Cabo Verde again lets prior-visa nationalities apply through a digital channel (DL 49/2026): what sellers should tell travellers

Cabo Verde has changed how nationals on its prior-visa list can apply. Decreto-Lei n.º 49/2026, published in Boletim Oficial n.º 116 on 3 November 2026 and in force since 4 November, is the third amendment to Decreto-Lei n.º 2/2015. It lets those nationalities request a visa through a digital platform made available for that purpose. The decision still depends on a prior security and migration-risk assessment. Visa on arrival is still not allowed.

The decree does not remove the prior-visa obligation. The recital says Cabo Verde is replacing a restriction based on the channel used to apply with a risk-based control model. The Interior Despacho behind the prior-visa list will set procedures, scrutiny levels, extra documents, interviews, or a prior opinion from the Direção de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (DEF) when needed.

One caveat matters for bookings right now. The official EASE portal at ease.gov.cv still shows its January 2026 notice telling listed nationalities to contact the nearest Cabo Verde embassy. The law authorises a digital platform. It does not mean the portal copy or the booking UX already match that law. Travellers and sellers should check EASE and embassy channels until the Interior Despacho and the portal wording catch up.

The key facts

Point Detail

Legal basis Decreto-Lei n.º 49/2026, Boletim Oficial n.º 116, I Série, 3 November 2026. Third amendment to DL 2/2015

Entry into force Day after publication: 4 November 2026

Who Nationals of the 91 countries on Cabo Verde's prior-visa list (EASE list PDF, Afghanistan through Zimbabwe)

What changed Those nationals may request the visa through the digital platform made available for that purpose (Art. 14 n.º 3)

Decision Subject to prior security and migration-risk assessment under the Interior Despacho

Visa on arrival Still not permitted for this list

Procedures Interior Despacho sets scrutiny levels, extra docs, interview, or prior DEF opinion when needed (Art. 14 n.º 4)

What did not change The prior-visa obligation itself remains

Portal caveat EASE still tells listed nationalities to contact an embassy. Do not treat that notice as outdated until the site is updated

Also in this decree (side note)

The same diploma updates the airport security tax (TSA). International TSA is set at 4,400 CVE. Twenty percent of TSA is earmarked for civil protection. The TSA exemption for children of Cape Verdean nationals no longer carries an age limit. Those tax points are secondary for travel sellers, but they are in the same act.

What travel sellers should do

OTAs and tour operators

For travellers from the 91 prior-visa nationalities, keep the "visa before arrival" rule. Do not sell Cabo Verde as visa on arrival for that list.

Tell travellers that the law now allows a digital application channel, and that they should check both ease.gov.cv and the nearest Cabo Verde embassy or consulate until the portal wording matches the decree.

Do not promise that a traveller can finish the visa on EASE today. Point them to the official list PDF on EASE if they need to confirm whether their nationality is covered: https://ease.gov.cv/assets/lista_de_paises.pdf

Build extra time into itineraries. The decree allows extra scrutiny, documents, an interview, or a DEF opinion. Last-minute bookings for listed nationalities remain risky.

Airlines and ground handlers

At check-in for Cabo Verde, listed nationalities still need a visa issued before arrival. Visa on arrival remains banned for that group.

Brief contact centres that the legal channel has changed, but that EASE may still display the embassy notice. Direct passengers to official Cabo Verde sources rather than inventing a step-by-step online flow.

Confirm Timatic and your own country-rules feeds once Interior publishes the Despacho procedures.

TMCs

For corporate travellers from listed nationalities, treat Cabo Verde as a prior-visa destination with a digital filing option under risk review, not as a walk-up visa destination.

Flag that an interview or extra documents may still be required before a decision.

How SimpleVisa handles it

Tell travellers from the prior-visa list that Cabo Verde still requires a visa before arrival, that a digital platform is now authorised in law, and that they should follow EASE and embassy instructions until the portal and the Interior Despacho are aligned. Keep visa on arrival out of the booking copy for those nationalities. Check the official list and the EASE notice again before peak departures; Cabo Verde can update the portal and the Despacho without a new decree.

FAQ

Can prior-visa nationalities get a Cabo Verde visa on arrival again? No. Art. 14 n.º 3 of DL 49/2026 says visa on arrival is not permitted for nationals on the prior-visa list.

Can they apply online now? The decree says they may request the visa through the digital platform made available for that purpose. As of 9 November 2026, the EASE homepage still tells those nationalities to contact the nearest embassy. Check EASE and embassy channels before you tell a traveller the online path is live end to end.

How many nationalities are on the prior-visa list? The official EASE list PDF names 91 countries, from Afghanistan (1) to Zimbabwe (91): https://ease.gov.cv/assets/lista_de_paises.pdf

Does DL 49/2026 remove the prior-visa obligation? No. The recital says the change replaces a channel-based restriction with a risk-based control model. The obligation to hold a visa before arrival stays.

When did the decree take effect? On 4 November 2026, the day after publication in Boletim Oficial n.º 116 of 3 November 2026.

Operational guidance for travel sellers, not legal advice. Cabo Verde border and consular authorities decide entry and visa grants. Updated 9 November 2026.

Sources

República de Cabo Verde, Decreto-Lei n.º 49/2026 de 3 de novembro, Boletim Oficial n.º 116, I Série verified 6 November 2026 · EASE portal (Efficient Automatic and Safe Entry of Travellers), January 2026 prior-visa notice still displayed verified 9 November 2026 · EASE, Lista de países (prior-visa list PDF), 91 countries verified 6 November 2026

Secondary context only (not relied on for legal wording): Expresso das Ilhas / Lusa-style coverage around 4 November 2026.

Loris Mazloum

Founder, SimpleVisa

Loris Mazloum founded SimpleVisa and writes the coverage notes on this blog for airlines, OTAs, and other travel companies. Each note is checked against the government source named at the bottom before it publishes. SimpleVisa keeps requirement data for 190+ destinations and files applications where a government channel exists.