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France Visa Requirements for Cape Verde Citizens

Visa required

Cape Verde passport holders need a visa for France, issued by an embassy or consulate before travel.

Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 listing visa-required and visa-exempt nationalities, consolidated text — EUR-Lex · checked 13 Oct 2026

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Flag of FranceFrance visa options for Cape Verde citizens

Schengen short-stay visa — European Union and Cabo Verde short-stay visa agreement

Embassy
Fee
67.50 EUR
Max stay
90 days
Extension
Possible

The EU–Cabo Verde visa facilitation agreement as amended in 2021 (Article 5) sets the fee at 75% of the amount charged under the applicable domestic legislation; the European Commission lists €67.50 for applicants from Cabo Verde. Children at least 12 and below 18 years old are charged 50% of that fee, and no fee is collected from children under 12, among other listed categories.

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What the France visa rules mean for Cape Verde travellers

Cape Verde citizens need a visa issued in advance by an embassy or consulate of France. Start the application several weeks before departure: you will typically need a passport valid for six months with blank pages, a completed application form, passport photos, a travel itinerary, proof of accommodation and of sufficient funds, and sometimes an invitation letter or bank statements.

The main option is the Schengen short-stay visa — European Union and Cabo Verde short-stay visa agreement, which costs 67.50 EUR with a processing time of —.

Documents to prepare

Whatever your visa status, France applies the same entry conditions to every traveller:

  • Passport validity: Service-Public says a foreigner must have a passport issued less than 10 years ago and valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned date of departure.
  • Blank passport pages: Your passport needs at least 2 blank pages.
  • Travel insurance: Service-Public lists, among the conditions a foreigner must all meet when crossing the border, insurance covering medical and hospital costs for care you might receive in France, with minimum cover of €30,000. The EU Vi…
  • Return or onward ticket: No official source we could read makes a return or onward ticket a condition of entry in itself. Under the Schengen Borders Code (Annex I), the supporting documents for journeys for tourism or private reasons include, a…

France entry rules compared

France lets 93 passports in without a visa and requires an embassy visa from 105. Cape Verde citizens are treated the same way as Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana and Burkina Faso. Overall the Cape Verde passport ranks #129 in the world with 37 visa-free destinations.

More travel options

Planning a longer trip in Europe? With a Cape Verde passport you can also visit 1 country in the region without a visa, including Russia.

In the other direction, France citizens can visit Cape Verde visa-free for up to 30 days.

Flag of FranceEntry requirements for France

Travel insurance

EUR 30,000.

Service-Public lists, among the conditions a foreigner must all meet when crossing the border, insurance covering medical and hospital costs for care you might receive in France, with minimum cover of €30,000. The EU Visa Code requires Schengen visa applicants to hold travel medical insurance valid throughout the Member States for the entire intended stay, with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000.

Service-Public.fr (French government) — Un étranger a-t-il besoin d'un visa pour venir en France ? (border entry conditions)✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026

Return or onward ticket

No official requirement

No official source we could read makes a return or onward ticket a condition of entry in itself. Under the Schengen Borders Code (Annex I), the supporting documents for journeys for tourism or private reasons include, as regards return, a return or round-trip ticket. The UK government tells British travellers they may be asked at French border control to show a return or onward ticket.

Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399), consolidated text — EUR-Lex✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026

Proof of funds

Service-Public says a foreigner must have sufficient resources, and that the level required per day of stay in France depends on the proof of accommodation: €32.50 with an attestation d'accueil (host certificate), €65 with proof of a hotel reservation, and €120 without proof of a hotel reservation.

Service-Public.fr — Un étranger a-t-il besoin d'un visa pour venir en France ?✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026

Arrival cards and declarations: EES — Entry/Exit System (biometric registration)

The UK government says that when you travel into the Schengen area for short stays you may need to register biometric details such as fingerprints and a photo, that on your first visit you may be asked to register at a special booth before the immigration desk, and that there is no cost for EES registration. The EU's EES site says passport control officers will take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints.

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — France travel advice: entry requirements✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026

Arrival cards and declarations: ETIAS — European Travel Information and Authorization System

The EU says ETIAS is the new travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers to enter 30 European countries, that it is currently not in operation and no applications are collected at this point, and that it will announce the start date several months before launch. The official EU site is travel-europe.europa.eu.

ETIAS — Official EU website✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026

Overstay penalties

3 months

The French government's page on the obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) lists this case: a person entered France lawfully but stayed beyond the validity of their visa, or, if visa-exempt, more than 3 months after entry. A ban on return (IRTF) is imposed after an OQTF if the person stayed in France beyond the 30 days granted for voluntary departure. It lasts at most 5 years from the person's actual departure and bars return to France and to every Schengen country.

Service-Public.fr (DILA, Prime Minister) — Obligation to leave French territory (OQTF)✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026

Customs allowances

Your Europe (EU) says that if you plan to enter or leave the EU with €10,000 in cash (or its equivalent in other currencies), you must declare it to the customs authorities in the EU country you are entering or leaving.

Your Europe (EU) — travelling with cash✓ Checked 13 Oct 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do Cabo Verdean citizens need a visa for France?

Cape Verde passport holders need a visa for France, issued by an embassy or consulate before travel.

How much does a France visa cost for Cape Verde citizens?

Schengen short-stay visa — European Union and Cabo Verde short-stay visa agreement: 67.50 EUR, processing —.

How do Cape Verde citizens apply for a France visa?

Apply at an embassy or consulate of France before you travel. Prepare a valid passport, a completed application form, photos and any supporting documents the embassy asks for.

How long must my passport be valid to enter France?

Service-Public says a foreigner must have a passport issued less than 10 years ago and valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned date of departure.

Data: TravelRequirements.info — Entry Requirements Dataset, AXG Sp. z o.o. (CC BY 4.0). Entry rules can change — confirm with official sources before travel.

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See also: France requirements for other passports

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