days | can be extended to 120 days for a fee |
| Ecuador | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Egypt | Visa required | | |
| El Salvador | Visa required | | |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | | |
| Eritrea | Visa required | | |
| Estonia | Visa required | | |
| Eswatini | Visa not required | 30 days | |
| Ethiopia | eVisa / Visa on arrival | up to 90 days | Visa on arrival is obtainable only at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. e-Visa holders must arrive via Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. e-Visa is available for 30 or 90 days. |
| Fiji | Visa not required | 4 months | |
| Finland | Visa required | | |
| France | Visa required | | |
| Gabon | eVisa | | Electronic visa holders must arrive via Libreville International Airport. |
| Gambia | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Georgia | Visa not required | 90 days | 90 days within 180 days |
| Germany | Visa required | | |
| Ghana | Visa not required | 60 days | |
| Greece | Visa required | | |
| Grenada | Visa not required | 3 months | |
| Guatemala | Visa required | | |
| Guinea | Visa required | | |
| Guinea-Bissau | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 90 days | |
| Guyana | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Haiti | Visa not required | 3 months | |
| Honduras | Visa required | | |
| Hungary | Visa required | | |
| Iceland | Visa required | | |
| India | e-Visa | 60 days | e-Visa holders must arrive via 31 designated airports or 5 designated seaports. An Indian e-Tourist Visa may only be obtained twice within 1 calendar year. Foreigners of Pakistani origin or who hold a Pakistani Passport are not eligible for an e-Visa. Foreigners who are not Pakistani nationals, but whose parents or grandparents (either paternal or maternal) were born in, or were permanent residents in Pakistan, are also not eligible for an e-Visa. |
| Indonesia | Visa required | | |
| Iran | eVisa/Visa on arrival | 15 days | |
| Iraq | Visa required | | |
| Ireland | Visa required | | |
| Israel | Visa not required | 90 days | 90 days within any 6-month period |
| Italy | Visa required | | |
| Jamaica | Visa not required | | |
| Japan | Visa required | | |
| Jordan | Visa required | | |
| Kazakhstan | eVisa | | |
| Kenya | Electronic Travel Authorisation | 90 days | |
| Kiribati | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| North Korea | Visa required | | |
| South Korea | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Kuwait | Visa required | | |
| Kyrgyzstan | eVisa | | |
| Laos | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days | 17 of the 31 border crossings are only open to visa holders. e-Visa may be used to enter Laos through Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, 3 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges and in Boten (road and railroad). Visa on arrival is available at Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, the 4 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges and 6 border crossings. Visa on arrival is extendable for an additional 60 days at the Department of Immigration in Vientiane. |
| Latvia | Visa required | | |
| Lebanon | Visa required | | In addition to a visa, an approval should be obtained from the Immigration department of the General Directorate of General Security (La Surete Generale). |
| Lesotho | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Liberia | Visa required | | |
| Libya | Visa required | | |
| Liechtenstein | Visa required | | |
| Lithuania | Visa required | | |
| Luxembourg | Visa required | | |
| Madagascar | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 90 days | |
| Malawi | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Malaysia | Visa not required | 30 days | |
| Maldives | Visa on arrival | 30 days | |
| Mali | Visa required | | |
| Malta | Visa required | | |
| Marshall Islands | Visa required | | |
| Mauritania | Visa on arrival | | Available at Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport. |
| Mauritius | Visa not required | 180 days for tourism, 120 days for business | |
| Mexico | Visa required | | |
| Micronesia | Visa not required | 30 days | |
| Moldova | Electronic Visa | | May apply online. |
| Monaco | Visa required | | |
| Mongolia | Visa required | | |
| Montenegro | Visa required | | |
| Morocco | Visa required | | May apply online if you have a valid visa to US/UK/NZ/IE/AUS/Schengen. |
| Mozambique | Visa not required | 3 months | |
| Myanmar | Visa required | | |
| Namibia | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Nauru | Visa required | | |
| Nepal | Visa on arrival | | |
| Netherlands | Visa required | | |
| New Zealand | Visa required | | Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement), subject to meeting character requirements and obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure. |
| Nicaragua | Visa required | | might get visa on arrival if passport contains a credible US, Canada or Schengen visa. |
| Niger | Visa required | | |
| Nigeria | Visa required | | |
| North Macedonia | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Norway | Visa required | | |
| Oman | Visa required | | |
| Pakistan | Electronic Travel Authorization | | Electronic Travel Authorization to obtain a visa on arrival for tourism purposes. Electronic Travel Authorization to obtain a visa on arrival for business purposes. Online Visa eligible. |
| Palau | Visa on arrival | 30 days | |
| Panama | Visa not required | 180 days | |
| Papua New Guinea | Easy Visitor Permit | 30 days | |
| Paraguay | Visa required | | |
| Peru | Visa required | | |
| Philippines | Visa not required | 30 days | |
| Poland | Visa required | | |
| Portugal | Visa required | | |
| Qatar | Electronic Visa | | |
| Romania | Visa required | | |
| Russia | Visa not required | 30 days | For a maximum total stay of 90 days within any 180 day period. |
| Rwanda | Visa not required | 30 days | |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Visa not required | 3 months | |
| Saint Lucia | Visa not required | 6 weeks | |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Visa not required | 1 month | |
| Samoa | Entry Permit on arrival | 60 days | |
| San Marino | Visa required | | |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | eVisa | | Visa is obtained online. |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa required | | |
| Senegal | Visa on arrival | 90 days | |
| Serbia | Visa required | | |
| Seychelles | Visitor's Permit on arrival | 3 months | |
| Sierra Leone | Visa on arrival | | |
| Singapore | Visa not required | 30 days | |
| Slovakia | Visa required | | |
| Slovenia | Visa required | | |
| Solomon Islands | Visa required | | |
| Somalia | Visa on arrival | 30 days | Available at Bosaso Airport, Galcaio Airport and Mogadishu Airport. |
| South Africa | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| South Sudan | Electronic Visa | | Obtainable online Printed visa authorization must be presented at the time of travel |
| Spain | Visa required | | |
| Sri Lanka | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days | |
| Sudan | Visa required | | |
| Suriname | Electronic Visa | | |
| Sweden | Visa required | | |
| Switzerland | Visa required | | |
| Syria | Visa required | | |
| Tajikistan | Visa required | | |
| Tanzania | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Thailand | Visa required | | |
| Timor-Leste | Visa on arrival | 30 days | |
| Togo | Visa on arrival | 7 days | |
| Tonga | Visa required | | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Visa not required | | |
| Tunisia | Visa required | | |
| Turkey | Electronic Visa | 30 days | May apply online. |
| Turkmenistan | Visa required | | |
| Tuvalu | Visa on arrival | 1 month | |
| Uganda | Visa not required | 3 months | May apply online. |
| Ukraine | Visa required | | |
| United Arab Emirates | Electronic Visa | | May apply online. |
| United Kingdom and Crown dependencies | Electronic Travel Authorisation | 6 months | |
| United States | Visa required | | |
| Uruguay | Visa required | | |
| Uzbekistan | Visa required | | |
| Vanuatu | Visa not required | 30 days | |
| Vatican City | De facto visa required | 1 day | Open borders but de facto follows Italian visa policy, multiple entry Schengen area visa required. No foreign accommodations, overnight stay restricted to residents only. |
| Venezuela | Visa required | | |
| Vietnam | eVisa | 90 days | 30 days visa free when visit Phu Quoc Island |
| Yemen | Visa required | | |
| Zambia | Visa not required | 90 days | |
| Zimbabwe | Visa not required | 3 months | |

## Dependent, disputed, or restricted territories
### Unrecognized or partially recognized countries

| Territory | Conditions of access | Notes |
| Abkhazia | Visa required | |
| Kosovo | Visa not required | 90 days |
| Northern Cyprus | Visa not required | |
| Palestine | Visa not required | Arrival by sea to Gaza Strip not allowed. |
| Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | | Undefined visa regime in the Western Sahara controlled territory. |
| Somaliland | Visa on arrival | 30 days for 30 US dollars, payable on arrival. |
| South Ossetia | Visa not required | Multiple entry visa to Russia and three day prior notification are required to enter South Ossetia. |
| Taiwan | Visa required | |
| Transnistria | Visa not required | Registration required after 24h. |

### Dependent and autonomous territories

| Territory | Conditions of access | Notes |
| China |||
| Hong Kong | Visa not required | 90 days |
| Macau | Visa on arrival | 14 days |
| Denmark |||
| Faroe Islands | Visa required | |
| Greenland | Visa required | |
| France |||
| French Guiana | Visa required | |
| French Polynesia | Visa required | |
| French West Indies | Visa required | Includes overseas departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique and overseas collectivities of Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin. |
| Mayotte | Visa required | |
| New Caledonia | Visa required | |
| Réunion | Visa required | |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Visa required | |
| Wallis and Futuna | Visa required | |
| Netherlands |||
| Aruba | Visa required | |
| Caribbean Netherlands | Visa required | Includes Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. |
| Curaçao | Visa required | |
| Sint Maarten | Visa required | |
| New Zealand |||
| Cook Islands | Visa not required | 31 days |
| Niue | Visa not required | 30 days |
| Tokelau | Visa required | |
| United Kingdom |||
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia | Visa required | |
| Anguilla | Visa not required | Holders of a valid visa issued by the United Kingdom do not require a visa. |
| Bermuda | Visa not required | |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | Special permit required | Special permit required. |
| British Virgin Islands | Visa not required | |
| Cayman Islands | Visa not required | |
| Falkland Islands | Visa required | |
| Gibraltar | Visa not required | |
| Montserrat | Visa not required | |
| Pitcairn Islands | Visa not required | 14 days visa free and landing fee US$35 or tax of US$5 if not going ashore. |
| Ascension Island | eVisa | 3 months within any year period |
| Saint Helena | Visitor's Pass required | Visitor's Pass granted on arrival valid for 4/10/21/60/90 days for 12/14/16/20/25 pound sterling. |
| Tristan da Cunha | Permission required | Permission to land required for 15/30 pounds sterling (yacht/ship passenger) for Tristan da Cunha Island or 20 pounds sterling for Gough Island, Inaccessible Island or Nightingale Islands. |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Permit required | Pre-arrival permit from the Commissioner required (72 hours/1 month for 110/160 pounds sterling). |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | Visa required | Holders of a valid visa issued by Canada, United Kingdom or the USA do not required a visa for a maximum stay of 90 days. |
| United States |||
| American Samoa | Visa required | |
| Guam | Visa required | |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Visa required | |
| Puerto Rico | Visa required | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Visa required | |
| Antarctica and adjacent islands |||
| Special permits required for Bouvet Island, British Antarctic Territory, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Argentine Antarctica, Australian Antarctic Territory, Chilean Antarctic Territory, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Peter I Island, Queen Maud Land, Ross Dependency. |||

## Non-visa restrictions

Many countries have entry restrictions on foreigners that go beyond the common requirement of having either a valid visa or a visa exemption. Such restrictions may be health related or impose additional documentation requirements on certain classes of people for diplomatic or political purposes.

### Blank passport pages

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages. Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.

### Vaccination

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia, require all incoming passengers older than nine months to one year to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as does the South American territory of French Guiana.
Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

### Passport validity length

Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.
However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).
Some countries, such as Japan, Ireland and the United Kingdom, require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.
In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.
Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.
Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.
Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.
Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives and South Africa.

#### Maximum passport age

Countries of the Schengen area require non-EU passports to be less than 10 years old upon entry. A number of holders of British passports, which until September 2018 could be issued with a validity period of up to 10 years and nine months if the previous passport was not expired, were unable to travel to the EU subsequent to Brexit due to this restriction.

### Criminal record

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States, routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record, while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.

### Persona non grata

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning them from entering the country or expelling them if they have already entered. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.

### Israeli stamps

Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, and Yemen do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.
To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.
Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

### Biometrics

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.
Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan, Argentina, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Japan, Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken), Malaysia upon entry and departure, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by its own legislation), intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.
Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa.