• Cape Verde has suspended its visa-on-arrival scheme for citizens of 96 countries, requiring affected travellers to obtain visas before departure as part of tighter border security measures.

• Ghanaian travellers remain unaffected, continuing to enjoy visa-free entry to Cape Verde under the ECOWAS Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons.

• The new policy affects 28 African countries, 31 countries in Asia and the Middle East, 22 nations in the Americas and the Caribbean, and 10 countries in Europe and Oceania, including Egypt, India, Algeria, Rwanda and Mexico.

Ghanaian travellers heading to Cape Verde will continue to enjoy visa-free entry, despite the island nation’s decision to abolish its visa-on-arrival scheme for citizens of 96 countries as part of stricter border control measures.

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The Cape Verdean government has withdrawn the visa-on-arrival facility for nationals of 96 countries, including Egypt, India, Algeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia, Mexico and Paraguay, requiring affected travellers to obtain a visa from a Cape Verde embassy or consulate before departure.

The new policy forms part of a broader immigration reform aimed at strengthening border security, tightening traveller screening and improving migration management.

The revised rules were introduced under Decree-Law No. 13/2025 and Decree No. 244/GMAI/2025, which also replaces the country’s Electronic Airport Security Tax (EASE) visa-on-arrival process for affected nationalities with a compulsory pre-travel consular visa application. 

Authorities say the changes are intended to enhance security checks and curb irregular migration while improving oversight of tourism and business travel.

However, the policy change does not have effect Ghana. As a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ghana continues to benefit from the bloc’s protocol on the free movement of persons, allowing Ghanaian passport holders to enter Cape Verde without a visa for short stays. 

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The exemption also applies to other ECOWAS member states under longstanding regional agreements.

The development means Ghanaian tourists, business travellers and officials travelling to Cape Verde will not be required to apply for visas in advance, unlike citizens of the newly affected countries.

According to the government, the affected list comprises 28 African countries, 31 countries in Asia and the Middle East, 22 countries across the Americas and the Caribbean, and 10 countries from Europe and Oceania.

Eventhough the latest policy imposes stricter requirements on travellers from dozens of countries, it preserves visa-free access for ECOWAS nationals, reflecting the country’s continued commitment to regional integration and the free movement of people within West Africa.

Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Tunisia.

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.

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Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

Belarus, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Tuvalu.