Before traveling to Cape Verde Islands: Vaccine, visa, passport & currency

Vaccination

It’s recommended to take a vaccine against hepatitis A when traveling to Cape Verde islands. Some people take vaccines against both hepatitis A+B to be on the safe side. You need to take hepatitis A vaccine at least 2 weeks before you travel to Cape Verde islands, or hepatitis A+B vaccine at least 1 month before you travel (twinrix). There are no mosquitoes in Cape Verde or Sal, so you don’t need to take any Malaria medicine / vaccine as in other African countries. Also bring some medicine to prevent stomach problems just in case. Be aware of what you eat and wash your hands frequently, and there should be no problems at all. Skip the vaccines against “tourist stomach” unless you have special needs.

Visa

All foreign nationals except citizens of ECOWAS countries, Angola, and South Africa must obtain a visa to enter Cape Verde Islands. Some traveling agencies takes care of the visa automatically when booking. But if not, you need get your visa in order before you travel, this can take about 1-2 weeks. It is also possible to file for visa when you arrive at Cape Verde airport at a cost of about 50 euro.

Passport

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after you return. If your passport is valid for say 4 months after return for example, you can still get your visa at your country’s consulate before you travel. Contact the consulate for more information. To be on the safe side, make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months after return when travling to Cape Verde islands.

Money

The currency is called Cape Verdean escudo, but it’s also possible to pay with euros. Note that it is illegal to bring Cape Verdean escudos in or out of Cape Verde islands. This means you need to exchange money once you arrive to Cape Verde. Nobody takes credit card, only cash, and there can be problems using a Visa/Mastercard at the ATMs. (there are some ATMs in Santa Maria town). Help from the bank can take days if unlucky. The safest thing to do is to bring a lot of euros and exchange for escudos at location in Cape Verde Islands, or simply pay with euros at slightly higher rate.