Cabo Verde Entrepreneur and Investment Residence in 2026

Cabo Verde does not publish a separate national immigration category called “startup visa”. The main long-term route for many founders and investors is temporary residence for investment or economically relevant activity.

A smaller solo consultant or liberal professional may instead fit independent professional residence.

Official qualifying evidence

The current e-Residência page says an applicant can support this route with one of several forms of evidence, including:

  • a declaration from competent authorities showing the activity is authorized, registered or licensed, or capable of being so;
  • a foreign investor certificate;
  • proof of incorporation of a company that employs at least 50% Cabo Verdean workers; or
  • proof of an activity or investment of recognized national interest certified by the competent authority.

These are alternative evidentiary routes. The page does not say every investor must satisfy all of them.

Is there a startup visa?

No separate startup or innovation-founder immigration category appears in the current residence-permit menu.

A startup founder should classify the real activity:

The label “startup” does not create a separate immigration exemption.

Is this a golden visa?

The official category is investment or economically relevant activity. It should not be marketed as citizenship by investment or an automatic golden visa.

The applicant still needs the ordinary residence documentation and must satisfy the actual immigration assessment.

Current fee

The official portal currently lists the temporary residence-title fee as:

  • 6,400 CVE for the general/non-CPLP category;
  • 1,400 CVE for CPLP applicants;
  • 1,700 CVE for Senegalese applicants.

Investment certification, company formation, licensing and tax costs are separate.

Residence visa and permit

The consular portal says a residence visa can be issued for investment activity. It permits a six-month stay, extendable until the final decision on the residence-permit application.

Once issued, ordinary temporary residence is generally valid for two years, renewable for successive two-year periods.

Local workforce evidence

One published evidentiary option is proof of a company employing a workforce that is at least 50% Cabo Verdean.

Do not convert this into a universal statement that every investor must employ exactly 50% local workers. The official checklist presents it as one alternative alongside investor certification and other authorized or nationally relevant activity evidence.

Remote founders

A foreign founder running an overseas company while temporarily working online may fit the Remote Working Program for a temporary stay.

A founder establishing the business in Cabo Verde should analyze this residence category or the independent-professional route rather than relying on the nomad program.

Long-term settlement

Investment residence is initially temporary residence. After at least five years of qualifying temporary residence, the applicant can assess permanent residence, subject to the separate requirements.

See the route comparison for the main distinctions.

Return to the Cabo Verde immigration hub, compare entrepreneur routes and startup/founder routes, explore Africa, and review our methodology and legal disclaimer.

Related published country research: Portugal, Spain, and Estonia.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Cabo Verde