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Promote:Botswana

Export from Botswana

A short guide for companies selling from Botswana: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.

1. What Botswana sells, and who buys it

Top goods exports

2024

  1. 1. Diamonds (HS 7102)US$2.5 billion
  2. 2. Copper ore (HS 2603)US$736.9 million
  3. 3. Insulated wire and cable (HS 8544)US$149.2 million
  4. 4. Carbonates (HS 2836)US$74 million
  5. 5. Live cattle (HS 0102)US$38.4 million
  6. 6. Frozen beef (HS 0202)US$35.5 million
  7. 7. Coal (HS 2701)US$31.3 million
  8. 8. Plastic tubes and pipes (HS 3917)US$26 million
Show 12 more products
  1. 9. Salt (HS 2501)US$24.2 million
  2. 10. Household linen (HS 6302)US$13.6 million
  3. 11. Cargo trucks (HS 8704)US$13 million
  4. 12. Blood products and vaccines (HS 3002)US$12.3 million
  5. 13. Aircraft (HS 8802)US$11.8 million
  6. 14. Footwear (HS 6405)US$10.3 million
  7. 15. Ferrous scrap (HS 7204)US$8.29 million
  8. 16. Machinery parts (HS 8431)US$7.77 million
  9. 17. Plastic packaging articles (HS 3923)US$7.6 million
  10. 18. Copper scrap (HS 7404)US$7.18 million
  11. 19. Monitors and projectors (HS 8528)US$7.11 million
  12. 20. Steel pipe fittings (HS 7307)US$6.94 million
  • Diamonds and copper ore together make 82.7 percent of 2024 export value, so the top of this list reflects mining. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • Botswana reported no re-export flow for 2024, so flow X, which includes re-exports, may hold goods that passed through Botswana. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)

Source: UN Comtrade, Botswana exports by product, 2024⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2024

Where the goods go

2024, share of goods exports

  • United Arab Emirates26.9%
  • South Africa15.3%
  • India13.5%
  • Belgium10.6%
  • Australia9.1%
  • China8.7%
  • Israel3.4%
  • Namibia3.3%

Source: UN Comtrade, Botswana exports by destination, 2024⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2024

2. What to look into next

Our reading

Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.

3. Trade agreements

What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.

Show 5 more agreements

  • Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the SADC EPA States

    Botswana goods can enter the European Union duty free and quota free, subject to rules of origin.

    Fresh beef faces separate animal health rules, and Implementing Regulation 2026/914 closed every Botswana zone to it from April 2026.

    Source: SACU Secretariat, trade agreements register⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  • Economic Partnership Agreement between SACU Member States and Mozambique and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)

    Botswana goods can enter the United Kingdom at the agreement's preferential rates.

    Rules-based preference, not unconditional market access.

    Source: SACU Secretariat, trade agreements register⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  • Free Trade Agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) States

    Botswana goods can enter the EFTA states at the agreement's rates.

    Rules-based preference, with separate agricultural agreements for farm goods.

    Source: SACU Secretariat, trade agreements register⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  • Preferential Trade Agreement between the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)

    Listed Botswana goods can enter the MERCOSUR countries at preferential rates.

    Limited product coverage, so check the tariff lines.

    Source: SACU Secretariat, trade agreements register⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  • Botswana-Zimbabwe Trade Agreement

    Botswana goods with at least 25 percent local content enter Zimbabwe free of customs duty.

    Excise duty and VAT still apply, and each consignment needs a Form 61 certificate.

    Source: BURS, Botswana-Zimbabwe trade agreement page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

4. Steps to export

The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.

Exporting from Botswana

  1. Register the business or business name with CIPA.Companies and Intellectual Property AuthorityOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: CIPA, starting a business in Botswana⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  2. Register with BURS Customs and Excise for a Trader Identification Number if annual trade reaches P20,000.Botswana Unified Revenue ServiceThreshold P20,000 of annual tradeOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: BURS, trader identification number⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  3. Check whether your goods are restricted and need an export permit.Botswana Unified Revenue ServiceOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: BURS, restricted goods page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  4. For livestock and animal products, apply for a veterinary export permit after the destination country issues its import permit.Department of Veterinary ServicesPermit issued within 24 hours of a complete applicationOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Botswana Trade Portal, veterinary export permit procedure⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

Show 5 more export steps
  1. For controlled farm products such as maize and groundnuts, apply for an export permit with the phytosanitary certificate the procedure lists.Department of Agricultural Business and PromotionPermit valid 30 days; service is freeOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Botswana Trade Portal, agricultural export permit procedure⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  2. Ask the national technical barriers to trade enquiry point about the standards your product must meet.Botswana Bureau of StandardsOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: ePing, TBT enquiry point record for Botswana⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  3. Register for origin and apply for the certificate that matches the agreement, such as the SADC certificate, EUR 1, Form 61 or Form A.Botswana Unified Revenue ServiceOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: BURS, SADC trade agreement page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  4. Declare the goods through the Botswana Single Window or a registered clearing agent.Botswana Unified Revenue ServiceOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: BURS, Direct Trader Input facility⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  5. Claim VAT on inputs for zero-rated exports and, if licensed as a Customs Rebate Store operator, claim duty drawback within six months.Botswana Unified Revenue ServiceDrawback claim within six months of exportOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Value Added Tax Act 2026, Government Gazette, 1 July 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of July 1, 2026

5. Organizations that help exporters

Start with BITC, BURS and Statistics Botswana. Each card links to the organization’s own site.

Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets

Export development and market information

Show 3 more organizations

Customs and tax

Standards and sector requirements

Show 3 more organizations

Chambers and industry associations

6. Worth knowing

Show 1 more

7. How Promote:Global helps

  • Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
  • Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
  • Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
  • Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.

Turn this guide into your Botswana project.

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Promote:Botswana is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.

Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 30, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.