Before you start

A Botswana employer willing to sponsor and to run the citizen-first advertisement
A copy of that advertisement, not older than six months
Certified educational certificates, translated into English where necessary
Professional clearance from the relevant regulatory body, where the occupation requires it
Passport valid at least six months and a local supporter in Botswana for the residence permit

Step-by-step

1
Employer advertises the post to citizens first
Botswana's localisation policy requires evidence that the role was offered to citizens. A dated advertisement, open to nationals, is the document the Labour Office will look for. This is applied in substance rather than as a formality, and roles a citizen could plausibly fill are refused.
Via employerWho: Your employerBefore the application
2
Apply for the work permit at a Labour Office
The employer submits the application with the advertisement, the contract, your CV and certified certificates, a certified passport copy and two photographs, plus any professional clearance. The published processing standard is fourteen working days.
Via employerWho: Your employer14 working days (published standard)
3
Apply for the residence permit separately
This goes to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship on Forms 15 and 3, with a passport valid six months or more, a passport photograph, proof of financial support and a local supporter. The published processing standard is thirty working days and the fee for dependants and students is published at P1,500.
In personWho: You30 working days (published standard)
4
Have the Selection Board decide the validity
The National Immigrants Selection Board reviews applications and sets the validity period, typically one to two years and tied to the employer and the post. It is a board decision rather than a clerk's, which is why timelines are less predictable than the service standards suggest.
In personWho: The Board
5
Register dependants individually
Anyone over 18 applies separately, including an adult child. Dependant permits carry no work rights — a working spouse needs their own employer, their own advertisement and their own work permit.
In personWho: You
6
Diarise the renewal at six months, not at eleven
The government's own guidance is that a work permit renewal should be submitted six months before expiry. Because both permits run on separate tracks, put both dates in a calendar with a six-month lead and confirm which of the two expires first.
OnlineWho: You6 months before expiry

Documents you’ll need

Copy of the job advertisement, under six months old
Employment contract and appointment letter
CV and certified educational certificates, in English
Certified passport copy and two passport photographs
Professional clearance, for regulated occupations
Forms 15 and 3 for the residence permit, with proof of financial support and a local supporter

Things most newcomers don’t know

The six-month renewal lead time is the most common avoidable failure here.

The Government of Botswana's published guidance for work permit renewals is to apply six months before the current permit expires — far earlier than the thirty or sixty days most countries expect. People who arrive from systems with short renewal windows apply at month eleven, discover the queue and the Board's sitting schedule, and end up with a gap in lawful status through no fault of their employer. Set the reminder on the day the permit is issued.

Source: Government of Botswana

The Certificate of Exemption is the thing worth playing the long game for.

Non-citizens can be exempted from holding a work permit — most commonly holders of permanent residence, or categories the Minister exempts by notice in the Government Gazette. It ends the permit-by-permit cycle and makes employment in Botswana ordinary rather than conditional. Getting there means an unbroken residence record, which in turn means never letting a renewal slip. That is the practical reason the six-month rule matters beyond one renewal.

Source: Government of Botswana

Some occupations need a regulator's clearance before immigration will look at the file.

Botswana names specific trades and professions whose permits require clearance from the relevant regulatory body — the government's own list includes drivers, farm workers, medical professionals, teachers, accountants, pilots, engineers and footballers. Obtaining that clearance is its own process with its own timeline, and it sits before the permit rather than alongside it. Anyone in a regulated profession should start with the regulator, not with Labour.

Source: Government of Botswana

Localisation is not a box to tick, and it decides which offers are realistic.

The advertisement requirement is evidence, not ceremony: the advert has to have run, and to have been open to citizens. Botswana's policy is genuinely protective of local employment and the Selection Board refuses roles it thinks a citizen could fill. The practical consequence is that foreign hiring here concentrates in genuinely scarce technical, mining, medical and regional-institution roles. If the job is generic, it will be hard, however good you are.

Source: Government of Botswana