How to buy property in Botswana from abroad

Last checked 2026-10-03

Botswana has three kinds of land: tribal land, state land and freehold land. Citizens aged 18 and over can apply for tribal land in any tribal area and for state land. Non-citizens can buy freehold property but face heavy restrictions on tribal and state land.

The steps for freehold or titled property

Hire a conveyancer, who checks the title at the Deeds Registry.
Sign the deed of sale.
Pay transfer duty and registration fees.
The conveyancer registers the transfer at the Deeds Registry.

Tribal and state land

Tribal land is allocated by land boards, and state land by the government, mainly to citizens. Non-citizens generally need Ministerial consent or must apply through investment agencies such as the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre.

Selling or letting from abroad

Many people abroad own property in Botswana: a house they built, family land, or a home they inherited. You can usually sell it or let it out without travelling, but owners who live abroad are also a common target for fraud. These are the general steps. The rules, taxes and forms in Botswana are for a lawyer there to confirm.

Selling from abroad

Confirm the property is registered in your name. If it belonged to a relative who has died, the estate usually has to be settled and the title transferred to the heirs before anyone can sell it.
Hire your own lawyer in Botswana, not one introduced by the buyer or an agent.
Get a current official search of the title, so you know what the buyer's lawyer will see.
If someone will sign for you, give them a power of attorney limited to this one property and this one sale, with an end date. Ask your lawyer how it must be signed and authenticated (before a notary, by apostille or through the embassy) and whether it must be registered.
Ask your lawyer which taxes and fees fall on the seller, such as tax on the gain and transfer or stamp duties, and whether any tax clearance is needed before the transfer.
Have the buyer pay into your lawyer's client account or your own bank account, never to a relative or agent personally.
Ask your bank and lawyer how to move the money abroad, and keep the paperwork that shows where it came from.

Letting it out from abroad

Use a written tenancy agreement and keep a copy yourself.
Choose a manager or agent you can check up on, and agree in writing what they collect, what they charge and when they pay you.
Ask about tax on rent. Many countries tax rent earned there even when the owner lives abroad, and some make tenants withhold tax from rent paid to owners abroad.
Have someone you trust visit regularly, and check the title register now and then. Forged sales of absent owners' property are common.

Warning signs for owners abroad

An agent or relative asking for a general power of attorney over everything you own.
A buyer who wants to pay in cash, or to pay someone other than you or your lawyer.
Pressure to sign before your own lawyer has seen the documents.
Someone else listing or showing your property without your knowledge.

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Common questions

Can Batswana abroad get land in Botswana?

Yes. Citizens aged 18 and over can apply for tribal land in any tribal area and for state land, and can buy freehold property.

Can foreigners buy property in Botswana?

Foreigners can buy freehold property. Tribal and state land are heavily restricted and generally need Ministerial consent.

Where is property registered in Botswana?

At the Deeds Registry, through a conveyancer.

Can I sell my property in Botswana while living abroad?

Usually, yes. Most sales from abroad go through a local lawyer and a representative holding a power of attorney limited to the one sale. Ask a lawyer in Botswana how that power of attorney must be signed and registered.

Do I pay tax when I sell property in Botswana?

Often. Many countries tax the gain on a property sale and charge transfer or stamp duties, including for owners who live abroad. Ask a lawyer or tax adviser in Botswana what applies before you agree a price.

Can I list my own property on ResidentFinder?

Yes. Owners can list a home for sale or for rent themselves, without an agent, and listing is free. Buyers and renters contact you directly through ResidentFinder.

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Sources

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and is not definitive. Laws, fees and procedures change; confirm every step with a licensed lawyer in the country before you pay anything.