Thousands of companies operating in Botswana face possible removal from the official company register after the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) issued a final warning over the compulsory submission of company constitutions.
With only two weeks remaining before the September 30 deadline, CIPA has made it clear that companies that fail to comply will be removed from the register at midnight on September 30, 2026.
The warning affects a broad range of businesses, including private and public companies, companies limited by guarantee, close companies and external and foreign companies registered in Botswana. State-owned registered companies are also required to comply.
CIPA’s latest notice gives companies just one month to complete the process, while explicitly ruling out any further extension.The requirement arises from the Companies (Amendment) Act 2025, which requires all registered companies to submit a company constitution together with a controllers form before the September 30 deadline. The scale of the directive means that companies across virtually every segment of Botswana’s formal business sector are now under pressure to ensure that their corporate records are compliant.
The authority says there will be no further extension.The September 30 deadline therefore represents a critical compliance test for Botswana’s corporate sector, with companies expected to ensure that their constitutions and controllers’ information have been submitted before the deadline expires.
CIPA has warned companies and their directors and company secretaries not to leave submissions until the last minute, citing the risk of congestion and delays in processing.The authority says the constitution requirement is part of broader efforts to strengthen corporate governance and transparency and to address recommendations made to Botswana by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
According to CIPA, the measures are intended to strengthen Botswana’s defences against money laundering, terrorism financing and other financial crimes. But for businesses, the immediate issue is the looming deadline and the potentially severe consequence of non-compliance. Delisting from the register could have major implications for companies that fail to act, effectively putting their registered status at risk.CIPA has therefore urged businesses to submit their constitutions well ahead of the deadline rather than waiting for the final days of September.
The authority says there will be no further extension.The September 30 deadline therefore represents a critical compliance test for Botswana’s corporate sector, with companies expected to ensure that their constitutions and controllers’ information have been submitted before the deadline expires. CIPA’s warning also places the responsibility squarely on company directors, company secretaries and other stakeholders to ensure compliance.
