PassportSouth Africa

Cape Verde: do South Africans need a visa?

South Africans can get a visa on arrival in Cape Verde. You can stay up to 30 days per visit, and you can apply to extend.

Visa on arrival with compulsory online pre-registration (EASE). South Africa is NOT on the official list of countries that must get a visa from an embassy from 1 January 2026, so the visa-on-arrival route via EASE still applies. South Africa is not on the visa-exempt lists either.1247

Cape Verde: some SADC travel companions now need an embassy visaSouth Africans still get a visa on arrival after pre-registering on ease.gov.cv. But people travelling with you on Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi or Tanzania passports now need a visa from an embassy before travel. Source: ease.gov.cv, ease.gov.cv, travel-buddy.ai

Before you travel

Purpose of visit

Tourism and short visits.57

Confirmed by other governments' official advice

Passport validity

At least 6 months after arrival (FCDO); The GSA says 6 months after departure, with blank pages.35

Confirmed by other governments' official advice

How to apply

Pre-register on the official EASE platform https://www.ease.gov.cv at least 5 days before arrival, and pay the airport security fee (TSA) there: CVE 3,400 (about EUR 31). Nationalities that need a visa pay a visa fee as well, reported at about EUR 22.67–30 (total about EUR 53.50). From 1 July 2026, travellers who haven't pre-registered pay DOUBLE the TSA at the border. Visa on arrival is issued at Sal, Boa Vista, São Vicente and Santiago international airports.13489

Confirmed by other governments' official advice

Where South Africans apply

Online at ease.gov.cv. No Cabo Verde mission in South Africa; the GSA says the nearest accredited representation is in Dakar, Senegal.15

Confirmed by other governments' official advice

Travel insurance

Not mandatory; comprehensive cover with evacuation recommended because medical facilities are limited.5

Not yet confirmed by an official source

Return or onward ticket

Arrival flight details are needed for the EASE registration.6

Not yet confirmed by an official source

Proof of funds

The GSA quotes CVE 20,000 per person plus CVE 10,000 per day of stay.5

Not yet confirmed by an official source

Accommodation or invitation

Accommodation address is needed for the EASE registration.6

Not yet confirmed by an official source

Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

CABO VERDE: yellow fever certificate if arriving from a risk country. RETURN TO SOUTH AFRICA: Cabo Verde is not on South Africa's yellow fever risk-country list, so no certificate is needed on return unless you transited a risk country (or a risk-country airport for more than 12 hours) on the way. Many SA routings connect via Addis Ababa, Dakar or Lisbon; a long layover in Addis or Dakar (risk countries) triggers SA's certificate rule on return.310115

Confirmed by other governments' official advice

Arrival forms

EASE pre-registration is the arrival form; it is compulsory.13

Confirmed on an official government source

Extending your stay and overstaying

Extensions are possible locally (Direção de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras); procedure not published online.7

Not yet confirmed by an official source

Transit

Nationals on the 2026 list need a visa even for transit or airport stopovers; South Africa is not on that list.12

Confirmed on an official government source

Travelling with children

Under-18s travelling alone or with someone other than a parent or guardian need a notarised or solicitor-certified authorisation letter in Portuguese.3

Confirmed by other governments' official advice

What changed

1 July 2026Travellers without proof of EASE pre-registration pay double the airport security fee (TSA) at the border.
1 January 2026About 91–96 nationalities lost visa on arrival and must now get a visa from an embassy (including Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Eswatini, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania). South Africa is NOT on the official list.

Sources

Official

The destination's own government

  1. 1Government of Cabo Verde – EASE platform ease.gov.cv
  2. 2Government of Cabo Verde – EASE (2026 advance-visa country list) ease.gov.cv

Other government

Official advice from other governments

  1. 3UK FCDO gov.uk
  2. 10National Department of Health, South Africa health.gov.za
  3. 11DIRCO (South African High Commission, Canberra) dirco.gov.za

Reference

Used to find official sources, never the final word

  1. 4Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org

Commercial

Visa agencies, law firms and travel companies

  1. 5The GSA (South African visa agency) thegsa.co.za
  2. 6Sherpa apply.joinsherpa.com

News and guides

Leads we check, never the answer

  1. 7CapeVerdeIslands.org capeverdeislands.org
  2. 8Travel Buddy travel-buddy.ai
  3. 9Discover Cape Verde discover-cape-verde.com

Last researched 5 October 2026. Rules change; confirm with the embassy before you book. Spotted something out of date? Report a change.