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Practical guides: Cabo Verde

Entry and residence

Visa, passport, vaccination required at the border, customs and consular assistance. Rules depend on your nationality: each point says who it applies to.

Visa

  • Every non-Cape Verdean traveller must pre-register at least 5 days before arrival on the official ease.gov.cv platform and pay the airport security fee (TSA) there. Without proof, the fee must be paid again on arrival (the UK says it has been doubled since 1 July 2026).

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Cabo Verde, entry and residenceGOV.UK (FCDO), Cabo Verde travel advice: entry requirements
  • Passport: France, United Kingdom

    No visa is needed for a tourist stay of up to 30 days (French and British nationals). For 30 to 90 days, a tourist visa is obtained at a consulate or on arrival; it can be extended once.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Cabo Verde, entry and residenceGOV.UK (FCDO), Cabo Verde travel advice: entry requirements
  • Passport: France

    To work (including VIE, VSI or in a French school), you need a 180-day temporary visa from a consulate, then renewed locally at the Directorate of Foreigners and Borders (criminal record, medical certificate, housing, means, INPS registration).

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    France Diplomatie, Travel advice: Cabo Verde, entry and residence
  • Passport: United States

    Visa-free for tourism under 30 days. For longer stays, apply to the Embassy of Cabo Verde: single entry up to 90 days or multiple entry over five years. Passport valid for 6 months beyond the stay.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    U.S. Department of State, Cabo Verde International Travel Information
  • Passport: Germany

    Visa-free for tourism up to 30 days, but with a paid online registration with the National Police up to five days before departure. From 30 to 90 days, apply for a visa at the Embassy of Cabo Verde in Berlin.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Auswärtiges Amt, Cabo Verde: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise
  • Passport: Spain

    Visa-free for up to 30 days for European Union citizens, with online pre-registration and payment of the airport security tax (TSA). Beyond 30 days a visa is required; extensions are possible locally at the Directorate-General for Emigration and Borders.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (España), Recomendaciones de viaje: Cabo Verde
  • Passports of 14 countries (see the list)Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

    Citizens of ECOWAS states enter without a visa for stays of up to 90 days, through an official border post, with a valid travel document and an international vaccination certificate; beyond that, an extension must be requested from the authorities. Since Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger withdrew (29 January 2025), ECOWAS has maintained this right for their citizens until further notice. Each state keeps the right to refuse entry to anyone inadmissible under its law.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    CEDEAO, Protocole A/P.1/5/79 sur la libre circulation des personnes, le droit de résidence et d'établissement (article 3)Commission de la CEDEAO, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger's withdrawal from ECOWAS is now a reality
  • Passports of 91 countries (see the list)Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Territories, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

    A visa is required and must be obtained before arrival from the nearest embassy or consulate: this passport is on the official list of nationalities that need a prior visa.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Governo de Cabo Verde (EASE), Lista de países cujos nacionais precisam de visto prévio (desde 1 de janeiro de 2026)
  • Passports of 142 countries (see the list)Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Caribbean Netherlands, Cayman Islands, China, Cook Islands, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao SAR China, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Macedonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Réunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, San Marino, São Tomé & Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, St. Barthélemy, St. Helena, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Martin, St. Pierre & Miquelon, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Türkiye, Turks & Caicos Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vatican City, Wallis & Futuna, Western Sahara

    No visa to obtain before arrival: this passport is not on the official list of nationalities that need a prior visa. The other entry formalities still apply.

    Verified factVerified on 10/2/26High confidence
    Governo de Cabo Verde (EASE), Lista de países cujos nacionais precisam de visto prévio (desde 1 de janeiro de 2026)

Passport and documents

Vaccination required at entry

Customs and currency

Useful contacts

Contact details taken from the official sources cited. Check them before going.

Sources for this guide

AfriPilot is not an official body. Information comes from the sources cited and may change: each source's date is shown.