United Kingdom visa requirements for Cape Verdean citizens
Cape Verdean citizens need a visa for the United Kingdom and must apply for it before the trip at a consulate or embassy.
- Consular fee
- 135 GBP
- Minimum passport validity
- Whole stay
Last verified: 8 September 2026
How this visa is processed
There is no UK visa application centre in Cape Verde: biometrics must be given at a centre in another country
The United Kingdom is not in Schengen and has its own visa policy: a Cape Verdean being able to enter most of the Schengen area visa-free (Cape Verde has a visa-facilitation agreement with the EU) does not help for the UK, which requires a Standard Visitor visa. The application is made online at gov.uk and the fee is paid (£135 for up to 6 months). The corridor problem is biometrics: there is no UK visa application centre in Cape Verde: the official tool replies "choose a centre in a different country": so you must travel to a centre abroad (usually Dakar, in Senegal, or Lisbon) for fingerprints and a photo. A decision usually takes about three weeks from the appointment. Cape Verde also cannot use the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which is only for visa-free nationalities.
Official application site →Application details verified on 8 September 2026. Sources: gov.uk (Standard Visitor visa: £135 fee, online application, biometrics at a visa application centre, decision in about 3 weeks; "Find a visa application centre" tool: Cape Verde → "choose a centre in a different country"). EU-Cape Verde visa-facilitation agreement: EUR-Lex. Checked 8 September 2026.
Verified practical details
You'll need to apply for a visa at a consulate or embassy before travelling. Here are the practical details we've verified:
Fee
135 GBP
Fee for the Standard Visitor visa of up to six months. Long-term visas, with stays of up to six months per visit, cost GBP 506 (2 years), 903 (5 years) and 1,128 (10 years). The application centre's service charge is added to the fee.
Required documents
- A passport or travel document valid for the whole of your intended stay. Unlike other destinations, the UK does not require extra months of validity beyond the trip
- Evidence that you will leave the UK at the end of your visit
- Evidence that you can support yourself and any dependants for the duration of the trip without recourse to public funds
- Evidence that you can pay for your return or onward journey
- Where someone else is paying for the trip, documentation showing who is covering the costs
Health insurance
Not mandatory for this destination.
When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓Transit rules
The UK draws a line between two kinds of transit. If you are only changing planes and will not pass through border control, the relevant permission is the Direct Airside Transit visa (DATV), and you stay in the transit area without entering the country. If you do pass through border control but leave the UK within 48 hours, the relevant permission is the Visitor in Transit visa. Staying longer than 48 hours rules both of them out: you then need a Standard Visitor visa. Whether you need a transit visa at all depends on your nationality.
More United Kingdom rules
They don't depend on your passport, so they are on the United Kingdom page:
Official portal: https://www.gov.uk/eta. Destination data verified on 10 August 2026. Sources: gov.uk/eta (20 GBP fee, validity, multiple entries and decision time); gov.uk/government/news/uk-enforces-digital-permission-to-travel (ETA mandatory since 25 February 2026 and automated decisions within minutes); homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk (April 2026 factsheet); gov.uk/bringing-goods-into-uk-personal-use (alcohol and tobacco allowances); gov.uk/bringing-cash-into-uk (cash declaration) (checked 29 September 2026).
Travel insurance for the United Kingdom
It isn't listed as mandatory for this entry, but without insurance, medical care during the trip can get expensive.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
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Things to see and do in the United Kingdom
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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This pair in context
In the other direction, citizens of the United Kingdom can enter Cape Verde visa-free. See the United Kingdom → Cape Verde page.
All 16 passports from Western Africa that VisaRadar tracks need a visa to enter the United Kingdom. Same result as Cape Verde: Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
With a passport from Cape Verde, in the rest of Northern Europe you need a visa for Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.
A passport from Cape Verde ranks 133 of 199 in the VisaRadar passport ranking and reaches 62 of 198 destinations without applying for a visa in advance.
Counts from the same requirements matrix behind this page's verdict, using the UN M49 subregions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Cape Verdean citizens need a visa for the United Kingdom?
Yes. You must apply for the visa in advance at the relevant consulate or embassy.
What minimum passport validity is required?
A passport or travel document valid for the whole of your intended stay. Unlike other destinations, the UK does not require extra months of validity beyond the trip
What currency is used in the United Kingdom?
British Pound (GBP).
If I don't need a Schengen visa, can I travel to the UK?
No. The UK is not in Schengen and requires Cape Verdeans to hold a Standard Visitor visa, applied for separately at gov.uk.
Where do I give fingerprints if there's no centre in Cape Verde?
At a UK visa application centre in another country; the ones most used from Cape Verde are Dakar (Senegal) and Lisbon. You need to factor that trip into your planning.
What do Cape Verdean passport holders need for the countries near the United Kingdom?
With a passport from Cape Verde, in the rest of Northern Europe you need a visa for Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden.
Related pages
See United Kingdom requirements for other passports →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.