Botswana Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in botswana, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Import Tarifs
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Goods imported into Botswana from outside the Southern African Customs Union—comprising Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini—are subject to customs duties at rates specified in the Customs Tariff Book.  Customs duties are paid using the prescribed SAD 500 form, a declaration document formally known as a bill of entry.  The tariff book and goods codebook are available electronically on the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) website.  Botswana applies varying tariffs across products, with textiles, clothing, beverages, and tobacco receiving the highest rates.

The SADC Free Trade Area (FTA), launched in August 2008, aims to eliminate trade barriers and facilitate the free movement of goods and services.  In November 2022, SADC reported significant progress in implementing the FTA. Additionally, the SADC-EU Trade Facilitation Program was established to further deepen regional economic integration.
To look up duties and tariffs, use the Customs Info Database tariff look-up tool, available on trade.gov (free registration required). 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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