Botswana - Obtain a Liquor License

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. To apply for a liquor license, the applicant should visit the Botswana urban and district council’s Commercial office, where the business is located, as the issuance of licenses has been decentralized to them. (Contact details are listed below).
2. Collect and complete the following forms, Application form for a liquor license, Liquor license registration form, and Notice of application for a liquor license. Forms are available for free at the Enquiries Desk at any of the urban and district council’s commercial office’s, or directly download it using these links;

   • {Application for liquor licence}
   • {liquor licence registration form}
   • {notice of application for a liquor license}.

3. Submit the duly completed application forms along with the relevant attachments (mentioned below under the ‘Required Documents’ section) to the Town/District Council commercial office within the business location.
4. The officer will then verify, if all the necessary information and documents have been provided and that the applications comply with the selection criteria, if everything is in order, the application file will be registered and recorded, and you will be issued with an acknowledgment letter containing details of the application.
5. Once these documents have been received, the application will be forwarded to the Liquor Control Authority licensing office.
6. A licensing officer will visit your business premises to carry out inspections, to determine if your premise is suitable for the nature of the license you are applying for.
7. The information obtained by the inspection visit will be table down for deliberation by the head of the licensing department, to determine if to approve or deny your request and also determine the fees to charge for the license, if approved.
8. Where the head of licensing has no objection to the application, he/she shall approve the application request to move to the next step of processing, applicant will be notified and required to pay the prescribed application fee at the Town/District Council commercial offices.
9. If approved for processing, the applicant will have to publish his/her intention for application for the liquor license. “Notice of application for a liquor license” in any newspaper or the government gazette for 21 days to accommodate possible objections from the general public. The publication is at the applicant’s own cost.
10. After the expiration of 21 days, if there is no public objection, the application will be processed and forwarded to the directorate of Liquor Control Authority for evaluation and consideration.
11. The applicant will be notified of the outcome of the application via mail, SMS, or phone call.
12. If the liquor license has been approved, the applicant can pick up the license from the District Council commercial office, where the application was filed, upon payment of applicable license fees and against his/her identity document and the acknowledgment slip

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Required Documents

• If the applicant is a business, a certified copy of the certificate of incorporation.
• If the applicant is an individual or a partnership, submit a certified registration certificate.
• The latest copy of the annual returns forms obtained from the Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property.
• Proof of availability of the business premises (either a title deed or a written lease agreement).
• Proof of advertisement in Botswana Government Gazette any newspaper in the form of a stamped receipt.  The Liquor Control Authority shall not consider an application for a license where the notice to apply for a liquor license has not been published for at least 21 days.
• Certified copy of National Identity card (Omang) for owners, shareholders, or directors who are citizens.
• Certified copy of passport, work, and residence permit for owners, shareholders, or directors who are non-citizens.
• The original or certified copy of physical planner’s report validating zoning for the plot upon which the activities will occur. Physical planners are employed by the District Council and should be booked by the applicants to validate zoning.
• The original or a certified copy of the environmental health report for the business premises in question. The report must be completed by health inspectors employed by the District Council and the applicant must book the health inspector for inspection.

PLEASE NOTE: The Town/District Council commercial office reserves the right to request for additional document/s as applicable.

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry
Private Bag 004
Gaborone
Botswana
Address: Plot 54380, Central Business District
Tel. (+267) 3601200
Fax' (+267) 3971539
Email. [email protected]

Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs (DTCA)
Ministry of Trade and Industry
Annex Building
Address: Plot 54380, Central Business District (CBD), Gaborone
Private Bag 00252
Gaborone
Tel: (267) 3911233
Fax: (267) 3975239

• Ministry contact details link: Link
  

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development

• District/ Sub-District Councils /Town/City Council Commercial Office contact list link Link
  
• Ministry of local government and Rural Development contact details link: Link
  

Opening hours: 07:30 to 12:45 and 13:45 to 16:30, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

Eligibility

Citizens and non-citizens who are above the age of 18 years and businesses qualify for the following licenses:

• Distributor liquor license
• Club liquor license
• Temporary license
• Wholesale liquor license

Citizens who are above the age of 18 years and registered businesses owned by citizens of Botswana qualify for the following licenses:

• Bar liquor license;
• Bottle store liquor license;
• Liquor depot license;
• Nightclub/ Discotheque liquor license
• Temporary liquor

Fees

Type of License: Fee (in pula)

• Bar Liquor: 2,000.00
• Bottle store: 1000.00
• Liquor depot: 300.00
• Discotheque /night club: 4,000.00
• Distributor liquor: 6,200.00
• Club Liquor: 2,000.00
• Temporary Liquor: 20.00 per day
• Wholesale liquor: 4,500.00

Validity

• The validity of the liquor license is indicated on the license

Documents to Use

• Link {Application for liquor licence}
• Link {liquor licence registration form}
• Link {notice of application for a liquor license}

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• The time around for processing the application thirty (30) days.

Related Videos

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'.

Instructions

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required Information

PROPOSED BUSINESS

• Type of business/license applied for
• Location of the proposed business

PARTICULARS OF APPLICANT

• Business names/Address
• Business/company registration details
• Trading name (if applicable)
• Particulars of all shareholders (name/nationality/address/% shares in equity holding)
• Particulars of land premises
• Residence and work permits
• Declaration by the applicant

Need for the Document

• A company or an individual must obtain a liquor license to legally sell alcoholic beverages to the public. A separate liquor license must be applied for each location where alcoholic beverages are sold, even if they are sold by the same company or individual.
• The proposed business premises should be at least 500 meters away from a school, church, highway, or major road.

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

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

External Links

• Government procedure portal: Link
  
• Botswana Investment and Trade center Procedure link: Link
  

Others

More information which might help people.