Clearing In by Yacht in Cape Verde (the Cape Verde Islands)

Clearing in by yacht in Cape Verde (the Cape Verde Islands). A brief point-by-point guide Clearing in by yacht in Cape Verde (also known as the Cape Verde Islands) was almost boringly simple :). The officials speak English, do not expect baksheesh, and there is no need to ride a reindeer from one authority to the next—it is completely “all-inclusive.” Ports of entry — Mindelo (São Vicente), Palmeira (Sal), and Praia (Santiago). Formalities We cleared in at Mindelo. The authorities to visit are Immigration and the Border Police. Both are located in the port building. You need to visit both offices on a working day; to be on the safe side, it is best to go before noon. The captain went to clear in alone. He took the boat documents, crew list (a list of all crew members ), and every crew member’s passport. Immigration. We duly paid €5 (a one-off fee for the yacht) and received a three-month visa. Border Police. The official checked the crew list and passports. She said, “Go in peace,” and kept the boat documents so that we would not leave the country without saying goodbye. Island-specific clearance procedures Cape Verde is divided into two groups of islands. The Windward group (Barlavento) comprises Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Santa Luzia, Sal, and Boa Vista. Within this group, Sal and Boa Vista are treated separately. The Leeward group (Sotavento) comprises Santiago, Brava, Fogo, and Maio. When moving between different island groups, you must go to the Border Police and collect the boat documents that have been held there since your arrival in the country; upon arriving near another port of entry, you must leave the documents once again with the local Border Police. The clearance process took the captain 10 minutes at each of the two authorities. We stayed in the country for three months. Clearing out took another 20 minutes in total. When departing the Cape Verde Islands, you must state your next port of entry on the crew list and have it stamped by both the Border Police and Immigration. That’s it. To add some action and adventure to this dry guide to clearing in by yacht in Cape Verde :), we’ll tell you about our attempt to sink the dinghy: How We Capsized the Dinghy. Cape Verde Mindelo Harbour. Cape Verde Islands. São Vicente If you found this article useful and would like to thank the authors but do not know how, click the button below 🙂