Asylum in Botswana

If you wish to seek asylum in Botswana, you have to:

1. Declare your intention to apply for asylum upon arrival:
   • At any border post upon initial entry,

OR

• • By appearing at a police station or at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) office in Dukwi
  • At any of the Botswana Police Stations

You are not expected to fill or sign any forms at this stage.

1. You will be interviewed by the police or by an immigration or MoJ officer.

An intelligence officer may also conduct the interview should this be deemed necessary.

1. You will be asked to fill in the confidential forms issued by the government. In the form, you will be required to inform:
   • Your basic biodata full name, date of birth, place of origin
   • Family composition (in and outside Botswana)
   • The reasons why you left your country of origin.
2. Present to the officer handling your case, if you have, any documentation (identity cards, letters from countries you passed through) along with the completed confidential forms.
   • Make sure that the officials make copies and do not take your original documents.
3. After the application has been received, you will then be transferred to the Dukwi camp, where asylum seekers reside, while waiting for a decision on the application for refugee status.
   • No documentation is issued at this stage.

After you submit your application and documents, the Refugee Advisory Committee (RAC) will process your request. The following steps will be followed:

1. The RAC will schedule and invite you for a refugee status determination interview, where you will be asked about the reasons why you left your country, including the circumstances of your departure and arrival in Botswana, and why you believe you cannot return to your country of origin.
   • An interpreter is provided to asylum seekers during RAC interview
   • The RAC can summon any individual to give evidence or anyone who may provide additional information on your case.
2. After the interview, the RAC will make recommendations to Recognize or Reject your asylum application and prepare a report for the line minister.
3. The Minister of Justice will make a final decision on the asylum application based on the RAC’s recommendation.
4. A decision letter will be issued to inform you of the decision taken formally.
   • If you get recognised as a Refugee, you will remain in the Dukwi camp and be registered by UNHCR.
   • If your application is Rejected, you will be moved to the Francistown Centre for Illegal Immigrants (FCII) pending processing of your possible return to your country of origin by Immigration authorities.