Botswana - Get Permit or License for Hotel and Tourist Attractions

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. The issuance of all Tourist enterprise license i.e. permits that are issued to entities and individuals that operate businesses or services that directly deal with tourists e.g. Travel agencies, Tourist Accommodation facilities; by the Department of Tourism office, which is under the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism office. Ministry contact details.
2. Collect and complete the Tourism Enterprise Licence Form, available at the inquiries desk at any of the Department of Tourism regional offices or headquarter, or directly download it using this link;Tourism Enterprise Licence Form.
3. The applicant will be required to submit the certified relevant supporting documentation as mentioned under the “Required Documents” section of this page; in addition to the duly completed application form in all respect to the Department of Tourism regional offices or headquarter office within the business premises jurisdiction either in person or by post/ courier. Any omission of these documents will render the registration process incomplete.
4. Upon receipt of the application file, the license issuing officer will verify if all the necessary information and documentation has been provided and that the applications comply with the selection criteria before registering the application file for evaluation and consideration by the Tourism Industry Licensing Committee, which is within 30 days.
5. Applicants will be issued with an acknowledgment slip/reference number as proof of submission of the application.
6. The application is then assessed based on the information and documents that have been provided.
7. Notice of the decision (Approval, Deferral, or Rejection) for the Licence will be communicated to the client by mail.
8. Upon notification of the approval by the licensing committee, the license issuing officer will draw up the license as directed by the licensing committee and present it to a senior officer to be certified (signed/stamp) and made available to be issued to the client.
9. The applicant will be required to produce a proof of identity document and the approval letter and pay the prescribed license fee as mentioned under the “Fees” section of this page while collecting the License, at the specific office where the application was lodged.
10. The permit/license shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Licensing Committee deems fit to impose in each case, and such terms and conditions or requirements shall be endorsed on the permit/License.

Appeals to the Minister
Any person who is aggrieved by the refusal of the Licensing Committee to grant a permit, or by any terms imposed by the Licensing Committee to grant a permit, may appeal in writing against the refusal or the terms and conditions to the Minister within a reasonable time.

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Required Documents

• A detailed Business Plan (guidelines provided).
• A certified copy of the Certificate of Incorporation and/or a copy of the Certificate of Registration of the business-trading name.
• Certified copies of share certificates.
• Companies Proclamation i.e. Form 2.
• Certified copies of valid Omang or passport of the shareholders and for expatriate employees, copies of resident/work permits.
• Title deed or lease agreement/rental agreement- if the land was acquired for a different purpose other than for the project you wish to undertake you should apply for a change of use or planning permission, from your local authorities or Land Board.
• Details of vehicles. i.e. Vehicle Registration and Road Worthiness Certificates (Botswana Registered) for Categories C & E
• Submission of an Environmental Management Plan/Environmental Impact Analysis approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs (Categories A,B,J)
• Occupation Permit (Categories A & B)
• Consent from land authorities for sub-leases and/or rental agreements/transfer of leases/title deeds
• Satisfactory inspection reports of the premises (department of tourism & environmental health)
• Approved technical / building / architectural plans, for a building project such as a Hotel, Guesthouse, lodge, camp, etc. (Categories A & B)
• Curriculum vitae for the shareholders
  

(Please submit ten (10) copies of all the requirements however only one set of the building plans must be submitted)

Note: The Vetting Committee may request additional documents as they deem necessary.

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism
Private Bag BO 199
Gaborone,
Botswana
Address: Plot 13064 Government Enclave
Tel:  +267 3647900 / +267 391 4955
Fax: +267 3951092
Email: [email protected]
Toll-free Number: 0800 600 734
Ministry contact details.

Department of Tourism
Headquarter
(Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism)
Address: 2nd floor, Standard House
The Main Mall, Queens Road
Private Bag 0047
Gaborone
Botswana
Tel. (+267) 3953024
Fax. (+267) 3908675

Regional Offices contacts (Department of Tourism Offices)

• Gaborone: (+267) 3953024
  
• Maun: (+267) 6860492
  
• Gantsi: (+267) 6596733
  
• Tsabong: (+267) 6540833
  
• Selibe-Phikwe: (+267) 2611023
  
• Francistown: (+267) 2418192
  
• Serowe: (+267) 4631161
  
• Kasane: (+267) 6250357
  

Opening Hours of Operation: 07:30 – 16:30, Monday to Friday, except on Public Holidays.

Eligibility

Applicants should meet the following requirements to qualify;

• Categories A & B License
  

This service is open to both citizens and non-citizens in Botswana EXCEPT for the following tourist enterprises; guesthouses (corporate guest houses and Bed & Breakfast), camp and caravan sites.

• Categories C, E & F License
  

100% citizens or wholly-owned citizen companies.

• Categories D, G, J, K & L License
  

Citizens and non-citizens.

• Tourism I License
  

Operators based outside the country

Fees

• There is no application fee charged.
  

Upon approval, the following fees are chargeable;

• The license fee is BWP 1000 or its equivalent for {categories A/C/D/}
• The license fee is BWP 1500 or its equivalent for {category B}
• The license fee is BWP 500 or its equivalent for {categories E/F/}
• The license fee is BWP 1500 or its equivalent for {categories G/H}
• Category I License fees payable are USD 2000.00 or Botswana Pula (BWP) equivalent.
  

Validity

The license/Permit is valid for one year from the date of issue and shall be subjected to renewal thereafter. However, the licensing committee/ministry may modify, suspend or cancel a license, if the conditions of the license have not been complied with or if the continuing use of the license constitutes a danger to the general public.

Documents to Use

Tourism Enterprise Licence Form.

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Within 30 days from the time the application is received by the TILC.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Tourism License CategoriesTourism operations are divided into ten different categories, each of which requires a separate license:

• A License: Accommodations on a fixed site; such as hotels, motels, guesthouses (including corporate guesthouses), bed and breakfast, self-catering apartments, backpacker tourist accommodation, campsites, outside protected areas; and cultural villages, including timeshare facilities.
• B License: Accommodation on a fixed site; such as photographic/hunting camps and lodges, and public camping sites or caravan sites that offer game drives and other outdoor activities; within wildlife management areas and protected areas, including timeshare facilities.
• C License: Off-site facilities, such as mobile safari operators that receive and transport travelers and guests within protected areas.
• D License: Logistics and travel arrangements for clients without accommodation (whether fixed or not) or other tourist services.
• E License: Transport to tourist attractions, including road transfer activities outside protected areas.
• F License: Motor-boating activities outside of protected areas, private reserves or wildlife management areas.
• G License: Other enterprises (excluding air charter companies and car rentals) that conduct tourism-related activities (e.g., hot-air ballooning, cycling, bungee jumping, etc.)
• H License: Operations that offer mekoro (dugout canoe) activities.
• I License Foreign-based companies offering tourism-related activities in Botswana. License holders may conduct operations in game reserves or national parks but may hand over to a Botswana licensed operator if entering protected areas.
• J License: Houseboat operations: mobile self-contained accommodation on bodies of water.

(Please refer to wikiprocedure website for full procedure details on how to apply for each license listed above)

Required Information

• Name of Company
• Trading name of the establishment
• Contact details (Postal Address/Physical Address/Telephone No/Fax No/E-mail)
• Company Secretaries and their contact numbers
• Certificate of Incorporation No/ date of issue
• The principal business of the company
• Details of the shareholders of the company: (attach separate sheet if necessary)
• Details of Directors of the Company
• Categories of license you are applying for;
• Declaration by the applicant
  

Need for the Document

A tourist enterprise license is a permit issued to entities or individuals that operate businesses or services that directly deal with tourists e.g. Travel agencies, Tourist Accommodation facilities by the Department of Tourism office.

Information which might help

REFER TO THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENT;

• Guidelines Accommodation Related
  
• Revised Guidelines for Agro Tourism Operations
  
• Guidelines for Domestic Guest House
  

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• Gov.BW
  
• Botswana Investment & Trade Centre
  

Others

More information which might help people.