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OnAsylum

Africa

Botswana

Runs a small national asylum system centered on a single settlement, hosting a modest refugee population mainly from the Great Lakes region.

At a glance, for someone deciding whether to come here

Not tourist facts — the things that actually shape daily life while your case is pending and after it's decided.

Right to workFormally restricted outside the settlement for most refugees.
Cost of living Low Low overall; settlement-based living is not a typical cash economy.
Healthcare while pendingBasic healthcare is provided at the settlement.
LanguageEnglish and Setswana are official languages.
Family reunificationGenerally accessible within the registration system.
After you're granted statusLong-term local integration outside the settlement is limited in practice.
ClimateSemi-arid, hot summers, mild winters.
Existing communitySmaller refugee population, concentrated at the Dukwi settlement, mainly from DRC, Zimbabwe, and Namibia's Caprivi region historically.
Starter content, pending expert review. This page describes general, publicly known information about how this country's asylum system works. It is not legal advice and may be out of date — policies change often. Last drafted 2026-09-04.

How you could qualify to enter this system

  • In-land asylum application to the Office of the President's refugee unit, coordinated with UNHCR

How the process generally works

New arrivals register and are generally settled at the Dukwi refugee camp while their claim is processed.

Step by step

  1. Register and detention pending determination Under the pre-2024 system, the reviewing committee met only quarterly — a real risk of months in detention

    Asylum seekers have historically been held at the Francistown Centre for Illegal Immigrants while a status determination body reviews the case.

  2. Determination

    Under the 2024 Act, a four-tier process and the new Botswana Refugees Committee replace the previous single-committee system, intended to improve speed and procedural safeguards.

  3. Settlement at Dukwi

    Recognized refugees are generally settled at Dukwi Refugee Camp.

What you'll typically need

  • Any ID available (not always required to register)
  • Details of your situation for registration purposes

Support available while your case is decided

  • UNHCR and government-run services at the Dukwi settlement

Botswana is generally regarded as one of the more politically stable countries in the region. Botswana passed a major reform in 2024, the Refugees (Recognition and Management) Act, which introduced a four-tier status determination process and created the Commissioner for Refugees and the Botswana Refugees Committee — a meaningfully different, more structured legal framework than what existed before. Important to know: asylum seekers have historically been held at the Francistown Centre for Illegal Immigrants, a detention facility, while awaiting a determination from the Refugee Advisory Committee, which met only quarterly under the old system — treat this as a real possibility of an extended detention period, not a formality.

Common pitfalls

  • Not expecting detention at the Francistown Centre for Illegal Immigrants while awaiting a determination — this has historically been a real possibility, not a rare exception, and the reviewing committee met only quarterly under the pre-2024 system.

Sources checked for this page