Botswana - Amend Birth Certificate (Name)

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. The application to amend details (Name) on a birth certificate shall be made to the Department of Civil and National Registration Office. Department of Civil and National Registration Regional & District Offices Location & Contact Details
2. Interested applicants are required to collect and complete the Application for Change of Name Form, available at any of the Department of Civil and National Registration Office countrywide. Copies of these forms are not available online.
3. The applicant should legibly complete the application form as required, clearly indicating the name amendment details.
4. The duly completed application form attached to the relevant supporting documentation as mentioned under the “Required Documents” section of this page should be submitted to the nearest Civil and National Registration Regional Office. Any omission of the required information or document will render the application incomplete.
5. Upon receipt of the application, the receiving officers will check for discrepancies or ineligibility in the application documents. If a discrepancy that cannot be immediately corrected exists in any of the documents, the application and all the submitted documents will be returned to the applicant and should not be re-submitted until the discrepancy has been rectified.
6. If everything is in order the application will be registered for processing and consideration. Applicants will be advised to pay an application fee of BWP 100.00 as per the department's preferable mode of payment.
7. Applicants will be issued with an acknowledgment slip as proof of submission of the application and for future inquires where necessary.
8. After the document evaluation phase has been completed satisfactorily, the application will be processed and publicized in the Government Gazette for 30 days to accommodate possible objections.
9. If there are no objections, an authorization is publicized for 14 days in the Government Gazette to inform members of the proposed change.
10. If there is no objection to the authorization, an authorization letter is issued to the client.
11. The application will be processed procedurally and the birth certificate will be amended with the new name.
12. On the turnaround date, the applicant should visit the specific Civil Registration Department office where the application was lodged and collect the new birth certificate.
    

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Required Documents

Certified copies of the following documents should accompany the application form when applying for this service.

Change of Name due to marriage

• Marriage Certificate or certificate from customary authorities in the case of a customary marriage (on the marriage of applicant’s parents).
  

Change of Name due to any other reasons

• Birth Certificate or Affidavit of Birth.
• School Academic Certificates.
• Omang Card.
• Page 1 and 2 of passport.
• Any other legal documents.
  

Office Locations & Contacts

Department of Civil and National Registration
(Ministry of Nationality, Immigration, and Gender Affairs)
Head Office, Block 8, Government Enclave
Khama Crescent
Private Bag 00240
Gaborone
Botswana
Tel. (+267) 361100/1400/ 1465
Toll-free number. 0800 600 777

Ministry of Nationality, Immigration, and Gender Affairs
Block 8, Government Enclave, Khama Crescent
Private Bag 002
Gaborone
Botswana
Tel: (+267)3611115 / 3611234 / 3611132
Fax: (+267) 3907426
Email: [email protected]
Call Centre Number – 0800 600 777
Ministry of Nationality, Immigration, and Gender Affairs Office Location & Contact Details
Department of Civil and National Registration Regional & District Offices Location & Contact Details
Opening hours: 7:30 to 12:45, and 13:45 to 16:30, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

Eligibility

Botswana citizens with a valid birth certificate are eligible to apply.

Fees

The cost of obtaining this service is BWP100.00

Validity

A birth certificate 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

The time frame for processing the application is a follow;

• Change of name due to marriage is processed the same day
• Change of name due to any other reason takes 69 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 child/applicant.
• Name to be amended.
• Reason for amendment of the name.
• Date and the place of the birth.
• The sex of the child/applicant (Whether male or female)
• The Exact place of Birth / Name of the hospital where the child/applicant 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.
• Father’s details.
• Applicants' Address
• Declaration by the applicant
  

Need for the Document

• This service allows citizens of Botswana to change their official name, as registered in the Civil and National Registry.
• A birth certificate is used to prove the identity/nationality of an individual and where the individual was born.
  

Information which might help

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. Next of kin, being mother/father or guardian can collect a birth certificate.

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

Change of Name Process

Others

More information which might help people.