Botswana BW
Botswana requires every drone to be registered with the Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB), and foreign visitors need a temporary tourist registration involving security vetting and fingerprinting through Botswana Police before they can fly. In practice this means starting the process well before travel and completing part of it in person at a CAAB office (Gaborone or the Maun office, which assists tourists). All national parks and game reserves — including Chobe, Moremi and Central Kalahari, and by extension most of the Okavango Delta — are off-limits to drones without a separate permit, and flying without registration risks confiscation and significant fines.
Your plan
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1 thing to sort out before you fly
- Register your drone in Botswana
Registration requires a completed RPA Certificate application and Security Vetting (SV1/DIS) form, a certified passport copy for foreign nationals, a Botswana Police fingerprint clearance, an RPA manual copy, an owner-authorisation letter if the operator isn't the owner, proof of payment, and physical presentation of the drone for inspection (reported to be at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, or the CAAB office in Maun for tourists). Fee figures conflict sharply between sources — some cite roughly P250 (private) / P500 (commercial) per application, CAAB's own registration page cites P1,050 (private) / P2,625 (commercial) / P3,150 (corporate), and a separate source cites a flat P4,025 for a 90-day tourist registration — so no fee amount is set here; confirm the current figure directly with CAAB before travel. Allow about 30 days before your trip.
Open official page - Bringing your drone in
Foreign visitors bringing a drone into Botswana to fly it are expected to notify/apply to CAAB in writing in advance (one source cites a 7-day minimum notice, though the fingerprinting and security-vetting steps of the tourist registration process can realistically take longer). Duty/VAT treatment for a temporary tourist import was not confirmed from an official source. Batteries: Standard international lithium-battery air-travel rules are expected to apply (carry-on only, spare battery Wh limits); no Botswana-specific drone battery rule was confirmed.
- Before each flight
Every Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)/drone must be registered with CAAB and carry a certificate; unregistered flying is an offence · Sources conflict on the weight threshold: an older CAAB document caps mandatory registration at 20 kg maximum all-up weight with model aircraft exempt, while coverage of the 2024 Civil Aviation (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) Regulations (in force since 14 June 2024) describes registration as required for every drone regardless of weight — treat the exact cut-off as unconfirmed and register regardless of size · Maximum altitude is 400 ft (about 122 m) AGL, within 500 m of the pilot, in direct visual line of sight
Flying
- Every Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)/drone must be registered with CAAB and carry a certificate; unregistered flying is an offence
- Sources conflict on the weight threshold: an older CAAB document caps mandatory registration at 20 kg maximum all-up weight with model aircraft exempt, while coverage of the 2024 Civil Aviation (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) Regulations (in force since 14 June 2024) describes registration as required for every drone regardless of weight — treat the exact cut-off as unconfirmed and register regardless of size
- Maximum altitude is 400 ft (about 122 m) AGL, within 500 m of the pilot, in direct visual line of sight
- Daylight flying only
- Pilots must be at least 18 years old
- All national parks, game reserves and wildlife sanctuaries — including Chobe National Park, Moremi Game Reserve and Central Kalahari Game Reserve — are off-limits to drones by default
- Tourists may apply for a permit to fly in some parks in specific cases, but disturbing wildlife with a drone can bring a separate fine even with a permit
Commercial use: Commercial operators register at a higher fee tier than private users (roughly double, per CAAB's published private/commercial/corporate fee schedule) and go through the same security-vetting and fingerprinting process; filming in parks or reserves needs additional permission from the relevant wildlife/parks authority.
Registration & classes
| Registration | Yes (all drones) Registration requires a completed RPA Certificate application and Security Vetting (SV1/DIS) form, a certified passport copy for foreign nationals, a Botswana Police fingerprint clearance, an RPA manual copy, an owner-authorisation letter if the operator isn't the owner, proof of payment, and physical presentation of the drone for inspection (reported to be at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, or the CAAB office in Maun for tourists). Fee figures conflict sharply between sources — some cite roughly P250 (private) / P500 (commercial) per application, CAAB's own registration page cites P1,050 (private) / P2,625 (commercial) / P3,150 (corporate), and a separate source cites a flat P4,025 for a 90-day tourist registration — so no fee amount is set here; confirm the current figure directly with CAAB before travel. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | No No separate pilot licence found. No distinct pilot examination/licence beyond the RPA registration certificate and security vetting was confirmed. |
| Remote ID | Unknown No public Remote ID / broadcast identification requirement was found; oversight relies on registration, fingerprinting/security vetting and physical drone inspection. |
| Insurance | Unknown No confirmed insurance requirement was found in the sources reviewed for private/tourist registration; not verified either way from an official source. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No Foreign visitors need a temporary tourist RPA registration tied to their travel dates/itinerary, involving security vetting and Botswana Police fingerprinting, with part of the process typically completed in person at a CAAB office — the Maun office is noted as assisting tourists, especially in peak season. Chobe, Moremi, Central Kalahari and other national parks/reserves ban drones outright by default; a separate permit is sometimes obtainable for specific parks but is not guaranteed, and disturbing wildlife can bring an additional fine even under a permit. Flying unregistered or in a banned area risks confiscation, fines reported up to P10,000, and possible criminal charges. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Model aircraft | exempt category per older CAAB guidance | Reported as exempt from RPA registration, though more recent coverage suggests all drones now require registration regardless of weight — treat as unconfirmed. |
| All other RPA/drones | any weight, in practice | Registration, security vetting/fingerprinting and a certificate are required before flying. |
Import & export
- Foreign visitors bringing a drone into Botswana to fly it are expected to notify/apply to CAAB in writing in advance (one source cites a 7-day minimum notice, though the fingerprinting and security-vetting steps of the tourist registration process can realistically take longer). Duty/VAT treatment for a temporary tourist import was not confirmed from an official source.
- No drone-specific radio type-approval scheme was confirmed for Botswana's telecoms regulator (BOCRA); not verified from an official source.
- Batteries: Standard international lithium-battery air-travel rules are expected to apply (carry-on only, spare battery Wh limits); no Botswana-specific drone battery rule was confirmed.
- Start the CAAB tourist registration process as early as possible before travel — it involves a security-vetting form, Botswana Police fingerprint clearance, and in most descriptions a visit to a CAAB office (Gaborone or Maun) to finish processing and present the drone for inspection.
- Flying without registration risks confiscation and fines reported up to P10,000 in secondary sources.
- Fee figures vary widely between sources (see registration notes) — confirm the current amount with CAAB directly rather than relying on any single third-party figure.
Export
- No drone-specific export ban was found; general Botswana export-control rules would apply to any dual-use or restricted UAV technology.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: Foreign visitors register temporarily; secondary sources describe a tourist registration valid for up to 90 days tied to the traveller's stated itinerary. Standard (non-tourist) registration validity was not confirmed from an official source. |
|---|---|
| No separate pilot licence found | Not needed |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Flying a drone in Botswana as a visitor Visitors
- Start your CAAB tourist registration well before departure
Contact CAAB (or its Maun office) in writing with your travel dates and drone details; the security-vetting and fingerprint-clearance steps take time, so don't leave this to the last week. Open
- Be ready to finish the process in person
Multiple sources describe a Botswana Police fingerprint clearance and physical drone inspection as part of registration — plan to visit a CAAB office (Gaborone or Maun) during your trip if it isn't fully completed beforehand.
- Confirm the current fee before you pay anything
Reported fees vary widely between sources (roughly P250 up to P4,025 depending on the source and category) — ask CAAB directly for the current tourist registration fee.
- Fly within the basic limits
Stay under 122 m (400 ft) altitude, within 500 m of yourself, in direct visual line of sight, during daylight only.
- Skip the parks unless you have a specific permit
Chobe, Moremi, Central Kalahari and the rest of Botswana's national parks and reserves — which cover much of the Okavango Delta area — ban drones by default; don't assume a safari itinerary includes drone rights.
Sources
- CAAB — RPA/Drone Registration · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-laws.com — Botswana Drone Laws 2026 · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- propelrc.com — Drone Laws in Botswana 2026: Complete Registration Guide · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Operator registration−10
- Remote ID−3
- Mandatory insurance−2
- Night flight banned−8
- Visitors need a flight permit−20
- Visitors must register locally−10
- Long lead time (30 days)−8
- Import permit−40
- Duty + VAT ≈ 15 %−9
- Radio / type certification−4
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works