"Who are Belarusians anyway?" A family paid for a tour to Cape Verde but couldn't get visas at any European consulate

Cape Verde. Illustrative photo. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

This year, three generations of the family were traditionally going on vacation. Usually, Volha approaches trip planning meticulously: she carefully studies information, maps out detailed routes, and plans entertainment.

Initially, Kenya was chosen, but it soon became clear that organizing a vacation in that country would be difficult and quite expensive. Then the woman settled on Cape Verde.

"Everything just came together: it's inexpensive to fly there and back - less than 300 euros per person, the water temperature is 24 degrees, the air temperature there is 26-29, Belarusians could enter without a visa," Volha lists.

True, the last point was still relevant in 2025, when Volha was planning the vacation. At that time, Belarusian citizens could obtain entry permits to the country upon arrival at the airport after prior registration in the EASE system.

But from January 1, 2026, Cape Verde significantly complicated the procedure not only for Belarusians but also for citizens of 95 other countries. Now, a visa must be obtained in advance through Cape Verdean diplomatic missions.

At the end of December, the family bought plane tickets, and on January 1st, they paid for accommodation. A few days later, Volha learned about the visa regime. Its introduction was indeed barely announced in advance.

The new rules do not apply to Belarusians with residence permits in EU countries. Volha, her husband, and children should have no problems entering Cape Verde. But for her parents, the new rules became a problem.

"We'll make a visa in an hour"

The family immediately started looking for a way out of the situation. Belarusians sent emails to the Cape Verdean embassies in Brussels, Lisbon, Berlin, and Rome. But they only received a reply from Berlin.

"They said: 'Come, we'll make a visa in an hour.' No problem, they said. My parents happened to be with us then — we were celebrating New Year together. We bought tickets — and went to Berlin," says Volha.

After spending half a day in the German capital waiting for a visa, the Belarusians learned that the system had malfunctioned. They were offered to come the next day. However, they couldn't stay: the parents had to return to Belarus, as their vacation was coming to an end.

There is no Cape Verdean consulate in Belarus. The mission in Germany is the closest place where one can obtain a visa.

"Without a visa, no one will let you in"

Volha accidentally found out that her acquaintances had also chosen Cape Verde for a vacation with their parents and faced a similar problem. Uniting, they called the embassy in Berlin for several days, but were told that the system still hadn't been fixed. Eventually, the Belarusians switched to other institutions.

"In Brussels, they told us that a visa was needed, but they couldn't issue it because the system wasn't working," Volha recounts. "In Lisbon, they also said the system wasn't working: 'You fly, and they'll make a visa for you on the spot.'

Then Volha sent an inquiry to EASE technical support — the electronic pre-registration system for entering Cape Verde. Through it, travelers confirm their passport data, pay the mandatory airport fee, and check if they need a visa for entry. Belarusians used it until 2026.

"Last night they replied: 'A visa is required. Without a visa, no one will let you in,' the woman says. "I understand that, most likely, no one will even let us board the plane."

"Feeling like nothing was passed on to the embassies"

It's too late to cancel the tour.

"Tickets [were bought] on a low-cost carrier departing from Milan - no one will refund them," Volha says. "Acquaintances bought a tour through a travel agency. For an 'all-inclusive' package, they paid 3.5 thousand dollars. But they were refused a refund: they were told it was their problem that they couldn't get a visa."

The Belarusian woman notes that her acquaintances couldn't even get a written confirmation from the embassy about the refusal to issue a visa, because formally the institution does not refuse - it only refers to system malfunctions.

"Overall, it feels like [a decision was made], nothing was passed on to the embassies, and they don't know that Belarusians need visas - and who Belarusians even are," the woman complains.

Both families will try to make their flights in a few days, not losing hope. But Volha says that mentally, they are prepared for any outcome.

• 0
• 0
• 2
• 3
• 0
• 1
• 0
• 0