Cape Verde Residence by Investment

Buying a built home, or one under construction, worth at least EUR 80,000 in a qualifying Cabo Verde municipality, paid with money transferred from abroad, entitles a foreign national to the Green Card: a permanent residence authorisation for an indefinite period. The status was created by Law No. 30/IX/2018 of 23 April 2018, is administered by the Direção de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (DEF) of the National Police, and is issued through the Casa do Cidadão, which the government designated as the single Green Card desk.

It is worth being exact about what this programme is. The law creates a differentiated status for holders of a second residence in Cabo Verde. It is a residence right, not citizenship and not a passport. It gives no right to live in the European Union or to travel in the Schengen Area. What it offers is a legally secure foothold in a stable, euro-pegged Atlantic archipelago, at one of the lowest property thresholds of any residence-by-investment route we cover.

The two thresholds, and why the municipality matters

The Green Card has a single route, a qualifying property purchase, priced at one of two levels depending on where the property sits:

• EUR 80,000 (stated by DEF as CVE 8,821,200) in a municipality whose GDP per capita is below the national average.
• EUR 120,000 (CVE 13,231,800) in a municipality whose GDP per capita is equal to or above the national average.

The deciding factor is the economic classification of the municipality, not the island's reputation or the price per square metre. A buyer who assumes the lower threshold applies, and signs for EUR 90,000 in a municipality classified at or above the national average, has bought a home but not a Green Card. Confirming the classification of the specific municipality is therefore the first step, before any deposit is paid.

The conditions that trip people up

Three property conditions are set out on the DEF Green Card page, and each has caught buyers out elsewhere:

• Built or under construction. Bare land does not qualify. Where the property is still being built, DEF asks for a valid construction contract (contrato de empreitada) for the works.
• Free of liens or encumbrances. The title must be clean. A property carrying a mortgage or other charge does not meet the test.
• Paid with funds transferred from abroad. Money already held in Cabo Verde does not count. DEF requires a declaration from a financial institution based in Cabo Verde confirming that the capital was actually transferred in, so the payment trail must run from a foreign account into the Cabo Verde banking system.

DEF accepts either the deed of acquisition or a promissory purchase contract (promessa de compra) as the property document, together with the land registry certificate (certidão do registo predial) and the property tax registration (certidão de inscrição matricial).

Documents and the application

Beyond the property file, the DEF checklist asks for a valid passport, a copy of the visa on which the applicant entered or was granted in Cabo Verde, the entry stamp, a criminal record certificate from the country of origin translated into Portuguese and legalised by a Cabo Verde consulate (an apostille is accepted instead for Hague Convention countries), a Cabo Verde criminal record, a medical certificate and an international vaccination certificate. The visa and entry-stamp requirements mean the application is built around a lawful entry to the country, so the trip to complete the purchase and the application are best planned together.

At the time of writing, the online "Apply" and "Track your application" functions on the DEF portal are marked as coming soon, so submission runs through the Casa do Cidadão. DEF does not publish a processing time or a Green Card fee schedule. Property transfer, registration and notary costs are payable on top of the purchase price.

Family members

Whether, and on what terms, a spouse, partner and dependent children are covered by the principal applicant's Green Card is not stated on the government pages we rely on. We confirm family eligibility case by case before a client commits to a purchase, and we do not quote a family cost until the government has published one.

Tax treatment

The Ministry of Finance summarises two tax features of the status. First, the possibility of an exemption from the Imposto Único sobre o Património (IUP), Cabo Verde's property transfer and property tax, on the acquisition and on transfer by inheritance, together with a 50 per cent reduction of the IUP due in the following ten years. These IUP benefits depend on a deliberation of the Municipal Assembly of the municipality where the property is located, so they are not automatic and should be confirmed for the municipality in question. Second, a Green Card holder who is retired, and whose pension was not generated in Cabo Verde, benefits from an exemption on that pension under the Personal Income Tax Code (CIRPS).

Wider questions, such as how other foreign income is treated, capital gains on a later sale, and the interaction with the tax rules of the client's home country, depend on individual circumstances and on actual tax residence. We treat them as matters for specific advice rather than headline benefits.

Presence, permanence and the path to citizenship

Neither the DEF page nor the Ministry of Finance summary attaches a minimum-stay condition to holding the Green Card. The status is described by the government as permanent and for an indefinite period.

Citizenship is a separate matter, and the two must not be conflated. Cabo Verde's nationality reform, enacted as Law No. 33/X/2023, requires the minimum five years of habitual residence for naturalisation to be legal residence. Holding a Green Card while living elsewhere is not the same as five years of residence in Cabo Verde. The reform also recast "economic nationality" as nationality by investment, a distinct route that is not part of the Green Card. Naturalisation is a discretionary decision of the Cabo Verde state, and the Green Card should never be bought on the assumption that a passport follows.

Who it suits, and who it does not

The Green Card suits a buyer who genuinely wants a home in Cabo Verde, whether as a holiday residence, a retirement base or a second address in a stable, Portuguese-speaking Atlantic state, and who values permanent residence without the obligation to relocate. For retirees with foreign pensions, the CIRPS exemption adds real substance.

It is a poor fit for anyone whose objective is European residence, Schengen travel or a strong passport within a short horizon. The property is an illiquid asset in a small market, the family and fee details still need confirming with the authorities, and the value of the status lies in the right to live in Cabo Verde, not in mobility elsewhere. For those goals, our residence-by-investment hub compares routes such as the Portugal Golden Residence Permit and Mauritius residency, and our citizenship-by-investment hub covers programmes that confer a passport directly, including São Tomé and Príncipe.

If Cabo Verde fits your plans, Mirabello Consultancy will confirm the municipality classification, the title and the funds trail before you sign. Book a free consultation to discuss your situation.