Cabo Verde Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into Cabo Verde.
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Guide
Cabo Verde tightened up significantly at the start of 2026. Since 1 January, visa on arrival ended for citizens of 96 affected countries, who now need a visa arranged before travel rather than sorted out on landing. The system that replaced it runs three tiers, visa free entry for a set of passports, a mandatory Electronic Travel Authorization for most others, and traditional consular visas for a smaller remaining group. Citizens of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo enter without any additional permit at all, under bilateral agreements.
Even travelers who need no visa still have a step to complete: EASE pre-registration, done through ease.gov.cv, is required before arrival for most visitors along with payment of the Airport Security Tax, and the government specifically instructs travelers to complete EASE up to five days before they arrive, not as a same-day formality.
Border crossings
- Praia and Sal, the main airports
Cabo Verde's international arrivals cluster around a small number of island airports, where the EASE registration and Airport Security Tax are checked alongside whichever visa category applies.
Transit routes
- Complete EASE even if you do not need a visa
It is a separate step from the visa question, required of most travelers regardless, and the five day advance window means it should not be left for the airport.
- Check which of the three tiers covers your passport
Visa free, ETA required, or consular visa required are genuinely different processes after the January 2026 changes, confirm which applies before assuming the older, more open system still does.
Entry point notes
- The 2026 changes affected 96 nationalities
If an older guide describes Cabo Verde as broadly visa free or visa on arrival for most visitors, treat that as outdated and check the current three tier system instead.
- Bilateral agreement countries skip the extra permit
The 14 named West and Southern African nations move the most simply of any group.