Entry and travel documents
The arrival is via Johannesburg with connecting flights to Maun (MUB). Airlines such as Lufthansa offer direct flights from Frankfurt or Munich to Johannesburg (JNB). Flights with stopovers may be cheaper, for example with British Airways, Air France, KLM, or Emirates.
If you have booked a direct flight, you can have your luggage checked through. Please inquire about this explicitly with the check-in staff of the respective airline. South African Airlink and Air Botswana offer regional connecting flights from Johannesburg to Maun, which can usually be reached on the same morning of your arrival in Johannesburg.
Alternatively to Maun, Kasane, Victoria Falls, or Livingstone can also be chosen as the starting or ending point of the journey. Here too, the outbound and return flights are via Johannesburg (JNB).
Travel Documents
You will need a passport valid for at least six months beyond your stay and return tickets. All passports should still have at least four blank pages.
Traveling with Children
For children under 18 years of age, an original or certified copy of the birth certificate showing the child's parents must be carried.
When entering with only one parent or other adults besides the parents, a notarized power of attorney from the other parent or legal guardian must be presented. If the parents indicated in the birth certificate are not the legal guardians, the court order of custody or other official proof of custody must also be presented in the original or certified copy. All documents may require official translation into English.
Further questions can be answered definitively by the relevant Botswana embassy.
Visa
No visas are required in advance for Europeans to enter Botswana. Upon entry into the country, a 90-day travel visa is obtained directly at passport control – however, it is always advisable to check with the embassy before your entry. If you still require a visa, you will receive an invitation letter from us, which must be forwarded to the Botswana Embassy in your area. Upon entry with a temporary passport, a valid visa is usually required.
Note for Traveling to/from South Africa
Travel documents must be machine-readable (except for replacement documents issued in case of loss/theft) and must be valid for at least 30 days beyond the journey and must also have at least two blank pages for visa stamps upon departure. Even when traveling from South Africa to other countries with subsequent return to South Africa, travellers should therefore ensure that there are still free pages in the passport for all entry and exit stamps.
Traveling with Children in transit or layover in South Africa
South Africa has also issued regulations for travel by and with minors, which also affect travellers to and from Botswana.
Minor German citizens traveling with at least one parent only need a valid passport since November 2019. However, carrying a birth certificate and a consent letter from the other parent, if not both parents with parental responsibility are traveling, is still recommended.
If a minor travels without an accompanying adult, the following documents, in addition to a valid passport, must be carried:
- International birth certificate (or a birth certificate with an English translation),
- Consent letter from the parents in English, e.g. by using a template ("Parental consent letter"),
- Copies of the parents/legal guardians' passports, in the case of sole custody, a court order granting sole custody or death certificate of the other parent, each with a translation into English,
- Contact details of the parents/legal guardians,
- Confirmation letter in English and contact details as well as a copy of the passport of the person to whom the minor is to travel.
Persons traveling with minors who are not their own children must present an original or certified copy of the child's full birth certificate as well as affidavits certified by a notary or a South African foreign mission, certified passport copies, and contact details of both parents/legal guardians or the legal representative of the child. Certified copies must be issued by a notary or the authority that issued the document/passport.
Such questions can only be definitively answered by the Department of Home Affairs (www.dha.gov.za) or South African foreign missions. However, short-term rule changes or different interpretations by individual agencies cannot be ruled out.
