Cabo Verde residence visa and residence permit

Decree-Law No. 2/2015, as amended and republished by Decree-Law No. 13/2025, provides residence visas for employed work, self-employed work, professional activity performed remotely for clients outside Cabo Verde, higher-education study programmes lasting more than one year, family reunification with a foreign resident, and CPLP mobility for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries. Separate residence authorisations exist for highly qualified activity and for investment or relevant economic activity; an investor applying under that route is exempt from the residence visa and only has to prove legal entry and stay. Stays of up to a year for seasonal or temporary work, business missions, medical treatment or family visits use a temporary visa instead.

Employed work: an employment contract or promise of contract with proof that it was deposited with the Directorate-General of Labour, social security registration and a tax identification number. Self-employment: a service contract, company contract or declaration of start of activity at the tax office, social security and tax numbers, and proof of professional qualification where the profession is regulated. Remote work: the passport bio page, a criminal record from the country of origin, an employment contract or employer's statement (or, for freelancers, company or service contracts or proof of services), proof of average monthly income over the last three months and proof of tax residence. Study: confirmation of admission from the higher-education institution, later the enrolment and fee receipts. Family reunification: authenticated proof of family ties and, where relevant, adoption decisions or the written consent of the parent who stays abroad.

A residence visa file contains two colour passport photos (or biometric capture), a passport valid beyond the authorised stay with a valid visa or an entry stamp, a Cabo Verde criminal record or authorisation for the DEF to consult it, and, if requested, a criminal record from the country of origin or habitual residence issued within the last six months, translated into Portuguese and endorsed by Cabo Verde consular services. Add a medical certificate and the international vaccination certificate, proof of means of subsistence or a sponsor's statement of responsibility backed by proof of the sponsor's finances, and proof of accommodation such as a property record, a lease, a statement from a Cabo Verdean or legal resident offering housing, or water and electricity bills. A DEF home visit can replace the housing proof. Documents in another language need a Portuguese translation. Children under 16 do not file a criminal record.

Portaria No. 40/2025 sets the DEF fees in Cabo Verde escudos: CVE 1,500 to examine a residence visa request and CVE 5,000 for the visa or its extension; CVE 1,500 plus CVE 5,000 to convert a temporary visa into a residence visa; CVE 1,500 plus CVE 4,000 for an ordinary temporary visa (CVE 10,000 for multiple entries). A normal request for a temporary or permanent residence authorisation or its renewal costs CVE 1,500 for the applicant and CVE 500 for each family member applying together; an urgent request costs CVE 3,000 and CVE 1,000. Renewing after the 45-day deadline costs CVE 3,500, and renewing an expired authorisation CVE 5,500. A DEF home visit costs CVE 1,500. Fees are paid with a single collection document (DUC). Refugees, stateless persons and victims of trafficking or gender-based violence are exempt.

Residence visa requests are filed on the DEF digital platform or, exceptionally, on a signed paper form at DEF counters or regional National Police commands acting for the DEF; Cabo Verde embassies and consulates can also receive the file and forward it to the DEF for decision. The DEF checks identity, documents, means, housing and earlier stays, may call the applicant in, and grants the visa within 90 days of a complete file. The residence authorisation is then requested on the same platform or counters, which forward paper files to the DEF within five days; a first authorisation is decided within 90 days. If your country has no Cabo Verde mission, the Portuguese translation of the criminal record can be certified by a suitable body in Cabo Verde.

Each authorisation is documented by a foreigners' residence card (TRE) valid for as long as the authorisation. In its 2014 text the law grants temporary residence for two years, renewable for successive two-year periods. A renewal file includes the passport, proof of means or the annual income tax (IUR) return, proof of housing, social security status and the criminal record, plus the employer's confirmation for employees, the IUR return for self-employed people and investors, or enrolment and fee receipts for students. The DEF decides a renewal within 45 days.

A residence authorisation holder can apply for reunification with family members abroad; the embassy then issues them a temporary-stay visa, and they request residence in Cabo Verde without needing a residence visa. Family members already in Cabo Verde who live with or depend on the resident apply directly with proof of ties, means, housing and legal entry.