Citizenship in Botswana is regulated by the 1998 Citizenship Act, as amended most recently in 2024. The Act provides for nationality on the basis of descent, but the 2024 amendments added protection for children found in Botswana of unknown parents, and the possibility for long-term residents who would otherwise be stateless to acquire citizenship. In addition, dual nationality was permitted for the first time for adults.
Gender discrimination was removed in Botswanan citizenship law in 1995, following the ground-breaking Unity Dow case, in which the Appeal Court ruled that discrimination in the transmission of citizenship to the children and spouse of a female Botswanan citizen was unconstitutional. At the same time, however, the law removed all rights based on birth in the territory. Another high profile case related to citizenship in Botswana was the case of John Modise, in which the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights found Botswana in violation of the African Charter for retroactive refusal to recognise Modise’s nationality once he decided to run for president.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child, considering the initial report of Botswana in 2004, welcomed the adoption of the Birth and Death Registration Act which made birth registration compulsory. However, in 2019 the Committee remained concerned about the significant number of children who are not registered, particularly children in remote areas, refugee and asylum-seeking children and abandoned children, and the lack of safeguards to prevent refugee and asylum-seeking children from statelessness.
By Lovemore Botswana has granted citizenship to 5,957 foreign nationals since 2018, with Zimbabweans accounting for almost half of all successful applicants, reported Dikgang. Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Major General (Rtd) Pius Mokgware, revealed the figures while addressing […]
Zimbabweans account for nearly half of Botswana’s 5 957 new citizens since 2018, with South Africans ranking second. By Dumani Moyo Zimbabweans have emerged as the largest group of foreign nationals granted Botswana citizenship since 2018, accounting for almost half […]
Botswana’s ambitious entry into the global citizenship-by-investment market has stalled before formal applications could begin, leaving prospective investors waiting for the legal and administrative machinery needed to activate the programme. The Impact Citizenship Programme was formally unveiled in September 2025 […]
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, commends the Government of the Republic of Botswana for granting citizenship to 69 refugees on the commemoration of this year’s World Refugee Day and the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention in Dukwi Refugee […]
Parliament on December 17 voted in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Bill of 2025, tabled by the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Major General Pius Mokgware. The amendments to the current Citizenship Act brought about by the bill would […]
The government has brought before Parliament a bill to introduce citizenship by investment programme, to attract investors and stimulate economic growth. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2025 was presented by Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Maj. Gen. Mokgware on Monday. […]
Edited by ‘Gbenga Sesan and Tony Roberts Millions of citizens in Africa are unable to obtain essential services that they are entitled to as new digital ID systems continue being imposed across the continent, requiring them to provide biometric and […]
The Minister of Labour and Home Affairs informed Parliament that since the passage of the Dual Citizenship legislation, 301 applications have already been received and approved. He emphasised that beyond the Citizenship by Investment initiative announced by the President, the […]
Providing for multiple citizenship (including for naturalised citizens) and citizenship by investment. Download: Botswana – Citizenship Amendment Bill 30 of 2025
The Government of Botswana has reaffirmed its commitment to ratifying key international covenants focused on human rights, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Speaking on Friday […]
Botswana is making progress in taking pivotal steps to enhance its human rights framework. Government officials and United Nations representatives gathered on Tuesday for a national consultation on the country’s accession to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural […]
GABORONE: The United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Botswana, in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), hosted a three-day consultation on the country’s accession to two landmark international […]