EU visa policy: Commission proposes to amend the agreement on simplified visa rules with Cabo Verde

Yesterday, the Commission adopted proposals for Council decisions to sign and conclude an amended agreement on simplified visa rules with Cabo Verde. The new rules will reduce the visa fee, simplify the possibility to obtain a multiple-entry visa with an increasingly long period of validity, and simplify the list of supporting documents to be submitted along with the visa application for citizens of Cabo Verde. The amending agreement will further facilitate the issuance of short-stay visas to Cabo Verdeans (up to 90 days in any 180-day period). In 2014, Cabo Verde became the first African country to conclude a visa facilitation agreement, in parallel with a readmission agreement, with the European Union. In October 2019, the Council authorised the opening of these negotiations with Cabo Verde, which were then finalised in July 2020. The conclusion of this agreement is part of a wider Mobility Partnership between the EU and Cabo Verde in place since 2008, and reflects the parties’ commitment in fostering people-to-people contacts and mutual mobility in a secure environment.