Passengers walk toward the terminal at Cesaria Evora International Airport on Sao Vicente.
Travel planning

Cape Verde Visa and Entry Requirements

There is no visa, but there is a form you must complete five days before you fly. Miss it after 1 July 2026 and you pay double at the border.
  • Country Cape Verde
  • Guide Visa and Entry
  • Reviewed 20 August 2026
  • Length 2 min read

Credit MariaCurista, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Last reviewed 20 August 2026

Cape Verde asks most visitors for no visa at all. What it does ask for is a form, filled in and paid for before you leave home, and that is the requirement people arrive without.

Thirty days, and a passport with six months on it

You can enter Cape Verde as a visitor for up to 30 days without a visa. Your passport must have an expiry date at least six months after the day you arrive.

Thirty days is short by the standards of this series. Senegal gives three months and Tunisia ninety days. If you are island-hopping on an open ticket, count the days.

The form, the fee, and the deadline that is now live

You must complete a traveler entry form at least five days before you arrive. The pre-registration and the airport security fee, the TSA, are both handled on the official online platform, and you bring the confirmation to show on arrival.

From 1 July 2026, anyone who has not completed the pre-registration, or who cannot show proof of it, pays double the TSA fee at border control. That date has passed, so this is current rather than forthcoming.

Children aged one and under do not need the form and are exempt from the fee. If you are traveling with a tour operator, ask whether they do this for you, because many do.

Traveling with a child who is not yours

This catches grandparents, aunts and family friends, not only strangers. The requirement is about who signs, not about how well you know the child.

  • A child of seventeen or under traveling alone, or with anyone who is not their parent or legal guardian, must carry a letter of authorization.
  • The letter must be written in Portuguese.
  • The signature must be certified by a solicitor or a notary.
  • It must give the child's arrival and departure dates and the address where they will stay.
  • It must name the adult in Cape Verde who will be responsible for them.
  • It must give the full names, passport numbers and contact details of the parent or guardian, with their signature and the date of issue.
  • Without a legally certified letter you may be refused entry.
This guide is general orientation, not legal, medical or governmental advice. Entry, health and safety requirements change frequently and depend on your nationality, your route and your dates. Always confirm with the relevant authority before you travel.