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Botswana

Africa

CAAB — Civil Aviation (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) Regulations 2024

Botswana regulates drones through CAAB (RPA Regulations, in force since 14 June 2024). Every drone must be registered regardless of weight, the operator must be at least 18 and a Botswana citizen or resident, and a police/intelligence background check is required before registration.

Max altitude

122 m

Limit of 400 feet (about 122 m) above ground level.

Operator registration

Yes, required

Mandatory for every drone regardless of weight, up to a maximum take-off weight of 20 kg. Fees: P1,050 (private use), P2,625 (commercial), P3,150 (corporate). Requires a background check from the Botswana Police and intelligence services (D.I.S.).

Pilot license

Not required

No separate certificate/exam appears on the official page consulted; registration does require the operator to be at least 18 and a Botswana citizen or resident.

Zones to avoid

Always within visual line of sight (VLOS) within 500 m of the operator, unless specially approved for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight. Night flying forbidden, crossing international borders forbidden, and no more than one drone per operator/observer at a time. Any incident involving injury, property damage or loss of the drone must be reported within 10 days.

What isn't 100% confirmed yet

No insurance requirement is stated on the official page consulted: neither confirmed nor ruled out, so left out here. Penalties: up to BWP 5,000 and/or confiscation for standard violations, up to BWP 50,000 and/or 2 years imprisonment for uses tied to criminal activity.

Verify officially before flying

Source: CAAB — Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana

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Last checked: 2026-08

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Informational content, not legal advice. Zones and rules change constantly: always check the country's official website before every flight.