Botswana

Direction: entry into Botswana. All persons entering Botswana must unreservedly declare all goods in their possession to a Customs official on duty, on the baggage declaration document Form J (BURS Customs Form J, 'Baggage and Currency Import Declaration Form', Revised 2007: Part 1 is completed by all persons entering Botswana — new resident / visitor or tourist / returning permanent resident / in transit; Part 2 by returning residents; Part 3 covers currency, see BW-currency-declaration). Baggage declarations may be verbal or written; when making them, travellers must declare all goods in their possession and their correct values, including: all goods acquired in or outside Botswana, including gifts such as wedding or birthday presents; repairs or alterations to any items or vehicle, even if performed free of charge; items bought in any duty-free shop, including on aircraft or ship; items carried for someone else; and items intended for sale or commercial use. Produce receipts and sales slips for goods purchased outside Botswana. Failure to declare goods and their correct values can lead to seizure and criminal prosecution or severe penalties of up to three times the value of the goods. Travellers/tourists importing (or exporting) accompanied personal household goods may make their baggage declaration to BURS themselves using Customs Form J; unaccompanied goods of individuals and goods of commercial entities must be cleared through registered clearing agents or companies registered to carry out their own customs clearance. Form J notes additionally require travellers returning to South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia via Botswana to complete the form and declare all goods. Duty-free allowances are a tax concession, not a separate declaration procedure and not a filing fee: claiming an allowance does not replace this baggage declaration — all goods must be declared on Form J whether or not they fall within an allowance (allowance amounts are source-conflicted — see unresolved BW-duty-free-amount-conflict).

Direction: exit from Botswana. BURS states that all persons leaving Botswana are required to unreservedly declare all goods in their possession to a Customs official on duty on a baggage declaration document called Form J, and the customs-clearance page states that travellers importing or exporting accompanied personal household goods may make their baggage declaration to BURS themselves using Customs Form J; BURS also states that baggage declarations may be verbal or written. The written declaration instrument (if any) actually used at departure is unconfirmed — see unresolved BW-exit-declaration-form; this record does not treat the import-titled Form J PDF (which supports only the arrival and currency procedures here) as proof of an exit written form. The same content requirement and sanctions apply to baggage declarations: declare all goods in your possession and their correct values (goods acquired in or outside Botswana, gifts, repairs/alterations even if free of charge, duty-free shop purchases, goods carried for someone else, goods for sale or commercial use); failure to declare can lead to seizure, criminal prosecution or penalties of up to three times the value of the goods. Check whether goods are subject to customs duties and taxes or to prohibitions or restrictions prior to exportation.

Direction: both entry into and exit from Botswana. When entering or leaving Botswana, a traveller is required to declare Pula and/or foreign currency bank notes in their possession where the amount equals to or exceeds an equivalent of Ten Thousand Pula (P10,000) — the threshold is 'equals to or exceeds' (≥) and covers bank notes only. Travellers' cheques and other monetary instruments need not be declared (the obligation is not to be widened beyond bank notes). There is otherwise no restriction on the cross-border movement of bank notes in Botswana, but movements are monitored for purposes including collecting national statistics, monitoring capital flows and balance of payments, and enforcement of anti-money-laundering measures. Under the Customs and Excise Duty Act the definition of goods includes currency, and a person who fails to declare currency may be liable to prosecution. Context (entry side): Form J Part 3 'CURRENCY' is completed where currency equivalent to P10,000.00 or more is carried by the declarant and/or family; the form's notes require a family unit to declare money carried by each member where the aggregate in the family's possession is P10,000 or more, and warn that undeclared amounts of P10,000 or more are liable to seizure and the importer to prosecution under the Customs and Excise Duty Act. Whether the same written form is used at exit is unconfirmed (see unresolved BW-exit-declaration-form).