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BWP 500,000 is ≈$37,300 at the actual rate, not a round "$40,000"

Investor Visa (Category 12)
Botswana

The investment threshold is BWP 500,000, which at the rate on the date of checking comes to ≈$37,300 (some sources round this to "about $40,000" — this page uses the precise converted figure). At least 60% of staff must be Botswana citizens — a renewal condition, not a formality.

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Investment threshold
BWP 500,000 (≈$37,300)
Local staff share required
at least 60%
Initial permit term
2 years
Permanent residency after
5 years

The exact rate matters — not "about $40,000"

The threshold is fixed in pula (BWP), not dollars — the resulting USD figure depends on the exchange rate at conversion, and the "about $40,000" rounding some sources use isn't precise.

METRIC
LOCAL CURRENCY (BWP)
USD AT THE CHECKING DATE
Investment threshold
LOCAL CURRENCY (BWP)BWP 500,000
≈$37,300 (rate ≈1 BWP = $0.0746)
Application filing fee
LOCAL CURRENCY (BWP)BWP 1,200 + 1% of the investment
scales with the investment amount

What the process consists of

The official government page for the investment visa was inaccessible (403 Forbidden) at the time of checking — the figures are confirmed via an independent source with a detailed description of Category 12.

COST ITEM
AMOUNT
NOTE
Investment in a registered Botswana company
AMOUNTfrom BWP 500,000 (≈$37,300)
Category 12, Investor Visa
Filing fee
AMOUNTBWP 1,200 + 1% of the investment
grows with the investment size
Staffing requirement
AMOUNTat least 60% Botswana-citizen staff
a condition for renewal

How the process runs

01
Registering a Botswana company and investing from BWP 500,000
A working business plan and verified funds.
02
Applying via the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs
With support from the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC).
03
Receiving the Investor Visa for 2 years
The initial permit term.
04
Renewing in 3-year periods
Conditional on the investment remaining active and local staff staying at least 60%.
05
PR after 5 years, citizenship after 10 years
Citizenship requires continuous residence, including the PR period.

A good fit if

You're ready to register a company in Botswana and invest from ≈$37,300 (BWP 500,000).
You're prepared to hire at least 60% Botswana citizens on an ongoing basis.
You're fine with the staged path: 2-year permit → 3-year renewals → PR after 5 years → citizenship after 10 years.
You're interested in Southern Africa for business relocation, beyond the more familiar South Africa/Mauritius/Kenya routes.

A poor fit if

You expect a round "$40,000" figure — the precise converted amount for BWP 500,000 at the checking date is ≈$37,300, and the rate moves.
You're not prepared for the strict 60% local-hiring requirement — it's a renewal condition, not a recommendation.
The official government page gov.bw for this visa was inaccessible at checking time (403) — if you need the exact official wording, it's worth contacting the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs directly.
You want instant status without running a real business — the category requires an active company and a verified business plan.

Who runs this programme

Your request goes to two or three firms from this list. You see exactly which ones before it is sent, and you can exclude any of them.

No matching firms in the directory for this category yet — the list is curated by hand and grows over time.

This is an independent list of firms in the market, not our partners — we do not forward requests to them or receive payment for referrals. Contact them directly via the link.

Frequent questions

Why does this page show ≈$37,300 instead of "$40,000" like some sources?

The threshold is fixed in Botswana pula (BWP 500,000) — the exact USD amount depends on the exchange rate at conversion; at the checking date it comes to ≈$37,300, and the "about $40,000" some sources use is a rounding.

Do I really need exactly 60% Botswana-citizen staff?

Yes — per the available data, this is a condition for renewing the permit in 3-year periods, not a soft recommendation.

Why is there no link to the official gov.bw page?

The official page for the investment visa returned an access denial (403 Forbidden) at the time of checking (27.08.2026); the data is confirmed via an independent source with a detailed description of Category 12.

When are PR and citizenship available?

Per the available data, PR after 5 years on the Investor Visa, citizenship after 10 years of continuous residence, including the PR period.

How much does the application itself cost?

BWP 1,200 plus 1% of the investment amount — it grows with the size of the investment.

Sources

World Next Step — detailed overview of Botswana's Investor Visa (Category 12): the BWP 500,000 threshold, a BWP 1,200 + 1%-of-investment filing fee, the 60% local-hiring requirement, an initial 2-year term renewed in 3-year periods, and a path to PR after 5 years and citizenship after 10. The official page gov.bw/visa-applications/visa-application-investment-visa returned HTTP 403 at the time of checking (27.08.2026) and was inaccessible for direct verification; the BWP/USD rate at checking time was ≈1 BWP = $0.0746↗

Figures are for reference only. Verified against official sources on 27 August 2026. A precise quote is issued by the appointed firm after document review. This material is not legal advice, a public offer or investment advice.