Botswana - Obtain a Birth Certificate

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Procedure

In Botswana Application

1. A child born in Botswana should be registered immediately after birth or within the first two months. This should be done by the parents or the designated guardians, either at the Department of Civil and National Registration office in Botswana or the Botswana embassy/mission abroad. Even if a child dies at birth, it still needs to be registered.
2. Department of Civil and National Registration Office Contact Details , Botswana Embassy/Mission Abroad Contact Details
3. Below are the different scenarios for birth certificate application in Botswana;
   • Application for on-time registration of births that occurred in health facilities or outside health institutions, (Immediately after birth, less than 2 months old).
   • Application for Late Birth Certificate i.e., after 2 months of birth or as an Adult.

Apply In person
On-time registration of births that occurred in health facilities or outside health institutions, (Immediately after birth, less than 2 months old)

1. The process begins with the registration of birth and the issuance of notification of birth. If your child is born in the hospital, all medical facilities in Botswana register the birth and provide a birth notification card.
2. However, if your child was born at home, the Kgosi is authorized to register births, in his location and obtain a Confirmation letter from Kgosi, the person concerned should then visit the Department of Civil and National Registration near them to complete the process.
3. Once you have your birth notification card, you are required to collect and complete the Application form for Birth Certificate, Forms are available for free at the Enquiries Desk at any of the offices of the Department of Civil and National Registration.
4. Submit the duly completed application forms along with the relevant attachments as mentioned below under the “Required Documents” section of this page, to be verified by the civil register clerk.
5. The officer will then verify, if all the necessary information and documents have been provided and that the applications comply with the selection criteria, if everything is in order, the clerk will enter the birth into the Birth Register.
6. The two copies of the birth certificates will then be drawn up and forwarded to the Registrar General for approval and certification.
7. After signature by the Registrar General, one original birth certificate is presented to the parent(s) or guardian of the child against their national identity card.
8. The other copy of the birth certificate will be retained by the Department of Civil and National Registration office for filing purposes.

Application for Late Birth Registration and Birth Certificate.

1. This application is for births that were not registered within 2 months. If you do not have a birth notification (In cases where the child is born at home or late registration), applicants need to start the process at the local Kgosi office, to register the birth and obtain a Confirmation letter from Kgosi, the person concerned should then visit the Department of Civil and National Registration near them to complete the process.
2. Once you have obtained the Confirmation letter, you are required to collect and complete the Application form for the Late Birth Certificate, Forms are available for free at the Enquiries Desk at any of the offices of the Department of Civil and National Registration.
3. Submit the duly completed application forms along with the relevant attachments (mentioned below under the ‘Required Documents’ section) to be verified by the civil register clerk.
4. The officer will then verify, if all the necessary information and documents have been provided and that the applications comply with the selection criteria.
5. If everything is in order, the applicant will be required to pay a levy of BWP5.00 for every month of default, up to a maximum of BWP100.00.
6. Upon making payment, the applicant is issued with an acknowledgment letter containing details of the application.
7. The application file will then be forwarded to the section concerned for late registration for processing and consideration, which is within 14 days.
8. If approved the clerk will enter the birth into the Birth Register, two copies of the birth certificates will then be drawn up and forwarded to the Registrar General for approval and certification.
9. After signature by the Registrar General, one original birth certificate is presented to the parent(s) or guardian of the child at the office where the application was filed, against their national identity card and the acknowledgment letter.
10. The other copy of the birth certificate will be retained by the Department of Civil and National Registration office for filing purposes.

Abroad Application

1. In the case where the birth occurs abroad, applicants are required to visit the nearest Botswana mission abroad and express their interest at the front desk.
2. Submit the required documents as listed under the “Required Documents” section of this page, to be validated by the embassy staff and obtain the relevant application form.
3. Submit the completed application form, pay the required application fee. At the time of submission, a waiting card/slip as an acknowledgment will be issued to the applicant.
4. The application file is then forwarded to Botswana’s Department of Civil and National Registration office for processing and consideration.
5. Upon successful processing, the birth will be registered in the Botswana Civil register, one copy will be retained by the Department of Civil and National Registration office and the other birth certificate copy is transmitted/sent to the embassy/consulate, where the application was filed to be issued/ collected by the client against the waiting card/slip.

Please Note(for Abroad Application):

• Applicants who want their processed birth certificate sent to them by post are advised to attach one of the following to their request(s):
• A registered self-addressed envelope with the appropriate stamps (letter recommendée);
• A pre-paid envelope from any recognized courier service provider.
• Not all embassies offer the post/mail return service (please consult with the embassy)
• You can file your application via mail, in some embassies, please confirm with your embassy, and if they offer this service since not all embassies offer the service.

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Required Documents

On-time registration of births that occurred in health facilities

• The birth Notification form is given by hospital personnel at the time of delivery.
• Identity document of the parents (valid national identity card (Omang) for citizens, passport for non-citizens).

On-time registration of births that occurred outside health institutions

• Confirmation letter from Kgosi.
• Under 5 years, medical card.
• Statement/ affidavit from the parents or guardian(s).
• Certified copy of valid national identity card of the parents or guardian(s).
• Statements/ affidavits from two witnesses who know of the birth.
• Certified copy of witnesses’ identity documents.

Late registration of births that occurred in health facilities

• Confirmation letter from the hospital/maternity clinic.
• Under 5 years, medical cards.
• Statement/ affidavit from the parents or guardian(s).
• Certified copy of the national identity card (Omang) of the parents or guardian(s).
• Statements/ affidavits from two witnesses who know of the birth.
• Certified copy of witnesses’ identity documents.

Late registration of births that occurred outside health institutions

• Confirmation letter from Kgosi.
• Extract from school admission record (for those already attending school).
• Under 5 years, medical card.
• Statement/ affidavit from the parents or guardian(s).
• Certified copy of the national identity card (Omang) of the parents or guardian(s).
• Statements/ affidavits from two witnesses who know of the birth.
• Certified copy of witnesses’ identity documents.

Office Locations & Contacts

Department of Civil and National Registration
Ministry of Nationality,
Immigration and Gender AffairsBlock 8,
Government Enclave,
Khama Crescent Private Bag 00240Gaborone
Botswana
Tel. (+267)3611100/361115/3611132
Fax. (+267) 3907426
Email: [email protected]
Toll-Free Number. 0800 600 777
Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs Contact Details
Department of Civil and National Registration Office Contact Details
Botswana Embassy/Mission Abroad Contact Details
Business hours: Monday-Friday from 8:00 am-1:00 pm and 2:00 pm -5:00 pm, closed during Public Holidays & Weekends.

Eligibility

• All children born in Botswana.
• Children born abroad of Botswana’s parents.

Note: That the applicant/Person concerned should be someone with legal capacity and has a valid national identity card for citizens or a Passport for foreign nationals.

Fees

• Births registered within 60 days of their occurrence are processed for free.
• Any registration done after that period attracts a levy of BWP5.00 for every month of default, up to a maximum of BWP100.00.

Validity

• The Birth Certificate is Valid Forever.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• For births registered within 60 days of occurrence, the service will be completed on the same day or within one week.
• For births registered after 60 days of occurrence, it is considered a late registration and the service will take fourteen days to complete.

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

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required Information

• The name of the newborn baby. This may sometimes be optional.
• Date and the place of the birth.
• The sex of the child (Whether male or female)
• The type of birth (i.e. whether single or multiple as in twins/triplets etc.)
• The exact place of Birth / Name of the hospital where the child was born
• The nature of birth.
• Birth Notification No.
• The particulars of the mother. i.e. the name, age, marital status, the previous births and the area/district the mother resides in.
• Full Name of Mother before marriage
• The name of the father for the married couples.
• Applicants' Address
• Postal Address of Child (For late application)
• Declaration by the applicant

Need for the Document

• All births that occur within Botswana regardless of the parents’ nationality have to be registered in the Botswana Civil and National Registry. Once successfully registered, the child will be issued a birth certificate.

Information which might help

• A birth certificate is issued only to people born in Botswana. Foreign nationals born in Botswana have 7 birth registration digit numbers while Batswana have 9 birth registration digit numbers.
• NB: If your parents or guardian have naturalized citizenship and you are born in Botswana, you qualify for a Motswana birth certificate with 9 certificate numbers.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Other uses of a birth certificate;

• A birth certificate can be used as proof of identity/Nationality.
• It is used to register a child in the national insurance scheme.
• It is used to register for primary and secondary school examinations.
• A birth certificate is required during the application of a Botswana identity card/passport.
• A birth certificate is required during the application of a marriage certificate or death certificate.

External Links

Gov.BW Birth Registration Process

Others

More information which might help people.