🇨🇻 Travel Insurance for Cape Verde

Last updated: 26 August 2026

Quick Facts: Not EU, not Schengen — your GHIC or EHIC is worthless • Pre-register the airport tax 5 working days ahead • Hospitals want payment before treatment

It Feels European. It Is Not.

Cape Verde reads as a soft-landing destination: Portuguese-speaking, package flights from the UK and Portugal, resorts on Sal and Boa Vista, an escudo pegged to the euro. British and European visitors arrive assuming the healthcare arrangements that hold in the Algarve hold here too.

They do not. Cape Verde is an independent West African country, outside the EU, the EEA and the Schengen area. A GHIC or EHIC has no validity whatsoever, there is no reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK, and every visitor is 100% liable for their own medical bills. Portuguese colonial history and a Portuguese-speaking population confer no entitlement at all.

The Airport Tax You Must Pay Before You Fly

Most foreign air arrivals have to pre-register and pay the Airport Security Tax (TSA) through the government's EASE portal at ease.gov.cv, ideally at least five working days before departure. It runs around £31 per person and the portal works in English. Arrive without having done it and you join a manual queue that commonly runs 45 to 90 minutes after a night flight.

Separately, from 1 January 2026 nationals of certain countries must hold a visa obtained before arrival — for entry, for transit, and even for an airport stopover. Check your own nationality against the official position rather than an old blog post, because this changed recently.

Neither of these is insurable. A missed connection or a boarding refusal caused by paperwork you did not complete is your own cost.

Payment Up Front, and Not Much English

The US State Department states plainly that hospitals and doctors in Cape Verde usually require payment before service or admission, that public clinics lack basic resources and supplies, and that medical staff may speak little or no English. In public hospitals only minimal staff is available overnight in non-emergency wards.

The two largest hospitals are Hospital Universitário Agostinho Neto in Praia and Hospital Baptista de Sousa in Mindelo. Smaller health centres and private clinics exist across the islands and vary considerably in staffing and equipment. On the resort islands the nearest real hospital may be on a different island entirely.

So carry a working card and some cash, and pick an insurer whose assistance line can issue a payment guarantee rather than one that only reimburses. In a pay-first system, the speed of that call is worth more than the size of the limit.

Anything Serious Leaves the Country

For a significant injury or a cardiac event the realistic outcome is medical evacuation to Lisbon or Dakar. That is a long flight and an expensive one, and the US State Department specifically recommends supplemental cover for medical evacuation for Cape Verde. Treat the evacuation limit as the number that decides your policy, and confirm there is no exclusion for inter-island transfer, since getting from Boa Vista to Praia is itself a flight.

A Policy-Shopping Detail Worth Money

Most insurers classify Cape Verde under "worldwide excluding USA, Canada and the Caribbean" rather than as a Europe destination. That is the cheaper of the two worldwide bands, so make sure you are quoted on it and not on a full worldwide tariff — and check the wording actually names Cape Verde rather than leaving you to infer it.

Exclusions That Bite on These Islands

Kitesurfing and windsurfing. Sal and Boa Vista are world-class for both, which is exactly why so many visitors come — and both are commonly excluded as standard. Add the activity cover.
Quad biking, diving and whale-watching trips fall under adventure activities in most wordings.
Volcanic disruption. Fogo is an active volcano and eruptions have closed transport before. Check whether your policy covers volcanic disruption, which is a named exclusion in some.
Cruise calls. If Cape Verde is a cruise stop rather than a stay, cruise-specific cover is a separate product in most ranges.
Water. Do not drink the tap water anywhere, including for brushing teeth. Stomach illness is the most common medical claim here and needs outpatient cover, not just hospital cover.

What Cover to Look For

Medical evacuation as the headline figure, with inter-island transfer included. Medical cover from £1,000,000 if you are buying a UK policy, since that is the standard band and there is no state fallback at all. Payment guarantee capability rather than reimbursement only. Kitesurfing, windsurfing, diving and quad biking named individually. Volcanic disruption checked. Emergency numbers in Cape Verde are 130 for an ambulance, 132 for police and 131 for fire.

Recommended Providers for Cape Verde

EKTA

European travel insurance with global coverage. Medical, trip cancellation, and more.

Check EKTA →

Compensair

Claim up to €600 for delayed or cancelled flights. No win, no fee.

Check Compensair →

Klook

Book travel experiences with optional insurance coverage included.

Check Klook →

Because hospitals in Cape Verde commonly want payment before treatment, the payment model of your policy matters more than its headline limit. See SafetyWing vs Heymondo for reimbursement versus direct settlement.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Cape Verde is an independent West African country outside the EU, the EEA and the Schengen area, and there is no reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK. The card has no validity there and visitors are fully liable for their own medical bills.

It is not checked as an entry condition, but there is no state healthcare fallback for visitors of any nationality, and the US State Department specifically recommends supplemental cover for medical evacuation.

The Airport Security Tax, or TSA, is pre-registered and paid through the government EASE portal at ease.gov.cv, ideally at least five working days before you fly. It is around £31 per person. Without pre-registration expect a manual queue of 45 to 90 minutes on arrival.

It depends on nationality and it changed recently: from 1 January 2026 nationals of certain countries must obtain a visa before arrival, including for transit and airport stopovers. Check the official position for your own passport rather than an older guide.

Usually not. The US State Department states that hospitals and doctors there generally require payment up front before service or admission. Carry a working card and choose an insurer whose assistance line can issue a payment guarantee quickly.

Lisbon or Dakar for anything serious. Facilities on the islands are limited and the nearest real hospital may be on a different island from your resort, so check that inter-island transfer is included as well as international evacuation.

Usually not. Sal and Boa Vista are among the best kitesurfing and windsurfing destinations anywhere, which is why many people go, and both activities are commonly excluded as standard. They need to be named on the policy before you travel.