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FairSIM

eSIM for Cape Verde

Cape Verde is ten islands with ten different trips. Sal and Boa Vista are flat, windy and built for beach weeks, kitesurfing and all-inclusive resorts. Santiago has the capital, Praia, and the cobbled streets of Cidade Velha. São Vicente has Mindelo and its music, Santo Antão has the ridge hikes, Fogo has a volcano you can climb and sleep inside. Moving between them means flights and ferries whose times shift, and most of the confirming happens on WhatsApp with a local guide or a guesthouse owner.

One rule to handle before you fly: most European, UK and US passport holders do not need a visa for short stays, but you are expected to complete the online pre-registration and pay the airport security tax (TSA) on the government EASE platform before departure. Airlines check it. It is a web form, so you want working data for the receipt, and a copy saved offline.

A FairSIM eSIM connects to Unitel T+ or CVMóvel, the two mobile networks in the country, on 4G in the towns and resort areas with 3G as the fallback. There is no 5G here, and we will not pretend otherwise. You install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi, which matters because a lot of flights from Europe land in Sal or Boa Vista late in the evening, when the airport SIM counters may already be shut.

Cape Verde eSIM plans

Wholesale rates in US dollars, with nothing added at checkout. Buy in the FairSIM app and the plan is on your phone in seconds.

How long is your trip?

All plans. Pick a trip length to narrow the list.

Coverage in Cape Verde

  • 4G LTE
  • 5G
  • Unitel T+Part of the Unitel group, listed on the coverage sheet as Unitel T+ Telecomunicações. 4G in Praia, Mindelo, Santa Maria, Espargos and Sal Rei, with 3G and 2G as fallback on quieter islands.
  • CVMóvelThe incumbent, part of CV Telecom, with the widest reach across all inhabited islands. 4G in the main towns and tourist areas, 3G on rural roads and in the mountains.

Typical speed: Expect comfortable 4G for maps, messaging and social video in Santa Maria, Sal Rei, Praia and Mindelo. Speeds fall in the evening peak, inside thick-walled resorts and on mountain roads. Treat HD streaming as a bonus, not a given.

Coverage follows people and roads. Santa Maria and Espargos on Sal, Sal Rei on Boa Vista, Praia and Assomada on Santiago, and Mindelo on São Vicente are solid. The Santo Antão ridge, the Fogo crater rim, the Maio interior and the desert tracks behind the Boa Vista dunes drop to slow data or nothing. Ferry crossings lose signal in the middle and pick it up again near port.

How much data do you need in Cape Verde?

It depends on how you travel. Find your trip below, then pick the plan that matches. You can always top up in the app.

  • Sal beach and kitesurf week

    Santa Maria base, wind sessions, seafood dinners.

    Why data matters: Windguru and Windy checks every morning, instructor and rental chats on WhatsApp, GoPro clips uploaded from the beach bar, and maps for the quad tracks north to Pedra de Lume.

    7 days
    5 GB
    14 days
    10 GB
    30 days
    20 GB

  • Boa Vista all-inclusive

    Resort days on Chaves or Santa Monica with a couple of excursions.

    Why data matters: Resort Wi-Fi is fine in the lobby and weak in the room. The eSIM covers video calls home, excursion bookings and the turtle or dune tour pickup message.

    7 days
    3 GB
    14 days
    5 GB
    30 days
    10 GB

  • Island hopping by ferry and plane

    Santiago, Fogo, São Vicente, Santo Antão in one trip.

    Why data matters: Ferry times and plane schedules change. You need data at the port to check CV Interilhas updates, rebook a domestic flight, message a guesthouse about a late arrival and pull up offline maps when signal drops.

    7 days
    10 GB
    14 days
    15 GB
    30 days
    25 GB

  • Mindelo music and Carnival

    São Vicente for live morna and funaná, or February Carnival.

    Why data matters: Event listings and venue changes spread on Facebook and WhatsApp groups, plus photo and video uploads late at night when hotel Wi-Fi is asleep.

    7 days
    5 GB
    14 days
    10 GB
    30 days
    20 GB

  • Remote work stay

    A month or more in Santa Maria or Mindelo on the remote working visa.

    Why data matters: Calls on Teams, Zoom and Meet, Personal Hotspot for the laptop when the apartment connection drops, and a backup line for the days the fixed link is out.

    7 days
    10 GB
    14 days
    20 GB
    30 days
    30 GB

What your home carrier charges in Cape Verde

Daily roaming passes look small until you multiply them by the length of the trip. FairSIM plans for Cape Verde start at $9.99 and never bill per day.

Cape Verde sits outside the EU roam-like-at-home zone and outside most UK and Australian inclusive roaming zones, so European and Australian travellers usually pay rest-of-world rates unless they buy a specific add-on. Check your own destination list before you fly.

CarrierRoaming chargeFairSIM
AT&T International Day Pass (US)$12 per day per line, $6 for extra lines, on eligible destinations. Confirm Cape Verde in AT&T's destination list before departurefrom $9.99, no daily fee
Verizon TravelPass (US)$12 per day outside Mexico and Canada, on eligible destinations. Confirm Cape Verde in Verizon's list before departurefrom $9.99, no daily fee
EE (UK)Not in EE's inclusive or Travel Data Pass zones, so out-of-plan rest-of-world data rates applyfrom $9.99, no daily fee
Vodafone UKNot covered by the standard European or Roam Further plans; charged at out-of-bundle ratesfrom $9.99, no daily fee
Orange (France)Outside the EU zone included in French plans. Orange treats Cape Verde as a rest-of-world destination with per-megabyte charges unless you buy a passfrom $9.99, no daily fee
Telstra (Australia)Not on the International Day Pass list, so pay-as-you-go international roaming rates applyfrom $9.99, no daily fee

Carrier prices as published on their roaming pages at the time of writing. They change often; check your own plan before you fly.

How FairSIM works

  1. 1

    Pick a destination and a plan

    Choose the country or region and the data you need. The price you see is the price you pay.

  2. 2

    Tap install

    On iPhone (iOS 17.4+) the eSIM installs in one tap, no QR code. Do it at home while you still have Wi-Fi.

  3. 3

    Land and connect

    Turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line when you arrive. Your plan starts when it first connects.

Read the full setup guide, including device compatibility

Connectivity tips for Cape Verde

  • Complete the EASE pre-registration and pay the airport security tax online before you fly, then save the confirmation as a PDF and a screenshot. Airlines ask for it at check-in.

  • Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi and switch the line on after landing. Turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line, or it will sit idle.

  • Download offline maps per island. Santo Antão's valleys and the Fogo crater are where signal disappears first.

  • Carry escudos in cash. Taxis, aluguers, market stalls and small guesthouses are cash only, and euros in resort areas get a poor rate.

  • Confirm every inter-island ferry and domestic flight the day before, by WhatsApp if you can. Schedules move with weather and demand.

  • Book the Pico do Fogo climb and the Santo Antão hikes through a guide who answers on WhatsApp; the trailhead has no reliable signal.

  • Keep your home SIM active for bank one-time codes, with its own data roaming switched off so it cannot charge you.

  • Sun and salt kill phones here. A waterproof pouch for boat trips and a power bank for long aluguer days are worth the space.

Apps you will actually use

  • WhatsApp how the whole country arranges things: taxis, guides, boat trips, restaurant tables, apartment keys.
  • Google Maps good for Santa Maria, Sal Rei, Praia and Mindelo. Download each island offline before you leave the hotel.
  • Organic Maps or Maps.me better for the Santo Antão trails, Fogo crater paths and unpaved tracks where Google has gaps.
  • Windguru or Windy the wind forecast that decides your kitesurf or windsurf day on Sal and Boa Vista.
  • Google Translate Portuguese download for signs, pharmacies and paperwork. Creole is not supported, but most people switch to Portuguese.
  • Booking.com and Airbnb guesthouses on the smaller islands where walk-in options are thin.
  • Revolut or Wise card payments and checking the escudo rate, since ATMs can be out of cash in small towns.
  • Bolt Food or local delivery limited and city-only; in most places you call or message the restaurant directly.

There is no Uber in Cape Verde. In towns you take a metered or agreed-price taxi, and between towns you use an aluguer, a shared van that leaves when it fills. Both are cash. Save your driver's WhatsApp number on day one and you have a ride for the whole trip.

Can you rely on free Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi exists nearly everywhere a tourist goes, and it is uneven. Resort lobbies and pool bars in Santa Maria and Sal Rei are usually fine, rooms behind thick walls are weaker, and some hotels still limit you to one or two devices or throttle after a few hundred megabytes. Cafés in Santa Maria and Mindelo are good enough for email and calls. Guesthouses on Santo Antão, Fogo and Maio can be slow or down for hours, and ferries have no Wi-Fi at all. Treat hotel Wi-Fi as a bonus for big downloads and keep the eSIM as the connection you actually rely on.

Local SIM card or eSIM in Cape Verde?

CVMóvel and Unitel T+ both sell prepaid tourist starter packs, and you will find shops and kiosks in Espargos and Santa Maria on Sal, Sal Rei on Boa Vista, Praia and Mindelo. Registration needs your passport, prices are in escudos and top-ups are sold in small shops everywhere. The coverage is the same as what the eSIM uses, because these are the same two networks. Bring cash, since small counters may not take cards.

The practical problem is timing. Many flights from Lisbon, London, Manchester and the German charter hubs arrive in the evening or at night, airport counters are not open around the clock, and the taxi ride to your hotel is exactly when you want a map and a message to the driver. A FairSIM eSIM is installed at home over Wi-Fi, activates when it first sees Unitel T+ or CVMóvel, and needs no passport queue. If you are staying a month or more and want a local number for domestic calls, a local SIM alongside the eSIM is a reasonable combination.

Good to know before you land in Cape Verde

Currency
Cape Verdean escudo (CVE), pegged to the euro at about 110 escudos to 1 euro. Euros are widely accepted in resort areas, usually at a worse rate
Plug type
Type C and Type F (European two-pin)
Voltage
220 V, 50 Hz
Emergency number
132 police, 131 fire, 130 ambulance
Language
Portuguese is official; Cape Verdean Creole (Kriolu) is what people speak. French and English are common in tourism
Time zone
UTC-1, no daylight saving
Capital
Praia, on Santiago

Cape Verde eSIM questions

Does eSIM work in Cape Verde?

Yes. An unlocked eSIM-capable phone connects to Unitel T+ or CVMóvel with a travel eSIM. On iPhone that means XS, XR or newer; most recent Pixel, Galaxy S and mid-range Android models support eSIM too.

Which network will my Cape Verde eSIM use?

Unitel T+ or CVMóvel, the two mobile networks in the country. Your phone picks whichever the plan is provisioned for and whichever is strongest where you are standing.

Is there 5G in Cape Verde?

No. The networks available to the eSIM run 2G, 3G and 4G. You get 4G LTE in the towns and resort areas, and 3G or 2G in the interior. Anyone promising 5G in Cape Verde is guessing.

Will I have data on Boa Vista and Sal beaches?

In and around Santa Maria, Espargos, Sal Rei and the main resort strips, yes, on 4G. Out on the dune tracks, at remote beaches like Santa Monica's far end and on boat trips, expect it to drop. Download maps first.

Can I use Personal Hotspot in Cape Verde?

Yes. FairSIM plans support Personal Hotspot with no separate cap, which is useful when an apartment or guesthouse connection fails.

Do WhatsApp and FaceTime calls work?

Yes. Cape Verde does not block internet calling, so WhatsApp, FaceTime and Messenger calls work over the eSIM wherever 4G is decent. Quality drops on 3G, so stick to voice rather than video there.

How much data do I need for a week in Cape Verde?

A resort week on Sal or Boa Vista usually lands between 3 and 6 GB. Island hopping, daily uploads or working remotely pushes it to 10 GB or more. Use hotel Wi-Fi for large downloads.

Do I need a visa, and does the eSIM help with that?

Most EU, UK, US, Canadian and Brazilian passport holders do not need a visa for short stays, but you must pre-register online and pay the airport security tax before travelling. Handle it at home; the eSIM is there so you can pull up the receipt on arrival.

Local SIM or travel eSIM for Cape Verde?

A local CVMóvel or Unitel T+ SIM is fine if you land during shop hours, have escudos and want a local number. A FairSIM eSIM runs on the same two networks, is installed before you fly, and works from the moment you land, including on late-night charter arrivals.

What is an eSIM?

A SIM card built into your phone. Instead of a plastic chip, you download a profile. Every iPhone since the XS has one next to the physical SIM slot, so your home number stays put while FairSIM supplies the data.

Is my phone compatible?

FairSIM works with eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked iPhones: the XS, XR and everything newer, on iOS 17.4 or later for the one-tap install with no QR code. iPhones bought in mainland China do not support eSIM at all, even when unlocked. Not sure yours is unlocked? Check Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock, or ask your carrier. The full list is on the How it works page.

When should I install my eSIM?

Before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi. Installing does not start your plan; the validity typically starts when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination.

Do FairSIM eSIMs come with a phone number?

No. FairSIM eSIMs are data-only by design, which keeps costs low. For calls and texts, your physical SIM stays active so you keep your existing number, and WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over data.

Traveling beyond Cape Verde?

Get your Cape Verde eSIM in the app

Plans from $9.99. Install before you fly, track your data live, and top up in seconds if you need more.

Download on theApp Store

iPhone XS or later · iOS 17.4+ for one-tap install