A founder in Gaborone may hear that a company costs P380 to register, then assume that P380 covers everything needed to begin trading. It does not. For company registration in Botswana, P380 is the minimum compulsory online fee that the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority, CIPA, charges for a standard private or public company.
The figure matters because it gives investors a clear starting point. It also causes avoidable budgeting errors when a business treats a registrar fee as its complete market-entry budget. As of September 2026, we separate CIPA statutory charges from tax registration, sector permissions, professional advisory work and the practical decisions that sit around incorporation.
The short answer: from P380 in CIPA fees online
A standard private or public company has a minimum CIPA online cost of P380. This consists of P20 to reserve the company name and P360 to register the company.
CIPA introduced the fee schedule on 3 June 2019, and its current published notice still lists these amounts. The P20 matters because many cost estimates quote only the P360 incorporation charge and omit the name reservation that comes first.
| CIPA online step | Official fee | Why it belongs in the budget | | Name reservation | P20 | CIPA requires this step before the registration submission. | | Standard private or public company registration | P360 | This is CIPA’s online incorporation charge. | | Minimum CIPA online total | P380 | This is the statutory registrar cost only. | Do not present P380 as an all-in setup price. It excludes any professional support, regulated-sector licence, premises costs, immigration permissions, bank charges, tax compliance work and trade licence costs that may apply to the enterprise.
That distinction protects the board and the project team. A statutory filing fee is predictable. The wider setup budget depends on the ownership structure, commercial activity, location and whether the business needs approvals beyond incorporation.
Online versus walk-in CIPA charges
CIPA’s listed walk-in equivalent for a standard private or public company is P60 for name reservation plus P900 for registration. The walk-in statutory total is therefore P960.
Choosing the online route reduces the CIPA total by P580 when compared with the listed walk-in route. That difference follows directly from the fee schedule, not from a discount negotiated with CIPA.
For a close company, CIPA lists P360 online or P900 walk-in for registration. A company limited by guarantee or an external company attracts a materially different registration fee: P4,600 online or P6,000 walk-in, before considering any applicable name reservation process or wider setup costs.
What the P380 company registration cost includes
The P380 minimum covers two CIPA transactions for a standard private or public company completed online: name reservation and registration. It does not buy a ready-to-trade enterprise in every sector.
The most common misunderstanding we see in cost planning is the confusion between registering a business name and incorporating a company. CIPA lists an online business-name registration at P150, while standard private-company incorporation carries a P360 online registration charge, plus the P20 online name reservation fee.
A business name and a company do different jobs. Where investors need a separate legal vehicle, a defined shareholding structure and formal director documentation, they should budget for company incorporation rather than use the lower business-name figure as a proxy.
The documents behind the tax registration step
After incorporation, Botswana Unified Revenue Service, BURS, handles income-tax registration through Form BURS 1. For a private company, BURS lists the certificate of incorporation plus certified director, consent and share-capital documents among the required attachments.
The form is not a CIPA cost, and BURS does not state a registration fee on its official tax-registration page. The practical cost can still rise if directors need help assembling certified attachments, correcting inconsistent company information or assigning responsibility for continuing tax compliance.
This is the step teams often skip in their first budget. They allow for CIPA fees but do not allocate time to prepare the documents that BURS asks the company to submit.
VAT: when a new Botswana company must register
VAT registration does not automatically follow incorporation. BURS states that a business making taxable supplies above P500,000 a year must register for VAT.
BURS also states that VAT registration carries no charge. The decision still has commercial consequences because VAT registration creates ongoing compliance responsibilities, so a business should assess projected taxable supplies before it assumes that registration forms part of its day-one costs.
If projected taxable supplies sit under P500,000 a year, do not add VAT registration to the compulsory incorporation budget simply because the company has received its CIPA documents. Revisit the position as sales develop, especially where a contract or pipeline could move the business over the threshold.
BURS pages have contained legacy VAT material that differs from the current VAT guidance. For 2026 planning, we would use the current BURS VAT page and ask an adviser to verify the threshold before filing, rather than rely on an old search result or a copied spreadsheet.
Worked cost examples
An online private company with a focused first-year plan
Take a Botswana-owned consulting enterprise with two directors that expects taxable supplies of P300,000 in its first year. It chooses the CIPA online route and budgets P20 for name reservation plus P360 for standard company registration, a total statutory CIPA spend of P380.
Because its forecast sits below the P500,000 VAT threshold, the founders do not treat VAT registration as an automatic startup item. They still prepare for BURS income-tax registration through Form BURS 1 and collect the certificate of incorporation, director, consent and share-capital documents before the filing becomes urgent.
The P380 figure does not include support with the CIPA submission or the BURS file. If this enterprise had to do the exercise again, it would separate the compulsory P380 from advisory and compliance support at the beginning, rather than ask one budget line to cover both.
A foreign investor comparing filing channels
Consider an international group setting up an external company in Botswana. CIPA lists an online external-company registration fee of P4,600, compared with P6,000 for a walk-in registration, a P1,400 difference in the listed registration charge.
The group should not use the P380 private-company figure in its investment memorandum. Its entity type carries a different CIPA fee, and it may face additional costs for immigration permissions, banking, premises and any sector-specific permissions that its planned activity requires.
The better decision is to confirm the entity structure before authorising the market-entry budget. A saving at the CIPA counter means little if the enterprise selected the wrong vehicle or overlooked documents that BURS requires for tax registration.
Building a realistic Botswana setup budget
We recommend a budget with two columns: statutory charges and enterprise-specific costs. The first column should contain only official fees that apply to the chosen entity and filing channel. The second should record the costs that depend on the company, its investors and its operating model.
Statutory charges to identify first
For a standard private or public company using CIPA online services, start with P380. For the walk-in route, start with P960.
Then identify whether the intended vehicle is instead a close company, company limited by guarantee or external company. CIPA’s fee differences are significant, and the entity choice should follow the enterprise’s legal and commercial needs, not the lowest headline charge.
For tax, include the work needed to submit BURS 1 and its certified attachments. BURS states no separate registration fee on its official registration page, so do not invent a government charge where the authority has not stated one.
Costs that depend on the enterprise
Professional support sits outside CIPA’s published tariff. The fee will depend on whether the adviser only prepares an incorporation filing or also supports entity-structure decisions, BURS registration, governance documents and ongoing compliance.
A regulated activity can also require approvals beyond CIPA incorporation. We do not assign a universal figure to those items because the applicable authority and charge depend on the sector and proposed activity.
The same discipline applies to premises, banking and immigration permissions. Put them in the plan, but do not add them to the official CIPA minimum and call the result a government registration fee.
Common cost mistakes we advise clients to avoid
Quoting P360 as the full online incorporation price
P360 is CIPA’s online registration charge for a standard private or public company. Add the P20 online name-reservation fee, because the minimum CIPA online total comes to P380.
Using a business-name fee for a company budget
CIPA lists P150 online for business-name registration. That does not replace incorporation where the commercial decision calls for a company.
Treating VAT as mandatory on day one
VAT registration depends on taxable supplies above P500,000 a year, not on the fact that CIPA has incorporated the business. BURS says registration carries no fee, but the compliance obligation deserves a considered decision.
Treating a CIPA payment as tax registration
CIPA registers the company. BURS handles income-tax registration through Form BURS 1, and BURS asks private companies for specified certified attachments.
Using a walk-in budget for an online filing
The choice changes the official cost. A standard private or public company has a P380 minimum online CIPA total and a P960 walk-in equivalent.
How M&J supports Botswana market entry
Our company registration advisory work starts with the decision behind the form: which entity aligns with the ownership plan, what CIPA fee applies and which documents the BURS process will require. We then help leadership distinguish official fees from the costs that arise from their specific operating model.
For investors and established enterprises, governance should begin before incorporation. Clear director information, share-capital records and consent documents reduce avoidable friction when the company moves from CIPA registration to BURS tax registration.
Statutory fees can change, and BURS VAT guidance requires verification before a filing. An M&J team member should review all figures, sector permissions and tax obligations before the enterprise relies on this information for a transaction or board approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to register a private company in Botswana online?
CIPA’s minimum official online cost for a standard private or public company is P380: P20 for name reservation and P360 for registration. This does not include advisory fees, tax compliance support, licences, premises, banking or immigration permissions.
Is P380 the total cost to start a business in Botswana?
No. P380 is the minimum CIPA online statutory cost for a standard private or public company. The total setup budget depends on the entity type, tax-registration preparation, professional support and any permissions relevant to the enterprise.
Does every new company need VAT registration in Botswana?
No. BURS says businesses making taxable supplies above P500,000 a year must register for VAT. BURS states that VAT registration has no charge, but the company should verify its position before filing.
What does BURS require for company income-tax registration?
BURS uses Form BURS 1. For a private company, its official guidance lists the certificate of incorporation and certified director, consent and share-capital documents among the attachments.
Visit the company registration in Botswana hub page to discuss your entity structure, CIPA filing costs and Botswana tax-registration plan with our team.
