Document checklist
Algeria → Botswana: Residence Permit (student category)
What you need before you submit, checked against official requirements, not guesswork.
Not yet checked. This page was drafted from the sources listed below but hasn't passed verification yet. Double-check anything critical directly with the official source before you rely on it.
Required documents
11 itemsIdentity
Certified copy of your birth certificate
RequiredA certified copy of your birth certificate. If you can't provide one, you must attach a written statement explaining why.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Certified copy of your passport data page
RequiredA certified copy of the data page of your passport. Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Form 15 (residence permit application form)
RequiredThe main application form for a residence permit, filled in and submitted with your other documents.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Form 3
RequiredA second form (Form 3) that must be submitted together with Form 15.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
One recent colour passport-size photo
RequiredOne recent colour photo in passport size.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Financial
Certified copy of your school fees payment receipt
RequiredA certified copy of the receipt showing you've paid or made a deposit toward your tuition fees.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Copy of your sponsor's immigration or ID document
RequiredA copy of your sponsor's valid Work and Residence Permit, Permanent Residence Certificate, immigration exemption certificate, or National Identity Card (Omang) if they are a Botswana citizen.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Letter of support or sponsorship
RequiredA letter of support or sponsorship with all the sponsor's particulars, showing how your tuition, living costs and other expenses in Botswana will be covered.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Purpose of travel
Letter of acceptance from your school or college
RequiredAn admission letter stating your program of study and how long it will last.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Travel
Study visa to enter Botswana (if your nationality needs one)
If your nationality requires a visa to enter Botswana, you'll also need to apply for a Study Visa to travel, separate from the residence permit that lets you study once you're there. This needs your admission letter, proof of financial support, and a copy of your passport.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Visa Application – Study Visa
Other
Parents' letter of consent (if staying with a guardian)
RequiredIf you will be staying with a guardian rather than your parents, a letter of consent from your parents, or a certified adoption certificate or death certificate, is required.
Source: Government of Botswana, Department of Immigration and Citizenship: Residence Permit Application
Why applications on this route get refused
Missing or uncertified documents
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship asks for certified copies of documents like your passport data page and birth certificate. If a document is missing, or a copy isn't certified, your application isn't complete.
How to avoid it: Get certified copies made of every document on the list before you submit your application.
Not enough proof you can afford to study in Botswana
You need to show proof of sufficient financial means to cover your tuition fees, day-to-day living costs, and other expenses in Botswana, whether that's a bursary, a sponsorship letter, or a bank statement.
How to avoid it: Include clear, up-to-date proof of funding, a sponsorship letter, bursary confirmation, or bank statement, alongside your school fees receipt.
Birth certificate missing with no explanation
If you can't provide a certified copy of your birth certificate, you must attach a written statement explaining why, leaving it out without an explanation is treated differently from a document you genuinely can't obtain.
How to avoid it: If you don't have a birth certificate, prepare and attach a written statement setting out the reason before you apply.
Sources
Check your documents against this list before you pay the Botswana application fee.
Answer a few questions, add what you have, and get a report of what is missing or needs fixing. Documents you add are read on your device, never uploaded.
Check my documents