Local Laws

CRIMINAL PENALTIES: Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different from our own. In some places, you may be taken in for questioning if you do not have your passport with you. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs could land you immediately in jail. These criminal penalties will vary from country to country. There are also some things that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States, and you can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you engage in these activities. Buying pirated goods, engaging in sexual conduct with children and using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country are crimes prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Cabo Verde, your U.S. passport will not help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It is very important to know what is legal and what is not wherever you go.

While you are traveling in Cabo Verde, you are subject to its laws. People that violate Cabo Verdean laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Cabo Verde are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.

Arrest notifications in host country: While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in that country, others may not. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: Inter-island travel is generally via ferry or 45-seat propeller planes. The islands of Brava and Santo Antão, however, are only accessible by boat. Not all flights between islands are direct, even if originally scheduled as such, and airline services may be delayed, re-routed, or cancelled due to poor visibility from dust or rain and related safety concerns. During peak travel seasons (summer and winter holidays), air travelers arriving from abroad into Praia and other major airports for connecting flights to other islands may experience luggage delays at their final destination because of the limited carrying capacity of aircraft. You should carry a change of clothing and all vital materials (including medications) in your carry-on luggage to tide you over for the first 24-48 hours in country. There is regular daily inter-island ferry service between Santo Antão and São Vicente. Ferry services are also available between Santiago, Brava, and Fogo but do not operate daily and the service schedules frequently change. Those planning to travel by ferry should plan well in advance and confirm a couple of days before departure that the ferry service is still operating. Regardless of whether your inter-island travel is by air or sea, be aware that poor weather and sea conditions often cause last-minute delays or cancellations.

Only major cities and towns have Internet cafes, and international telecommunications services in Cabo Verde are dependent on trans-atlantic fiber-optic cables. Visitors who need reliable communication to other countries should consider carrying satellite-based voice and/or data equipment.

The international country code for Cabo Verde is 238. Fixed and mobile line numbers all have seven digits. Land lines all begin with the number “2,” and mobile numbers, which all began with the number “9” until the end of 2009, may now begin with either “5” or “9.” Telephone connections are good, but calls made to numbers outside the archipelago are very expensive.

WOMEN TRAVELER INFORMATION: If you are a woman traveling abroad, please review our travel tips for Women Travelers.

LGBT RIGHTS: There are no antidiscrimination laws that protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Cabo Verde and travelers may encounter prejudice while in-country. However, there were no reported cases of official or private discrimination against LGBT individuals in employment, occupation, housing, statelessness, or access to education or health care, and there were no reported incidents of violence against LGBT persons in 2014-2015. There are no legal or governmental impediments to the organization of LGBT events. Arco-Iris Cabo Verde organized and celebrated the third annual week for the equality of LGBT people called “Mindelo Pride” in the city of Mindelo, Sao Vicente, in June 2015.

For more detailed information about LGBT rights in Cabo Verde you may review the State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. For further information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) travel, please read our LGBT Travel Information page.

ACCESSIBILITY: While in Cabo Verde, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from in the United States. The country’s rugged terrain, the widespread use of cobblestone streets and pathways, the very limited number of elevators in buildings, and the frequency of power outages all constitute significant hardships for persons with limited mobility. Although the Cabo Verdean constitution guarantees that persons with disabilities will receive priority in the provision of government services and stipulates that public buildings must be accessible to the disabled, in reality few such accommodations have been made.