Consular formalities for Cape Verdean nationals in and around Washington are handled here. What that covers in practice differs from office to office, which is why it is worth reading what follows before booking anything.
What follows is the contact information on record, the services normally available, how to go about getting an appointment, and the practical points that tend to trip people up.
📞 Quick Contact
- Address: 3415 Massachusetts AVE NW, Washington
- Phone: (202) 965-6820
- Official website: http://www.embcv-usa.gov.cv
- Type of office: Embassy
🛂 What you can do here
The list below is what a post of this kind usually covers. Confirm yours before travelling, because services move between offices more often than people assume:
- Powers of attorney and notarial acts: signed in front of a consular officer, which usually saves the whole legalisation chain afterwards.
- Documents: a diploma, a court order or a deed only works abroad once certified. This is where that chain begins or ends.
- Passports: renewal and first issue of Cape Verdean passports, normally by appointment and with fingerprints taken in person.
- Visas: long stays, work and study almost always need a consular file even where short visits do not.
- Civil status: registering births, marriages and deaths that happened in the United States so they exist in the Cape Verdean record.
📅 Arranging a visit
Walking in without an appointment works at some posts and not at others. Where it does work, the queue tends to form well before the doors open.
The office publishes its own booking arrangements. Booking through official channels costs nothing; sites charging to secure or speed up a slot are intermediaries, and consulates regularly warn against them.
Have everything ready before you book: the forms filled in, the identity documents to hand, and the fee in the form the office accepts. Turning up short of one paper usually means starting again.
🤝 Things worth checking first
Being in the same state is not the same as being in the district. Ask, because the answer decides where your file goes.
Bring more documentation than you think you need. Being sent home over one missing paper costs another appointment.
Allow more time than seems necessary. Between appointment waits, production abroad and return postage, a routine document can take months end to end.
Questions people ask about this embassy
What is the address in Washington?
It is 3415 Massachusetts AVE NW. Many posts share a building with unrelated offices, so find the specific door before you turn up.
Is it worth calling ahead?
Yes, and it saves wasted journeys. Call (202) 965-6820 and ask what they need and how they take payment — cards are the exception rather than the rule.
Can I renew a Cabo Verde passport here?
Passport work is standard across the Cabo Verde consular network, though not every post performs it. Confirm before travelling.
How do I know which office is mine?
By the consular district assigned to it, not by distance. It is the first thing worth asking on the phone.