Country driving guide · 2026
Everything UK and EU drivers need before crossing the border into Cape Verde: 7 legal requirements + 8 other things worth knowing.
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Tick before you go
7 legal must-haves. Print it, tick them off, throw it in the glovebox.
1949 IDP required alongside UK/EU licence
Carry a 1949-convention International Driving Permit with your photocard licence; UK Post Office issues it for GBP 5.50, and rental agencies routinely ask to see it.
Passport with 6 months validity
Entry needs a passport valid for at least 6 months; the previous visa requirement was scrapped in 2019 but you must pre-register and pay the EUR 10.34 TSA airport security tax online before arrival.
Local third-party insurance via rental
UK/EU green cards are not valid; mandatory third-party cover is bundled into the rental contract, and CDW/theft top-ups typically add EUR 10-20 per day.
Drive on the right
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left, the opposite of the UK; most rentals are left-hand-drive manuals.
Speed limits 60 / 80 km/h
Urban limit is 50-60 km/h, rural roads 80 km/h, and there are no motorways anywhere in the country; police speed checks are common on Santiago's EN1 between Praia and Tarrafal.
BAC limit 0.5 g/L
Blood-alcohol limit is 0.5 g/L (same as most of the EU); enforcement is sporadic but penalties include on-the-spot fines and licence confiscation.
Warning triangle and hi-vis vest
Cars must carry a reflective warning triangle and a hi-vis vest for use after a breakdown; rentals supply these but check before leaving the depot.
Cape Verde is a 10-island archipelago; there are no inter-island roads, so any 'road trip' means renting separately on Santiago, Sal, Boa Vista, Sao Vicente or Santo Antao after taking a ferry or domestic flight.
Roads on Santo Antao, Fogo and the interior of Santiago are steep cobbled (calcada) or unpaved tracks: hire a 4x4 or Suzuki Jimny rather than a saloon, and avoid driving them after dark.
August-October brings heavy rain that washes out unsealed mountain roads (especially Santo Antao's Corda-Ribeira Grande route), while January-March Saharan 'bruma seca' dust storms cut visibility sharply.
Carry a 1949-convention International Driving Permit with your photocard licence; UK Post Office issues it for GBP 5.50, and rental agencies routinely ask to see it.
Entry needs a passport valid for at least 6 months; the previous visa requirement was scrapped in 2019 but you must pre-register and pay the EUR 10.34 TSA airport security tax online before arrival.
UK/EU green cards are not valid; mandatory third-party cover is bundled into the rental contract, and CDW/theft top-ups typically add EUR 10-20 per day.
Dial 132 for police, 131 for fire and 130 for medical emergencies; response times outside Praia and Mindelo are slow, so rental breakdown hotlines are usually faster.
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left, the opposite of the UK; most rentals are left-hand-drive manuals.
Urban limit is 50-60 km/h, rural roads 80 km/h, and there are no motorways anywhere in the country; police speed checks are common on Santiago's EN1 between Praia and Tarrafal.
Blood-alcohol limit is 0.5 g/L (same as most of the EU); enforcement is sporadic but penalties include on-the-spot fines and licence confiscation.
There is no road-toll, e-vignette or low-emission-zone system anywhere in Cape Verde: all public roads are free to use.
Cars must carry a reflective warning triangle and a hi-vis vest for use after a breakdown; rentals supply these but check before leaving the depot.
The Cape Verdean escudo is fixed at 110.265 CVE = 1 EUR; euros are widely accepted at hotels and fuel stations, but pay smaller bills and tips in escudos.
Petrol and diesel sit near 140-160 CVE per litre (roughly EUR 1.30-1.45); stations are attended-service, and a small tip of 50-100 CVE is customary.
Visa/Mastercard work at larger hotels and Shell/Enacol stations on Sal and in Praia, but rural Santo Antao, Fogo and Brava are cash-only; ATM withdrawal limits are typically 20,000 CVE per transaction.
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Start planning →Places to add to your Cape Verde road trip.
Don't get caught out
Traffic drives on the right and overtakes on the left, the opposite of the UK; most rentals are left-hand-drive manuals.
Urban limit is 50-60 km/h, rural roads 80 km/h, and there are no motorways anywhere in the country; police speed checks are common on Santiago's EN1 between Praia and Tarrafal.
Blood-alcohol limit is 0.5 g/L (same as most of the EU); enforcement is sporadic but penalties include on-the-spot fines and licence confiscation.