No visa needed

Do citizens of Cape Verde need a visa for South Africa?

Citizens of Cape Verde don’t need a visa for South Africa and can stay up to 30 days. You need a valid passport; border officers may ask for a return ticket and accommodation. For a longer stay you need a visa or an extension.

For citizens of Cape Verde: the passport opens 39 countries visa-free; Praia — Pretoria: ≈ 7,190 km, about 9.5 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

At a glance

No visa needed

Stay: 30 days

Can I travel to South Africa without a visa on a Cape Verde passport?

Yes, citizens of Cape Verde don’t need a visa for South Africa for up to 30 days. A valid passport is enough.

South Africa visa rules at a glance

With a Cape Verde passport you can visit 39 countries visa-free, 24 with a visa on arrival and 43 with an e-visa; 92 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the Cape Verde passport ranks 125th of 199.
Cape Verde passport: visa-free access to 39 countries; South Africa passport: 60.
Citizens of Cape Verde and South Africa can travel together visa-free to 24 countries, for example: Gambia, Ghana, Benin, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, Angola, Haiti, Bahamas, Rwanda, Palestine, Ecuador, Zambia, and Russia.
Citizens of South Africa, in turn, get a visa on arrival in Cape Verde. Cape Verde visa for citizens of South Africa

Travelling to South Africa: good to know

Praia — Pretoria: about 7,190 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 9.5 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: +3 hours.
Local time: Praia 12:00 — Pretoria 15:00.
Local currency: South African Rand.
Languages: Afrikaans, English, South Ndebele, and Northern Sotho.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ ZAR 16.
South Africa is the 132nd closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of Cape Verde.