HOLIDAY VISAS
Visitor Registration for Cape Verde
All visitors need to complete an online Registration before visiting Cape Verde. This is for stays up to a maximum of 30 days. The registration costs 3,400 CVE (€30.83) and is payable online at the time of registering. You should aim to complete this registration at least five days before arrival. If you don’t manage to do it more than five days before arrival, then it is best to wait and pay on arrival, otherwise they may try to charge you twice. It applies to all visitors who are over the age of two. Please note – if you are travelling on a UK passport choose UK and not British Subject on the drop-down menus when registering. Provided you have registered online before travelling you should go to the ‘Taxes paid’ queue on arrival in Cape Verde. If you haven’t pre-registered, you will need the ‘Taxes to pay’ queue. All visitors need to ensure that their passport still has at least six months to run after the travel dates.
Visas for Cape Verde
Do I need a visa for Cape Verde? If you are not travelling from the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein or the UK and most African countries, you will also need to purchase a 30 day tourist visa for Cape Verde. This visa costs 2,756 CVE (€25). If you need a visa it will be automatically included in the online registration process, or it can be purchased on arrival at the airport in Cape Verde. When you enter the airport terminal make sure that you get into the correct queue for Visas. If you queue up to show your passport without a visa you will be sent back to the back of the visa application queue. By this time it could be long. At the airport you can only pay for a Cape Verde visa in Euros or in Cape Verde Escudos.
Applying
It is possible to apply on the Cape Verdean Government website (EASE – click on button below). If you find that difficult or have problems and you prefer to be assisted with the application, you can do so using iVisa (Use the button below). iVisa charges a small fee, but offers the ability to pay with a number of different methods (credit card, debit card, Google/Apple pay and multiple eWallets). They have a multi-lingual team and 24/7 support. They are experienced and you can apply even if your trip is some time in the future as they have a queuing system.
Click on the button below to buy the visa yourself
Click on the button below if you would like assistance buying your visa
Other types of visa
Cape Verde Multi Entry Visa (Cabo Verde Visto Especial)
If you wish to stay in Cape Verde for longer than 30 days, or return a number of times, there is a Multiple Entry Visa that lasts for six months. For information on this type of visa you need to contact the Cape Verde Consulate or Embassy in your country. You would need to send them your passport as part of the application process. Some people applying for this type of visa go to the Cape Verde Consulate on Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.
A Cape Verde Residency Visas (Cabo Verde Residencia)
There are two types of residency permit – permanent and temporary. The permanent one is not often issued now and even if it is, it still has to be renewed every five years. The temporary one has to renewed every 12 months.
Applying for residency is quite complicated and requires a long list of documents;
- Application form which can be obtained from a police station;
- Proof of financial liquidity;
- Certification from the local town hall (Câmara) that you have lived in that town for at least six months;
- Disclosure from your country of origin, translated into Portuguese and notarised (ie. no criminal record etc);
- Two certificates from Cape Verde – one from Public Order Police and one from Judicial Police;
- Health certificate from the Cape Verdean department of health;
- Rental agreement for residence or proof of property ownership;
- A copy of your passport (all the pages), which must include a ‘permanent’ visa stamp, which is proof of six months in the country;
- Two passport pictures which need to be recent.
This is a long process and approval and issue of residency could take up to 24 months.
If you wish to extend your residency you will need to request this at the local police station. There you can obtain a list of the necessary documents, which must be completed at the police station.
Extending your visa in Cape Verde
You can apply for an extension to your visa at a National Police station; however, on some islands the procedure can be quite lengthy. This can also be done in person at a Frontier Police Office. You must take with you a number of documents, including proof of earnings, rental agreement (in Cape Verde) or proof of property ownership and disclosure from the police in your home country, etc. All documents would need to be in Portuguese. This is not a particularly easy process!
