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My wife and I are looking at Cape Verde as a permanent home (among other places).  Could someone tell me how difficult my life will be if I only speak English fluently with some very rough French thrown in?

Thanks!

Hi there, Michmark

You really will need to learn the local language, Kriolu, if you're thinking about living here permanently. Portuguese is the official language and if you could learn Portuguese, that would go a long way even if you don't pick up the Kriolu.

Nevertheless, there are some English-speaking locals and some French-speaking locals as well. And of course you'll find Expats who natively speak English or French. But, by and large, you cannot really communicate effectively here in CV without Kriolu or Portuguese.

And if you only speak English or French, you'll likely be taken advantage of financially. For example, every foreigner who enters a taxi and is unable to speak in Kriolu or Portuguese will immediately be charged double or triple the normal fare because they will assume you are a temporary visitor with money to burn. Lol. And it will be like this with just about everything you try to do.

It took me a couple years to become fluent. The local language is not that difficult to learn.

Angelo

Hi, I'm Jose, from Spain... Looking for a new opportunity in a nice country as Cape Verde.

Hi,
I have just found this forum when searching for practical info on relocating and living in CV.
Our destination is Sao Antao.
Just wondering whether we can do all formalities (applying for NIF and setting bank account) on Sao Antao or do we have to do it all at Santo Vincente.
Also regarding bank account and giving them address to post card and online access - while we don't have yet permament address in Sao Antao yet, we will be looking to buy something - shall we find someone willing to let their private address for us? How does it work?
I will appreciate your advice
Best Regards
Liley

Hi Liley,

Welcome to Cabo Verde. Santo Antão is a very scenic island. You certainly conduct all of your formal affairs right there in Santo Antão, normally in the main town of Porto Novo. In any event, if there happens to be anything you need to do in São Vicente, it's only a half hour away by ferry as the two islands are less than 10 miles apart. So it's at most a day trip.

As far as addresses, there really are none to speak of in CV. In other words, the mail is not delivered to your address...even if you knew what it was! You would have to pick your mail up at the nearest post office and walk with your ID like a passport so they can verify that the mail is yours. So you would simply tell your friends to put your name,  your town and island on the mail. Same applies if you're giving your address for official purposes. It's not like there are millions of people living in each town...the place is tiny. And Santo Antão is quite quaint.

The banks won't mail bank statements to your home. You can get those online...or if you want a paper copy, you can pick those up at the bank. Same applies to anyone you do business with. And you can always rent a locked post office box at the post office , but there could be a waiting list to get one.

For the security of your correspondence, you definitely should not use anyone else's private address. Remember, you're probably considerably wealthier than most Cape Verdeans. You should not create a situation which could tempt people to intercept your mail. 

So, mae sure you do all your homework BEFORE moving here. And make sure you can properly spell the names of the islands where you live. I noticed that you didn't quite get Santo Antão or São Vicente right, although it's close enough. Lol

Best wishes on your move and safe travels.

Angelo

liley11 wrote:

Hi,
I have just found this forum when searching for practical info on relocating and living in CV.
Our destination is Sao Antao.
Just wondering whether we can do all formalities (applying for NIF and setting bank account) on Sao Antao or do we have to do it all at Santo Vincente.
Also regarding bank account and giving them address to post card and online access - while we don't have yet permament address in Sao Antao yet, we will be looking to buy something - shall we find someone willing to let their private address for us? How does it work?
I will appreciate your advice
Best Regards
Liley

Thank you Angelo for your advice. Thank you for pointing out spelling. It may be undiagnosed dyslexia;)

My name is Alberto from Sevilla, Spain. Will be traveling next week to CV, want to meet locals or expats who can introduce me or give some tips about the country while having a beer. Outgoing and friendly person who loves meeting new people and cultures

Hi Alberto. If you plan on visiting the island of Santiago, please send me a private message and we can exchange phone numbers.

Angelo

rober76 wrote:

My name is Alberto from Sevilla, Spain. Will be traveling next week to CV, want to meet locals or expats who can introduce me or give some tips about the country while having a beer. Outgoing and friendly person who loves meeting new people and cultures

Cool, i will, how can i get from Sao vicente to Santiago

Hi Robert,

You travel from São Vicente to Praia via airplane. You can check on www.binter.cv for flight schedules, reservations and prices. It's pretty cheap...less than 120 euro return.

Angelo

rober76 wrote:

Cool, i will, how can i get from Sao vicente to Santiago

thanks
nice beaches in santiago?

Yes, very much so. There's Kebra Kanela beach which is in the capital itself. It's not as nice as Laginha which is in the main city of Mindelo in São Vicente. But it's got more bars and restaurants surrounding it.

Then there is San Francisco beach just outside the capital. It's a 15 minute drive but it's a bit deserted. There's a restaurant there, and it's the only facility for miles.

Finally, there is Tarrafal beach in the north of the island which is considered the best beach here...but it's the complete opposite end of the island of Santiago from the capital, so it's about a 60 minute drive from the capital.

Note that the best beaches in Cape Verde are on the Islands of Sal, Boavista and Maio...NOT São Vicente or Santiago. But you'll have to jostle with thousands of tourists in Sal and Boavista (80% of tourists go to those two islands).

In my opinion, the best beaches are on the island of Maio. The beaches there are the most beautiful of CV and the island is off the beaten tourist path. If you want a more secluded setting, Maio won't disappoint. It's a 10 minute flight from Praia.

Cheers,

Angelo

rober76 wrote:

thanks
nice beaches in santiago?

Thanks so much for the info, it is very helpful. Will try to stay away from tourists, so i doubt i will be going to Sal nor Boavista. Does Santiago have nightlife?

Santiago has the best night life of all the islands...it's the capital and the population here in the capital alone is larger than that of every other island. There are dozens of bars, restaurants, and night clubs all over the capital. Here you'll find some of the biggest local crowds anywhere in the country. This includes upscale clubs and restaurants that attract the white collar workers and more mature crowd...so it's not too wild. But then there are the establishments that cater to the teenage crowd...those can get pretty rowdy but are totally safe. Lol. In other words, there's something to suit every taste. And there is entertainment every night of the week.

Mindelo is probably second to Praia in terms of nightlife because there are fewer choices. But you can also have a blast there.

Angelo

rober76 wrote:

Thanks so much for the info, it is very helpful. Will try to stay away from tourists, so i doubt i will be going to Sal nor Boavista. Does Santiago have nightlife?

Awesome, you are the man, thanks for all the info, will love to meet you in person, so excited and looking foward for this trip

Born in Santo Antao.Left as a child.live in Portugal, France, Senegal,Usa, canada and México all mi life and i am ready yo go back to Cape Verde.I have Portuguese and Cape verde nacionality and Speak Creolo.English.French.Spanish and Portuguese.Worked with Turismo all my life.

Hi..  i want to move to cape verde and work as a Nurse Job in a Hospital in Cape Verde. Can anyone Help me with information. i would be very grateful.

Hi there,

Have you done ANY homework about Cape Verde.

Unless you speak Portuguese (or Spanish) 100% fluently, you won't have any chance of getting a job in that field in CV. All of the patients speak Portuguese and Krioulo. In addition, Cape Verde is A TINY, TINY country. There are only 3 hospitals (and many small local health centers) here serving half-million people.

There are NO current job openings because there aren't that many jobs in this area in the first place. So even if you spoke Portuguese fluently, you'd probably have to be on a very long wait list and ahead of you would be any qualified Cape Verdeans.

Bottom line is simple: look somewhere else - a much bigger country with larger population in the millions - for a job in this field.

Regards,

Angelo

chiokanks wrote:

Hi..  i want to move to cape verde and work as a Nurse Job in a Hospital in Cape Verde. Can anyone Help me with information. i would be very grateful.

Hello Mate....was thinking about what living in Cape Verde would be like....any idea of what about an acre of land would cost ....also are cars and petrol expensive too ?



Regards
Mark

Hi Mark,

Well it all depends on where you want to locate. For example, if you want to acquire an entire acre in the capital city of Praia, or in Sal where the majority of tourists spend their vacations, it will be considerably expensive because that is prime property. You could pay anywhere from €100,000 to €750,000 for an acre of land in prime locations.

Of course, it you locate out in the countryside or on one of the smaller, less populated islands, you'll pay considerably less.

What exactly would you propose to do with this much land? If you're more specific, I can provide a more specific response along with some recommendations about where you might prefer to locate given your objectives.

Yes; since cars and fuel are imported and heavily taxed, they can be very expensive. Also, you should not import your own personal vehicle because the import duties would be considerably higher yet. You could import a vehicle in the name of a business you create here and defer the payment of import duties for up to five years. If the vehicle is exported within five years, you won't be liable for the import duty. However, if the vehicle remains in the country after 5 years, your business will be liable for a massive tax. My advice is that if you simply must have a car, buy it locally.

Angelo

vwapachey wrote:

Hello Mate....was thinking about what living in Cape Verde would be like....any idea of what about an acre of land would cost ....also are cars and petrol expensive too ?



Regards
Mark

Hello to everyone. I am loving the forum, its great to see so many people contributing and giving advice.
I too am hoping to re-locate to Sal, Cape Verde. I first holidayed there in April this year and loved it so much that I returned again in September and have just got back to the UK. I've done done quite a bit travelling around the world and found Cape Verde to be the best place for me to consider re-locating to in terms of the weather, flights to/from the UK, the good vibes and lifestyle. I feel very much relaxed and at home there, I've made quite a few connections with some British expats during my visit.
I am currently looking at accommodation and also business opportunities so I can generate an income while residing there.
As a U.K. National my only concern is health insurance and costs, can anyone advise further please?

Hi there Lolo22uk. You could find information online regarding health insurance coverage for emergencies. Look here at an example of health coverage provided to Expats by a foreign company:

https://www.pacificprime.com/country/af … insurance/

Read their article. It does a great job of explaining the issues.

Essentially, you will only have access to basic health care services in Cape Verde. There are no hospitals in Sal, only a community health center. If you need anything beyond the most basic services, you will have to travel to Praia or Mindelo where you will find the best equipped local hospitals. You don't need any health insurance for this. Just pay in cash as the services are basic and cheap.

If you should experience any type of severe medical condition while in Cape Verde, you will need to find services outside the country. For example, you could return to England. Or seek treatment at the nearest locations with advanced medical care: Dakar (about 2 hours away), Canaries, or Brasil. That's where the medical insurance comes in. It would pay for your travel and certain costs of such treatments.

Again, do your homework and contact one of these insurance providers via an online search. There are no such health insurance companies in CV. Hopefully, you may get some additional input here on the forum from other expats who actually live here. I'm an expat myself. I don't have any health insurance. My formula is to stay fit via exercise and eat a healthy diet. It's worked well for me so far. In case of a medical emergency, god forbid, my plan is to first seek treatment at a private clinic in Praia (where i live) and then fly to Dakar (which is close to CV). But I definitely will not seek treatment in US where medical care and insurance is exorbitant.

Finally, while you've vacationed here and enjoyed it, be very aware that living here and doing business on a long term basis is a completely different proposition than taking a vacation. Please ask more questions and do more homework, as access to and cost of healthcare is not going to be your only challenge.

Regards,

Angelo

Many thanks for your reply, I will definitely do my research. My plan is to just spend a few months in CV at a time, check out the other islands, before making things permanent .
Kind regards
Loraine

You're welcome, Loraine. What a pretty name! One of my favorites.

If you have questions on any other topic, please don't hesitate to post them. Or send a private message as appropriate.

Angelo

Hi there, my name is Indi and I'm looking to move out to Cape Verde and make a life over there. I've seen the island, fallen in love with the people and have always wanted to learn about other Cultures and ways of life. I'm currently looking into learning Portuguese (I already speak Spanish quite well and can handle basic French) and would absolutely love the opportunity to become part of CV life.
I've got a law degree and am currently working in the finance sector but would love to teach also.

So I guess what I'm saying is... Hi everybody!!

Hi Indi!!!

I love your attitude. You are well equipped to become part of CV life. Just remember that spending a vacation here and living here are two COMPLETELY different things. Also, be sure to set your expectations appropriately. Your background in law and finance will help you should you start your own business here, but if you're thinking of becoming someone's employee, you should be well informed that jobs here pay very little money in comparison to developed countries.

Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions. I'd be happy to provide you with the information you need to settle in.

Angelo

IndiMacPatel wrote:

Hi there, my name is Indi and I'm looking to move out to Cape Verde and make a life over there. I've seen the island, fallen in love with the people and have always wanted to learn about other Cultures and ways of life. I'm currently looking into learning Portuguese (I already speak Spanish quite well and can handle basic French) and would absolutely love the opportunity to become part of CV life.
I've got a law degree and am currently working in the finance sector but would love to teach also.

So I guess what I'm saying is... Hi everybody!!