The Embassy of Portugal in Cabo Verde has said that from now on, appointment slots will be made available every two weeks.
Announcing the news, the Embassy said that the decision to make appointments available every fortnight has been taken in order to ensure more transparency for all applicants, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“With a view to responding more precisely and transparently to the demand for scheduling requests for short-stay visas (Schengen), as well as for national visas, the dates and times for opening new vacancies will be communicated, with date and time, every fortnight, with the same periodicity,” the statement of the Embassy reads.
As the Embassy explains, the available appointment slots for short-term visas will be announced today at 2 pm. As soon as new appointments are made available today, all those interested will be able to submit an application through the e-Visa portal until July 28.
“For short-term visas for the Schengen Area delivered at the Common Visa Center, with online scheduling done through the E-VISA portal, vacancies will be made available on Friday, July 14th, from 2:00 pm. Dates will be open until the 28th of July,” the Embassy stated.
As for national visas, it was noted that the applicants will be able to make an appointment through the same period as mentioned above through the VFS Global portal.
Since Cabo Verde has not reached any visa-free travel agreement with Portugal or the other Schengen Area member states, all of its citizens need to obtain a visa to be permitted entry into the bloc.
Cabo Verdeans who plan to travel to Portugal for tourism purposes need to apply for a Portugal Tourist Visa. This type of visa permits all of its holders to remain in the bloc for a period of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
When applying for a Portugal tourist visa, all applicants must submit several documents. They need to submit the completed Portuguese visa application form, their valid passport, and two passport photos.
Moreover, Portugal tourist visa applicants must also submit a roundtrip flight itinerary, proof of having sufficient financial means, proof of having booked a place to stay, and proof of having purchased travel health insurance, among others.
Previously, the Portuguese Ambassador to Cabo Verde advised all citizens of the latter against applying for Schengen visas through intermediaries. Instead, he recommended that everyone goes through the process themselves, clarifying that scheduling a visa appointment is free for everyone.