Immigration law in Cabo Verde

The Direção de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (DEF) and the Polícia Nacional handle central immigration functions, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cabo Verdean consulates process consular matters. The Portal Consular and EASE support visa intake and pre-registration; the Agência para Assuntos Internacionais (AAI) deals with immigration policy, reception and integration but does not decide individual residence permits. Nationality matters are handled through the Conservatória dos Registos Centrais, the civil registry and, where applicable, a consulate. A foreign national must normally present a valid passport or travel document. The Portal Único requires at least six months of passport validity, while the regulatory baseline is at least three months beyond the planned stay. EASE pre-registration can apply to all foreign nationals, including travellers who may also need a Travel Authorization System (TSA) process. Visa requirements and exemptions depend on nationality and agreements. A Cabo Verde-born person with foreign nationality, as well as certain spouses and descendants, may benefit from an exemption. CEDEAO free movement generally supports circulation but does not by itself grant a right to settle or work. CPLP mobility provides a separate residence pathway subject to reciprocity and checks concerning public order, national security and public health, but it does not itself create an automatic right of residence. The stay period depends on the visa. Transit visas allow four days; official, diplomatic and courtesy visas allow 30 days. Tourism visas allow a stay of up to 90 days and can be extended for up to another 90 days. Temporary ordinary visas allow stays of up to 180 days. Multiple-entry visas permit repeated entry with a total stay of 90 days within one year. A residence visa is valid for six months and can be extended until the final residence decision. A person who intends to work or conduct business generally needs the corresponding visa and supporting evidence. Residence pathways include subordinate employment, self-employment, highly qualified work, investment or economically relevant activity, higher education lasting more than one year, family reunification and CPLP mobility. Applicants usually need proof of lawful entry, sufficient means, accommodation, a health certificate or vaccination evidence, travel documents and proof of the stated purpose. A criminal record may also be required. Employment applications commonly require an employment contract, promise of employment or service contract, together with tax and social-security registration where applicable. A residence application is filed with the DEF or a designated National Police unit before the visa or authorised stay expires. Typical documents include photographs, the travel document, financial evidence, accommodation evidence, health documents and purpose-specific records. The statutory decision target is 90 days, and a renewal target is 45 days. If the authority misses the statutory period for a reason not attributable to the applicant, the law provides for deemed approval. A pending grant or renewal caused by an authority-related delay does not bar work, and a renewal receipt has effects for 60 days. Late renewal fees and other procedural consequences can still apply. Higher-education applicants need recognised admission, enrolment and tuition evidence, sufficient means and health insurance. A student residence permit normally lasts one year and can be renewed yearly. After study, a person may switch to employment, self-employment or highly qualified work if the relevant conditions are met. Family reunification generally covers a valid resident's spouse, minor or dependent children and minor adoptees. Other legally admitted relatives who live with or depend on the sponsor may also qualify. The applicant needs suitable housing and sufficient means. A family permit normally follows the sponsor's period of residence; a permanent resident's family permit generally lasts two years and can be renewed. A marriage or adoption of convenience can lead to cancellation. Cabo Verde has constitutional asylum protection and legislation on asylum and refugee status, but available research reports no functioning state registration or refugee-status determination procedure and no clearly operating responsible government body. Referrals may be made to UNHCR in Dakar, and temporary or material assistance may be possible. Protection does not automatically produce Cabo Verdean residence or refugee status. The DEF may issue a single travel document to a refugee or stateless person, but evidence for protection and fee exemptions remains limited. Special residence protection can apply to victims of trafficking, migrant smuggling or assistance to illegal immigration, including cases involving illegal entry or failure to meet ordinary conditions. Such a permit generally lasts one year and can be renewed, with subsistence and urgent medical access available to people without resources. Exceptional permits may also cover Cabo Verde-born children of residents, people born or raised in Cabo Verde, prolonged illness, an expired residence permit where the person did not leave, a parent of a resident or Cabo Verdean minor, and exploited workers who report the conduct and cooperate. Humanitarian, public-interest, scientific, cultural, sporting, economic or social reasons, and Cabo Verdean origin, can also support exceptional residence where the legal conditions are met. Permanent residence normally requires at least five years with a temporary permit. A foreigner born in Cabo Verde may qualify after three years, and a retirement pathway can apply without the ordinary period in some cases. Applicants need means, accommodation, knowledge of a national and an official language, and no sentence exceeding one year. Public-health, security and public-order concerns can prevent approval. A permanent permit has no expiry date, but its TRE document must be renewed every five years. Absence can put status at risk: the usual limits are six consecutive months during temporary residence and 24 months within four years for permanent residence, unless the absence is justified. Cabo Verdean nationality may arise by origin or option through a Cabo Verdean parent or grandparent, by birth in Cabo Verde where the parents have habitually resided there for at least five years and are not serving a foreign state, by marriage after at least four years, by a legally recognised união de facto after at least four years, by adoption or for a minor child of a person acquiring nationality. Naturalisation generally requires at least five years of legal residence, adulthood or emancipation, moral and civil suitability, and the capacity to support oneself. Former nationals, Cabo Verdean descendants and people who provided relevant service to the state may have access to naturalisation without the ordinary residence period. Applications are filed with the civil registry, Conservatória dos Registos Centrais or a consulate. A foreign resident can appeal a nationality decision to the Tribunal da Relação de Sotavento or Tribunal da Relação de Barlavento, depending on the applicable jurisdiction. Entry refusal is decided by the DEF Director or a delegate after a hearing. The authority must give written reasons, and judicial review is available within the applicable deadline. If a refused traveller cannot be re-embarked within 48 hours, temporary installation may follow. Administrative expulsion can result from illegal entry or stay, overstaying or refusal to renew residence. A resident who receives an expulsion decision normally receives 10 to 20 days for voluntary departure. A court challenge to administrative expulsion does not automatically suspend enforcement. An entry ban generally lasts at least five years, or two years after voluntary departure, subject to the applicable decision. Authorities must consider vulnerable persons, and protections may apply to locally born legal residents and parents of minor children unless national security or public-order exceptions apply. From 1 February 2026, listed fees include CVE 2,500 for an online tourism visa, CVE 5,000 for a transit or tourism visa on arrival, CVE 4,000 for an ordinary temporary visa, CVE 10,000 for a multiple-entry temporary visa and CVE 5,000 for a residence visa. Visa intake and extensions generally cost CVE 1,500. An ordinary residence application costs CVE 1,500 plus CVE 500 for each jointly filed household member; urgent processing costs CVE 3,000 plus CVE 1,000, and late renewal costs CVE 3,500 plus CVE 1,000. CPLP residence authorisation issuance and renewal may be exempt from administrative fees apart from document costs. Refugees and stateless persons, trafficking victims and victims of gender-based violence may qualify for exemptions. The tariff should be checked when filing because fees and procedures can change.