Travellers who wish to visit the United States will from August 1 process their visa applications in South Africa after the President Donald Trump’s administration decided to close its visa processing operations in Botswana.
In an update, the Ministry of International Relations stated that “from this date, routine non immigrant and all immigrant visa services for Botswana nationals and residents will be processed by the U.S. Consulate General in Johannesburg, South Africa.”
Visa applications will continue to commence online, with subsequent processing undertaken at the regional centre in Johannesburg. Detailed information on this new alignment, including appointment scheduling and payment of visa fees, is available on the official U.S. Department of State website.
Following the decision by the U.S, Botswana government raised concern over the increasingly stringent visa regime of the United States of America, which has made travel more difficult for Batswana compared to previous years.
“We continue to engage the Government of the United States of America on these matters, including the visa bond programme introduced in August 2025,” International Relations Ministry stated.
“It is important to acknowledge that defaults on visa conditions and rising numbers of asylum claims by Batswana in the United States of America have contributed to these developments. Such trends affect the ease with which our citizens can enjoy hassle free travel.”
Additionally, government has urged all citizens to exercise caution, to respect the laws of host countries, and to uphold the values of integrity and responsibility. By doing so, Batswana will strengthen trust abroad and preserve the privilege of travelling and visiting the United States of America and other nations without undue scrutiny or difficulty, it said.