Required Documentation: Botswana
The four documents Explola requires for operators based in Botswana — issued by the Department of Tourism, CIPA, and BURS.
On this page (7 sections)
What's required to operate from Botswana
Botswana's tourism regulator is the Department of Tourism. Tour operators are licensed in two categories (C and D) depending on the type of safari activities offered. To verify your Explola account for Botswana you'll need four current documents.
1. Tour Operator Licence (Category C or D)
Issued by: Department of Tourism
Your active Tour Operator Licence in the category that matches your services. If you've recently renewed, please include the latest renewal receipt alongside the licence itself. This document is checked annually.
2. CIPA Certificate of Registration
Issued by: Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA)
Proves your business legally exists in Botswana. This is a one-time document and doesn't need annual renewal, but if your company details change you may need to provide an updated version.
3. BURS Tax Clearance Certificate
Issued by: Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS)
Confirms your business is up to date with its tax obligations. Renews annually.
4. CIPA Company Extract
Issued by: Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA)
A Company Extract listing all shareholders or owners. Used for our KYC review only — shareholder names are never published on your operator profile.
Sole proprietors
If you operate as a sole proprietor, CIPA issues a Certificate of Registration for individual businesses; submit that in place of the corporate Certificate of Registration. A separate shareholder document is not required if you're the sole owner.
Renewals
Your Tour Operator Licence and BURS Tax Clearance Certificate expire annually. Explola sends reminders at 30 days, 7 days, and on the day of expiry. After a verified document expires, you have a 14-day grace period to upload a renewal before tours from Botswana are automatically unpublished.
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