Brauchen Staatsbürger von Irland ein Visum für Cabo Verde? — Visumfrei

This guide explains the general process for entering Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) as a foreign visitor. Two separate things are often confused, so keep them apart from the start:

• EASE pre-registration + Airport Security Tax (TSA) — required for almost every air traveller, including those who do not need a visa.
• An entry visa — required only for some nationalities.

Check both before you book.

Step 1 — Do you need a visa?

Cabo Verde has visa-waiver agreements with many countries. Citizens of the EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, the UK and a number of others are exempt from a tourist visa for short stays of up to 30 days — they only need EASE pre-registration (Step 4). You can check the official list of visa-exempt nationalities (PDF).

Important change (from 1 January 2026): Cabo Verde has ended visa-on-arrival for nationals of a long list of countries. If your nationality is on this list, you must obtain an entry visa before you travel — you cannot get one at the airport, and airlines may refuse boarding without it. Check the official list of countries now requiring a prior visa (PDF) and contact the nearest Cabo Verde embassy or consulate.

Step 2 — Visa types

Cabo Verde issues the following entry visas:

• Tourism — short leisure stays.
• Transit — passing through or an airport stopover.
• Temporary — longer or purpose-specific stays.
• Official, diplomatic or courtesy — for official travel.
• Residence — for those settling in Cabo Verde. A residence visa can only be applied for in Cabo Verde, though it may be instructed (started) at an embassy or consulate, which forwards it to the immigration authority (DEF) for a decision.

Step 3 — How and where to apply

For most short-stay visitors the visa application is submitted online through the official platform www.ease.gov.cv. A visa can also, exceptionally, be requested at a Cabo Verde embassy or consulate (or in-country) against payment of a fee. If your nationality lost visa-on-arrival from 1 January 2026 (Step 1), applying in advance at an embassy or consulate is the route for you.

Provide accurate passport details, your travel dates, flight number and place of stay. Only use the official ease.gov.cv portal — third-party "visa" websites charge extra and are not the official channel.

Step 4 — EASE pre-registration and the Airport Security Tax (TSA)

Pre-registration is mandatory for all travellers, including holders of diplomatic, service or official passports, and including visa-exempt visitors. The only people exempt are Cabo Verdean nationals and foreign residents of Cabo Verde.

Pre-registration means submitting, before you fly: your passport data, expected entry date, flight number, departure date and place of lodging. This lets the authorities carry out a prior safety check. Do it well ahead of departure — at the latest 5 days before travel. Once completed, a pre-registration is valid for one year — if your trip shifts within that year, you simply present the same proof on arrival.

At the same time you pay the Airport Security Tax (TSA):

• International flights: 3,400 CVE (≈ €31)
• Domestic inter-island flights: 150 CVE (≈ €1.36), paid when the ticket is issued.

TSA exemptions: Cabo Verdean passport holders; Cabo Verdeans and their spouses/descendants (on proof); children under two; passengers on official state missions; passengers on forced or technical returns; and passengers in transit.

Step 5 — Practical tips

• Carry a passport valid for your whole stay, plus proof of onward/return travel and accommodation.
• No vaccine is required to enter Cabo Verde.
• Every traveller — including babies — needs their own passport.
• Keep the emailed pre-registration/visa confirmation; you present it at the border.
• If you did not pre-register or pay the TSA, you register and pay on arrival at PARES — but expect delays, and a surcharge may apply in future for arriving without pre-registration.

Questions about a registration can be sent to [email protected].

Rules change — always confirm on the official portals before you travel.