Botswana - Tourism Licence

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Procedure

How to Apply
Tourism operations are divided into ten different categories, each of which requires a separate license; (please refer to the Instruction section below; on this page for more information)

Apply In Person

1. To obtain a Tourism Licence, the applicant should visit the Department of Tourism headquarters office or the Regional office, (contact details listed below).
2. Applicants are required to complete the Tourism Enterprise Application form; Forms are available for free at the front desk at any of the Department of tourism offices or directly download it using this link;Link {Application form)
3. The duly completed application forms along with the relevant attachments (mentioned below under the ‘Required Documents’ section) can be submitted in person or by post/courier, to the Department of Tourism for processing 3 weeks before a scheduled "Tourism Industry Licensing Committee" (TILC) meeting.
4. It is only after the deposit of the complete file, that the application file will be registered and recorded by the Department of Tourism office and forwarded to the Tourism Industry Licensing Committee for evaluation and consideration, which is within 30 days.
5. The application is then assessed based on the information and documents that have been provided and if complying; the application will be approved.

   • Note: The Vetting Committee may request additional documents as they deem necessary.

6. Applicants will then be notified of the outcome of their application by way of a letter.
7. The tourism license will then be drawn up, singed, and stamped by the authorized official and made available for withdrawal by the applicant at the Department of Tourism office, where the application was filed, upon payment of the prescribed license fee and against his/her identity card and the approval letter

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Required Documents

• Completed Application form.
• A detailed Business Plan (guidelines provided).
• A certified copy of the Certificate of Incorporation and/or a copy of the Certificate of Registration of the business-trading name.
• Certified copies of share certificates.
• Companies Proclamation i.e., Form 2.
• Certified copies of valid Omang or passport of the shareholders and for expatriate employees, copies of resident/work permits.
• Title deed or lease agreement/rental agreement- if the land was acquired for a different purpose other than for the project you wish to undertake you should apply for a change of use or planning permission, from your local authorities or Land Board.
• Details of vehicles. i.e. Vehicle Registration and Road Worthiness Certificates (Botswana Registered) for Categories C & E
• Submission of an Environmental Management Plan/Environmental Impact Analysis approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs (Categories A, B, J)
• Occupation Permit (Categories A & B)
• Consent from land authorities for sub-leases and/or rental agreements/transfer of leases/title deeds
• Satisfactory inspection reports of the premises (department of tourism & environmental health)
• Approved technical / building / architectural plans, for a building project such as a Hotel, Guesthouse, lodge, camp, etc. (Categories A & B)
• Curriculum vitae for the shareholders

PLEASE NOTE: The Tourism Department reserves the right to request additional document/s as applicable.

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism
Private Bag BO 199 Gaborone, Botswana
Address: Plot 13064 Government Enclave
Tel:  +267 3647900 / +267 391 4955
Fax: +267 3951092
Email: [email protected]
Toll-free Number: 0800 600 734

Department of Tourism
Address: 2nd floor, Standard House
The Main Mall, Queens Road
Private Bag 0047
Gaborone
Botswana
Tel. (+267) 3953024
Fax. (+267) 3908675

• Ministry contact details: Link
  

Department of Tourism Offices Regional Offices contacts

• Gaborone: (+267) 3953024
  
• Maun: (+267) 6860492
  
• Gantsi: (+267) 6596733
  
• Tsabong: (+267) 6540833
  
• Selibe-Phikwe: (+267) 2611023
  
• Francistown:(+267) 2418192
  
• Serowe: (+267) 4631161
  
• Kasane: (+267) 6250357
  

Opening Hours of Operation: 07:30 – 16:30, Monday to Friday, except on Public Holidays.

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Eligibility

The eligibility criteria are as follows;

• Categories A & B License

This service is open to both citizens and non-citizens in Botswana EXCEPT for the following tourist enterprises; guest houses (corporate guest houses and Bed & Breakfast), camp and caravan sites.

• Categories C, E & F License
  

100% citizens or wholly-owned citizen companies.

• Categories D, G, J, K & L License

Citizens and non-citizens.

• Tourism I License
  

Operators based outside the country

Fees

• There is no application fee charged. Upon approval,
• The license fee is BWP 1000 or its equivalent for {categories A/C/D/}
• The license fee is BWP 1500 or its equivalent for {category B}
• The license fee is BWP 500 or its equivalent for {categories E/F/}
• The license fee is BWP 1500 or its equivalent for {categories G/H}
• Category I Licence fees payable are USD 2000.00 or Botswana Pula (BWP) equivalent.

Validity

• The license is valid for one year and renewable thereafter

Documents to Use

• Link {Application form)
  

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Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• Within 30 days from the time the application is received by the TILC.

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'.

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Instructions

Tourism License Categories
Tourism operations are divided into ten different categories, each of which requires a separate license:

• A License: Accommodations on a fixed site; such as hotels, motels, guesthouses (including corporate guesthouses), bed and breakfast, self-catering apartments, backpacker tourist accommodation, campsites, outside protected areas; and cultural villages, including timeshare facilities.
• B License: Accommodation on a fixed site; such as photographic/hunting camps and lodges, and public camping sites or caravan sites that offer game drives and other outdoor activities; within wildlife management areas and protected areas, including timeshare facilities.
• C License: Off-site facilities, such as mobile safari operators that receive and transport travelers and guests within protected areas.
• D License: Logistics and travel arrangements for clients without accommodation (whether fixed or not) or other tourist services.
• E License: Transport to tourist attractions, including road transfer activities outside protected areas.
• F License: Motor-boating activities outside of protected areas, private reserves or wildlife management areas.
• G License: Other enterprises (excluding air charter companies and car rentals) that conduct tourism-related activities (e.g., hot-air ballooning, cycling, bungee jumping, etc.)
• H License: Operations that offer mekoro (dugout canoe) activities.
• I License: Foreign-based companies offering tourism-related activities in Botswana. License holders may conduct operations in game reserves or national parks but may hand over to a Botswana licensed operator if entering protected areas.
• J License: Houseboat operations: mobile self-contained accommodation on bodies of water.

(Please refer to wikiprocedure website for full procedure details on how to apply for each license listed above)

Required Information

• Name of Company
• Trading name of the establishment
• Contact details (Postal Address/Physical Address/Telephone No/Fax No/E-mail)
• Company Secretaries and their contact numbers
• Certificate of Incorporation No/ date of issue
• The principal business of the company
• Details of the shareholders of the company: (attach separate sheet if necessary)
• Details of Directors of the Company
• Categories of license you are applying for;
• Declaration by the applicant

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Need for the Document

• All individuals, businesses, and enterprises that deal with tourism activities in Botswana are required to be registered by the Department of Tourism and obtain a Tourism Registration certificate/license.

Information which might help

REFER TO THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENT;

• GUIDELINES ACCOMMODATION RELATED :Link
• REVISED GUIDELINES FOR AGRO TOURISM OPERATIONS :Link 2
• GUIDELINES FOR DOMESTIC GUEST HOUSE:Link3

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
  

Others

More information which might help people.

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