📋 Table of Contents

🏢 1. The Terminal & a Charter-Built Airport

The airport opened to international traffic in 2007 and was renamed Aristides Pereira International on 19 November 2011, after Cape Verde’s first president; locals and older maps still call it Rabil, after the nearby village. It is run under a long airport concession (the same operator group that manages Cape Verde’s airports), and its purpose is plain: feed the resort coast. The dominant names are TUI and its national arms — TUIfly, TUIfly Netherlands, TUI’s Belgian operation — flying charter and package routes from across northern Europe, alongside Binter Cabo Verde on regional and inter-island links. There is no dense scheduled network here the way there is at Sal; if you are not on a holiday package, your options are fewer and more seasonal. The terminal is single and compact, built for planeloads of holidaymakers moving to and from coaches, not for transfers.

🛂 2. The Cape Verde Border: EASE, the Security Tax & the 2026 Visa Change

Boa Vista uses the national entry system, and the work is front-loaded — done online before departure, not at the desk.

• EASE pre-registration is mandatory. Fill in the traveller entry form on the official EASE platform at least five days before arrival and pay the Airport Security Tax (TSA) — about 3,400 CVE (€31) for a stay up to 30 days — at the same time. The authorisation is emailed back (allow up to 72 hours) and is valid for a year.
• No proof means double the tax. From 1 July 2026, anyone who has not completed the pre-registration pays twice the TSA at the border. On a charter holiday it is easy to assume the operator handles everything; confirm that EASE and the tax are done in your name before you fly.
• The 2026 visa change. 61 nationalities, including the EU and the UK, stay visa-free for up to 30 days (EASE still required). Since 1 January 2026, 96 nationalities can no longer get a visa on arrival and must obtain one before boarding, online via EASE or at a consulate. Check whether your passport is affected well ahead.
• Bring a passport valid for the trip, your EASE confirmation and proof of onward travel.

The currency is the Cape Verdean escudo (CVE), fixed to the euro at about 110 to one.

🚐 3. Getting to Sal Rei & the Resorts

The terminal is close to everything that matters on Boa Vista. Sal Rei, the main town, is about 5 km away.

• Taxi to Sal Rei is a short, broadly fixed run at around 1,100 CVE (€10), 10–15 minutes. As elsewhere in Cape Verde, agree the fare before you set off.
• Resort coach transfers are how most arrivals travel: the big package operators run dedicated coaches from the terminal straight to the hotels strung along the south and west coasts, included in or bolted onto the holiday booking. If you are on a charter, this is usually already arranged.
• Shared minibuses run some routes for a couple of euros but are slower and less convenient with luggage.

There is no rail, and the island is spread out, so a hire car makes sense only if you plan to explore beyond your resort.

🛋️ 4. Lounges at BVC

There is no airport lounge at Boa Vista — no Priority Pass, no pay-in option. The terminal has the basics, a café and a small duty-free, and that is the extent of it. On departure the holiday-charter rush can fill the building, so the realistic plan is to time your arrival at the airport sensibly rather than expect somewhere quiet to wait. If lounge access is part of how you travel, Boa Vista is one gateway that does not offer it.

💵 5. The Escudo, the Euro & What to Buy Before You Fly

The escudo is fixed to the euro, so there is no rate to watch, and euros are accepted throughout the resort economy, with change handed back in escudos. Cards work in the hotels; carry cash for beach bars, market stalls in Sal Rei and tips. The airport bureau gives a poor spread, so pay in euros or use a town ATM rather than changing money at the terminal.

Worth taking home: grogue, the sugar-cane spirit, and ponche, its sweeter liqueur; Cape Verdean coffee; and the salt and goat’s-cheese the islands are known for. Buy a real bottle in Sal Rei rather than relying on the thin airport selection.

💡 6. Insider: Dunes, Turtles & the Layover Math

Boa Vista’s draw is emptiness and sand. The interior holds the Viana desert, a band of wind-blown dunes you can walk into, and the coast runs to long, near-deserted beaches — Santa Mónica on the south coast is among the longest in the country. Offshore lies the rusting hulk of the Cabo Santa Maria, a cargo ship wrecked on the sands and now the island’s most photographed landmark. Boa Vista is also one of the world’s important loggerhead-turtle nesting sites: the females come ashore to lay through the warm months, roughly June to October, and licensed operators run respectful night visits. Humpback whales pass offshore in spring, around March to May. Cape Verde’s island guide on this site covers the wider archipelago; this is about reaching Boa Vista, not touring it.

The layover math: Boa Vista is not a connection point — there is little reason to transit here, and the schedule is built around week-long stays, not same-day onward flights. Sal Rei is a 10–15 minute taxi from the terminal, enough to see the town and the seafront if you somehow have hours to spare, but the dunes, the wreck and the turtle beaches are spread across the island and need a tour or a car. Plan Boa Vista as a destination you settle into, not a stopover.

🧭 7. Practical Notes Before You Go

• Complete EASE and pay the TSA at least five days before flying — confirm it is done in your name even on a package, or pay double at the border from 1 July 2026.
• Check the 96-country visa list — if your passport is on it, you need a visa before boarding.
• Agree the taxi fare to Sal Rei first (~€10); most arrivals use the included resort coach transfer.
• Pay in euros or escudos, not at the airport bureau — the escudo is euro-pegged, so avoid the terminal spread.
• There is no lounge — time your departure arrival rather than expecting a quiet wait.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

📊 2026 Summary Data Table