Botswana Citizenship Act No.25 of 1982
Published: 29/Oct/1982
Amended in 1984, 1985 and 1995, and replaced in 1998.
S.3 of the Citizenship Act, 1982 provides for the establishment of the Citizenship Committee.
Pursuant to s.4, a person born in Botswana shall be a citizen by birth if at the time of his or her birth, he or she does not acquire the citizenship of another country by descent through his or her father. If a person is born outside Botswana, he or she shall be a citizen of Botswana if, at the time of his or her birth: (a) his or her father was a citizen of Botswana; or (b) in the case of a person born out of wedlock, his or her mother was a citizen of Botswana. S.6 mandates the acquisition of citizenship in the case of adoption.
S.10 and 11 detail how an individual may acquire citizenship through naturalisation and s.12 provides how a woman who is married to a citizen may make an application for naturalisation. Pursuant to s.13, any person who has dual citizenship must renounce their other citizenship before reaching 21 years old if they wish to retain their Botswana citizenship. S.15 gives the Minister the power to deprive a person of their Botswana citizenship if the outlined criteria have been satisfied.
According to s.18, the Minister is not required to provide a reason for making any decision under this Act and no decisions are subject to appeal or review in any court. Offences to this Act are governed by s.21.
The Citizenship of Botswana (Supplementary Provisions) Act is repealed pursuant to s.23.
Download file: here