VisaA new Imigrants
Guide has been produced by the Camara Municipal on Sal Island which
provides a lot of useful information. Please see page 10 of the guide
which is about visas. Click on the link below. Imigration Guide to Sal Island - Cape Verde
Further down this page there is information on Extending and Renewing your visa and Applying for Residence. Please read on.... Visitors' Visa TRAVEL VISA If you have not pre-arranged your tourist visa: You should recieve a form on the plane to fill in. Fill it in before you get off the plane, then when your bus drops you at the doors of Passport control, go inside the doors and to the left you will see someone behind the desk in a small office. Give him your forms with your passports and the payment, it will cost you 25euros per person, they don't accept sterling. Then once he has given you your reciepts and passports go out the other side and straight out into the luggage area, and thats it (unless one of the Passport officials stop you to check your visa has been paid). Pre-arranged tourist visa: after departing the plane and entering the airport, you may be told to go straight to the queue at Passport Control. There may be delays going through Passport control. If you have pre-arranged your visa with your flight operator you will still need to fill in the form and stand in the queue. You may also find that when you get to the passport control counter, they can't find a record of your pre-paid visa on their system so they may refer you to the Visa Office where you will be required to pay pay 25euros per person for a visa, make sure you get a receipt so that if you had pre-arranged a visa with your tour operator you can make a claim for the payment on your return home. They won't accept euro change at the Visa Office, only euro notes (not sterling or American dollars). If you don't have euros you will have to obtain some through the Bank or the Cash Point. Please note the Bank could be closed when you arrive but Customs will let you through to get the cash from the Bank or ATM to make the payment. If you have to pay for your visa you can only pay with euros or escudos (CVE) on Sal (CV). Most tourists will be ariving in Cape Verde for the first time and therefor will not have any Cape Verde escudos, so they should pay in euros. You will also need euros or escudos to pay for taxis and to buy things in shops. NOTE: They only change sterling or American dollars at the banks. Some smaller Cape Verde islands do not accept euros (other than at the bank). The cash point may take Visa but I haven’t personally used it to see if you can withdraw cash in euros. In the meantime, check out the following website which also provides information on other types of visas : www.capeverdebureau.com It would appear that the only correct way to obtain a non-tourist visa (for longer stays) prior to arrival is through the Consul in Rotterdam. Cape Verde Bureau in Liverpool can obtain this visa on behalf of travellers but they have admin charge for checking applications, courier service to Rotterdam and returning the documents by recorded express delivery service to travellers home addresses. If you are expecting to return to CV a number of times, then make enquiries about the Multi- Entry Visa with the Consul. 'Collectve Group' visa's are issued by some travel agents in UK who book your air tickets and or accomodation, but these are strictly for travellers staying in the same hotel, not for individuals/couples travelling flight only and making their own hotel/apartment arrangements. It is understood that immigration at Sal will be looking for tour operators abusing this type of pre issue of visas, it could cause people travelling without correct visa lengthy delays. The other method of obtaining a visa is as you know pot luck, take a chance and get a visa on arrival and hope for the best. PLEASE NOTE: Some visitors arriving on Sal from other countries other than UK without a visa have been refused entry and have had to return to their place of origin on the next available flight. Persons from other countries should make their own enquiries with their nearest Cape Verde Consul. Cape Verde Tips does not provide a service for issueing Visa's. Please refer to the ImigrationGuide above. Please look at the RELATED ARTICLE links below. Health Care and Vaccinations Renewing your Visa Extending your Visa Applying for Residency |
