Introduction
Cape Verde attracts foreign buyers looking for a second home in the Atlantic, and agents often promise "permanent residence" from EUR 80,000. The legal reality is narrower. The scheme exists: its official name is the Green Card, created by Lei n.º 30/IX/2018, published in Boletim Oficial n.º 23, I Série, on 23 April 2018, then regulated by Decreto-Regulamentar n.º 1/2020 and completed by two portarias of 30 December 2021. It is not a "Golden Visa": Cape Verdean law does not present it that way. What follows is general information and does not replace a lawyer or the official procedure at the Casa do Cidadão.
What the Green Card actually is
Article 1.º creates a distinct status for the holder of a second residence, through issuance of the Green Card, to promote the economy and the property sector. Article 2.º n.º 2 describes a personalised, secure and non-transferable card: tied to an identified person, not to a building, and not sellable. Article 4.º sets the legal effect: the Green Card confers a permanent residence authorisation, within the limits and for the exclusive purposes set by law. It is therefore not an absolute right, but a status conditional on maintaining the situation that justified it.
The two legal thresholds
Article 3.º sets two thresholds, and the choice between them depends on the municipality where the property sits, not on the buyer's nationality: the criterion is municipal GDP per capita against the national average. In a municipality below the national average, the threshold is EUR 80,000, equivalent to 8,821,200$00; at or above the average, it rises to EUR 120,000, equivalent to 13,231,800$00. The law states both amounts, in euros and escudos. Where no municipal GDP figure exists, article 3.º alínea c) uses the island's GDP per capita instead.
The "second residence" condition and what it implies
The law covers built or under-construction property acquired for residence: the property must serve as the applicant's own residence. On one point that surprises investors, the text sets no minimum period of physical stay to keep the Green Card. What it requires is continued ownership, and it expressly lists disposal of the property among the grounds for losing the card. That absence of a minimum-stay rule does not remove the requirement for a valid visa or legal presence (article 7.º n.º 2(c)).
The origin of the funds: a central control
Article 7.º n.º 2 alínea a) requires proof that the property was bought with funds transferred from abroad, at the minimum amounts, to a bank established in Cape Verde. The amount matters, but so does the route: the money must have been transferred and then deposited with a Cape Verdean financial institution. The official list restates this in two complementary documents: a declaration from the bank confirming the effective transfer, and a bank statement showing the deposit. The required documents presuppose a documented bank transfer; plan a traceable transfer.
The property must be free of encumbrances
Article 7.º n.º 2 alínea b) requires proof of ownership free of charges, established by the certidão matricial and the certidão predial, the two official property-record documents required by law. Both are required and both must be up to date. The Casa do Cidadão list asks for an updated certidão de registo predial naming the acquisition or promise of sale in the applicant's favour, and an updated certidão de inscrição matricial or CIP. Where the property is under construction, article 7.º n.º 2 alínea d) adds the construction contract; our guide to the land registry in Cape Verde explains how registration works.
Where to file: the Casa do Cidadão as one-stop shop
Decreto-Regulamentar n.º 1/2020, in force since 8 January 2020, designates the one-stop shop in article 1.º, and article 3.º n.º 1 names it: the Casa do Cidadão, responsible for receiving applications, renewals and family reunification. Article 3.º n.º 2 adds that it must pool resources and provide in-person and electronic intake channels. Article 4.º makes a point that matters to anyone preparing a file from abroad: applications are submitted at counters located in Cape Verdean territory; the texts read do not mention consular filing. Article 7.º n.º 3 provides that municipalities and civil registry offices adopt personalised and priority service procedures; no maximum decision period appears in the texts consulted, however.
The document list to prepare
Official form F.006.02, published by the Casa do Cidadão, lists the documents to assemble: identity, criminal record, health, acquisition, origin of funds and land-register status of the property.
- A valid travel document allowing entry to and exit from the territory.
- A criminal record certificate, or equivalent, from the country of nationality and the country of habitual residence where that residence lasted at least six months, translated into Portuguese and legalised by Cape Verdean consular services, with the paper original handed over on application.
- A Cape Verdean criminal record certificate, where the applicant has lived in Cape Verde for at least six months before applying, also in original.
- A health certificate, or equivalent, and an international vaccination certificate.
- A document evidencing the acquisition or the promise to purchase the property, free of encumbrances.
- A declaration from a financial institution established in Cape Verde confirming the effective transfer of the capital used for the acquisition.
- A bank statement proving the deposit of the amount in the account.
- An updated certidão de registo predial naming the acquisition or the promise of sale in the applicant's favour.
- An updated certidão de inscrição matricial or CIP.
- The construction contract, where the property is under construction.
- Where guardianship or curatorship applies, the document justifying that capacity.
Translations and consular legalisations must be planned ahead, because they depend on services outside Cape Verde. Paper originals are required at filing, which often means handing them over in person or setting up a properly drafted power of attorney, as our guide to buying property in Cape Verde remotely explains.
The official fees
The Casa do Cidadão form states a total payment of 6,400$00, split into 5,000$00 for the residence authorisation and 1,400$00 for the residence title, that amount being cited as falling under article 6.º of Decreto-Regulamentar n.º 1/2020. That figure does not cover the purchase, notary fees, ITI, professional fees or bank transfer charges; our guide to property purchase costs in Cape Verde sets out that fee schedule. The portarias of 30 December 2021 complete the framework: Portaria Conjunta n.º 61/2021 establishes the fee regime for issuance, substitution, family reunification and delivery of the title, as well as the application form, and Portaria n.º 62/2021 approves the Green Card model as a permanent residence title with its security requirements.
How the application unfolds
Article 5.º n.º 1 of the regulation provides that the application is made in person, with confirmation of the biographical data on the passport or another identity document, which verifies that the person filing is the person named in the file. On receipt, the DEF checks conformity with Lei n.º 30/IX/2018 before deciding whether to grant it, and article 7.º n.º 1 of Lei n.º 30/IX/2018 entrusts issuance to the DEF. A protocol between the Casa do Cidadão management team and the DEF ensures security conditions and efficiency of issuance (article 32.º). The texts read fix no maximum decision period.
Duration, renewal and family
The Green Card is not a lifetime title: article 5.º n.º 2 provides for renewal every five years, or where identification data change, and article 8.º sets the rhythm — every five years, then for ten years from the second renewal. Renewal is conditional on continued ownership; disposal of the property is a ground for losing the title. The status extends to the family: family members benefit from the extension under article 5.º n.º 1, which covers the spouse or a de facto partner judicially recognised in the country of origin, minors under 14 and dependants.
The tax advantages as written — and what changed in 2026
Article 6.º of Lei n.º 30/IX/2018 grants concrete but limited and conditional advantages. Property acquired under the law is exempt from IUP on transfer and on transfer by death, with a 50% reduction of the IUP due for the following ten years, by deliberation of the municipal assembly of the municipality where the property is located. For a retiree whose pension income was not generated in Cape Verde, that income is exempt under the CIRPS. The 50% reduction is not automatic, and the exemption covers defined events, not all taxation.
The 2025 reform changes the frame of reference. Lei n.º 55/X/2025 revoked, on the entry into force of the IPI and ITI Codes, Lei n.º 79/V/98 of 7 December, which established the imposto único sobre o património (IUP), together with Decreto-Lei n.º 18/99 of 26 April (article 6.º). The ITI Code, approved by Lei n.º 54/X/2025, took effect on 1 January 2026 (article 4.º). Yet the exemption list in its article 6.º covers the State, local authorities, properties classified as national monuments or of public interest, and acquisitions by credit institutions through dação em cumprimento or in execution, bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings; it does not mention Green Card holders. The Code sets the rate at 1%, rising to 3% under the preferential tax regime (article 11.º).
The advantage written in 2018 therefore rested on a tax that has been abolished. It is wrong to say that Green Card holders enjoy a total exemption, and equally wrong to say they have lost everything. The texts consulted do not allow a definitive answer on how article 6.º's advantages now interact with the ITI Code; a professional should confirm the treatment that applies. The mechanics of ITI and IPI are explained in our dedicated guides.
Refusal, loss and fraudulent use
Article 9.º n.º 1 lists the refusal grounds: a sentence in Cape Verde or abroad of two years or more, an international search, fleeing justice, strong indications of money laundering and membership of criminal networks, radical or extremist groups, persons whose visa must legally be refused, and a previous refusal on public order, security or public health grounds. Article 9.º n.º 2 adds the grounds for losing the title: the occurrence after issuance of circumstances that would have justified refusal, fraudulent use, and disposal of the property that gave rise to the acquisition. The DEF requests information from the National Police and the Judicial Police, including through Interpol (article 9.º n.º 3), and article 10.º n.º 1 allocates withdrawal to the courts, on the Public Prosecutor's initiative, and to the DEF, ex officio or on request. Article 11.º n.º 1 punishes fraudulent use with loss of the title, the applicable criminal sanctions and a fine of 5,000,000$00 to 15,000,000$00.
Green Card or temporary residence through investment activity?
The e-Residencia page, published by the DEF and the National Police, lists among temporary residence categories that of "Actividade de investimento ou actividade económica relevante": an authorisation granted to foreigners to carry out an investment activity or a relevant economic activity. According to the Alta Autoridade para a Imigração, it is valid for two years from issuance and renewable for successive two-year periods. The difference from the Green Card is structural: temporary residence through investment follows the logic of economic activity, while the Green Card follows the logic of property ownership and confers, under article 4.º, a permanent residence authorisation. One detail is worth noting: the list of permanent residence categories published online mentions holders of a temporary residence authorisation for at least five years and retired foreigners, but not the Green Card as a separate category. That does not diminish its legal force — article 7.º n.º 4 provides that obtaining the Green Card is sufficient for permanent residence in the country.
Final checklist before committing
Before signing a promise of sale, it helps to go through the points in order. This list condenses what the texts require; it does not replace a professional's review.
- Check the municipality and its position against the national GDP per capita average, to know whether the threshold is EUR 80,000 or EUR 120,000.
- Confirm that the property is built or under construction and intended for residence.
- Organise the transfer of funds from abroad to a bank established in Cape Verde and keep every bank record.
- Obtain up-to-date certidões matricial and predial and verify that there are no encumbrances.
- If the property is under construction, assemble the construction contract.
- Prepare the criminal record certificates, translations and consular legalisations.
- Obtain the health certificate and the international vaccination certificate.
- Confirm the validity of the visa or legal presence at the time of filing.
- Budget the 6,400$00 in official fees, separate from the other purchase costs.
- Have a professional confirm the current tax treatment.
FAQ
General information. This text describes the provisions of Lei n.º 30/IX/2018 (Boletim Oficial n.º 23, I Série, 23 April 2018), Decreto-Regulamentar n.º 1/2020 (B.O. n.º 2, I Série, 7 January 2020), Portarias n.º 61/2021 and 62/2021 of 30 December 2021, and Lei n.º 55/X/2025 with the ITI Code. It is not legal or tax advice and does not replace an analysis by a lawyer or accountant. To browse available homes, see our property for sale in Cape Verde.