Apply In-Person

1. The application for an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), shall be made to the National Reference Library (NRL), applicants who are far from the NRL are advised to liaise with the local public libraries during business hours. List of Botswana National Library Service
2. The application form is to be filled with assistance from the library staff, the application forms are available at the National Reference Library (NRL) or any public library customer service desk or directly download it using this link,International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Application Form
3. The applicant will be required to submit the supporting documentation as listed under the “Required Documents” section of this page, in addition to the duly completed application form. Any omission of these documents will render the registration process incomplete.
4. Upon receipt of the application file, the authorized library staff will verify if all the necessary information and documentation has been provided and that the applications comply with the selection criteria before processing the application.
5. If approved, the applicant (Publisher/ publishing entity) will be registered, assigned an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and issued with a certified copy of the completed form immediately.

Via email

1. The completed ISBN Application Form, attach to the supporting documentation should be submitted to this email address botsin@gov.bw for processing and consideration.
2. Upon receipt of the application file, it is processed by an authorized officer, if approved a certified copy of the completed form indicating the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), will be sent to the applicant via email.
   

• National Identity Card ​(Omang)
• A certified copy of passport bio page.
• A copy of the book cover, title, introduction pages for the book, and the brief abstract/summary of the book. For a novel, only the cover and title pages are submitted
  

Botswana National Library Service (NLS)
Private Bag 0036 GABORONE
Telephone Number: 3704444
Tel: +2673704413
Fax: +2673901149
List of Botswana National Library Service
Opening hours: 9 am to 6 pm during the week, 9 am to 3 pm on Saturdays. The libraries do not open on Sundays and holidays.

Any individual (Authors, Self-Publishers, Editors, and Publishers) or publishing entity intending to publish their work in Botswana.

No fee associate with the services.

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is valid forever. However, an ISBN may be revoked if it comes to light that misleading information has been provided.

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Application Form

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International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is locally derived and can be completed in as little as ten minutes.

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Important Note:

• Print the number preceded by abbreviation ISBN on all copies of the book in the following places:
  • The bottom right hand corner of the back cover.
  • The back of the title page.
• The dash (-) or hyphens shown within the ISBN should stay as they are and should not be moved to any other place (it should be printed as it is).
• When the book is ready for distribution, send two copies free to the Botswana National Library Service, this is a legal requirement covered under the National Library Act Chapter 58:02 section 10 under the laws of Botswana.
  

• Author name
• Book title
• Publisher postal address
• Signature of the author/publisher
• Due date of publication
• Identification number of the publisher/author
  

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique identification number of a book. These numbers are issued to publishers and individual authors so that their authored work can be easily identified for consumption in the international market.

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Please explain what are other uses for obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

Gov.BW

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