Working / residency visa in Cabo Verde

Hi,

You can come to Cape Verde from Europe for 30 days without a visa (visa is given on arrival for 30 days). You don't need any visa to get a job and work in Cape Verde, but you need to get a job to apply for a temporary visa which will allow you to stay for more than the original 30 days you are given.

So what you must do immediately upon arriving in Sal is apply for your NIF at the Casa do Cidadão. Then get a job. The employer must give you a work contract. With this contract and other documents, you can then apply for a visa to stay for the term of the work contract. Once you submit your application and the €50 fee for the longer term visa, you just continue living and working in Sal. They will call you once your visa is ready.

If you stay beyond the 30 days and if you don't apply for an extended visa, they will hit you with a big fine at the immigration desk in the airport when you try to leave. So you can stay beyond the original 30 days and work without a visa if you are prepared o pay the fine when you leave (the fine could be hundreds of euros). But I don't recommend that you do this because when you come back to Cape Verde next time, they may refuse you entry because they thing you will again overstay your visa!

In the good old days, this was never a problem because they had no way of knowing anything. Today, everything is computerized so they can immediately tell how long you've stayed in the country and they can also tell if you've been to Cape Verde before and if you stayed illegally.

If you need more information abut how to get your extended visa, please contact me via private message.

Angelo

wintaas wrote:

Hi!

Me and my two friends from Sweden are trying to come to cape verde (sal) for about 6 months - 1 year to work. We've been in contact with the consulate here in Sweden and we have heard different things compared to what we have read online. Is it anyone that is pretty much knowledgeable within this subject?

Another way to do it is to go to the nearest CV Embassy BEFORE YOU COME TO CAPE VERDE (or call them if you are prepared to send them your passport in the mail) and you apply for a MULTIPLE ENTRY VISA. They will give you one with no questions asked.

The multiple entry visa is granted for 24 months and allows you to stay in Cape Verde up to 3 months instead of only 30 days. Then you have to leave. But you can come back again on the same visa. In other words, you have to leave every 3 months. So you can just fly to Dakar, Senegal for a weekend and come back to Cape Verde and stay for 3 more months. This way, you can work for a long time as long as you are able to afford to leave every 3 months.

Angelo

Hi Angelo.

I see. But if I get the extended visa from the beginning (3 months) and just apply for the residency visa as fast as I come there, and I get it after these three months, is that possible? Or if i get the extended visa and then when that is finished i get a normal tourist visa again and just extend it for 3 months more unless I haven't got my residency visa by that time?

It does not matter how long it takes to receive the residency visa. You are legally authorized to stay once you have made the application. You are given a receipt of application, which is your authorization to remain. Once you receive the residency visa, it replaces the receipt.

The only reason I suggested the multiple entry visa is that it gives you more time (3 months or more) to apply for the residency visa. If you enter CV with a normal 30-day visa, then you will have just 30 days to make the application for the residency visa. For some people, that is enough time. For other people who may be caught up in lots of activities, 30 days may be too short. But even if you exceed the 30 days, you can still submit your residency visa application without any consequences. It is simply that some people are afraid to be in the country illegally for even a short period.

Just remember that Cape Verde does not send immigration police out to capture people. They don't have the resources for this! So even if there was a brief period that you are here without a valid visa, you will not have any problem if you apply for the residency visa late. The only problem you will have is at the airport, when you are leaving the country and you are without a valid visa at the moment you try to leave. In this case you will be fined. But if you have a valid visa (or a receipt for an application for a valid visa) at the moment you are leaving, then you will NOT be fined. It's really that simple.

Regards,

Angelo

wintaas wrote:

Hi Angelo.

I see. But if I get the extended visa from the beginning (3 months) and just apply for the residency visa as fast as I come there, and I get it after these three months, is that possible? Or if i get the extended visa and then when that is finished i get a normal tourist visa again and just extend it for 3 months more unless I haven't got my residency visa by that time?

Hello Angelo,

I hope you are well especially with all what's happening.

I have seen many of your responses on the forum and I would like to say, good job and thank you for giving out information regarding Cape Verde.

I would like to ask a few questions regarding residency. A bit of background, I have been in Praia since February 2020 on tourist visa. I now would like to apply for residency as I found a job and most of all love the place. So far I have my NIF which was fast end efficient to get. Plus I have obtained a couple of residency options requirements as information form Immigration ( Ministerio da Administracao Interna). Here are my questions
1) What is the difference between Autorizaçao De Residencia Temporaria and Visto Temporario Ordinario? (I am more interested in the length of the visa)
2) Both this option asking for some documents but does give information where I can obtain them. The documents are
a = Atestado Médico,
b = Certificado de registo criminal Cabo-verdiano and
c = Cadastro Policial (PN e PJ)

3) The Autorizaçao De Residencia Temporaria also ask to obtain for further more documentation which are
a = Posse de visto de residencia
b = Atestado de Residencia emitido pela Camara Municipal de sua area de residencia
Again where do I get this documents

Any help will be much appreciated.


Many thanks

Hello Hanet,

Here are the answers:

1) What is the difference between Autorizaçao De Residencia Temporaria and Visto Temporario Ordinario? (I am more interested in the length of the visa)
There is no difference between them for your purposes. Once you apply for the visa (Visto) and receive the stamp, you are given legal authorization (Autorização). In other words, "autorização" refers to the legal status, while (visto) refers to the physical proof of that legal status.

2) Both this option asking for some documents but does give information where I can obtain them. The documents are:
a = Atestado Médico, You get this from any medical clinic. In Palmarejo, you can go to the clinic called Verde Fam. It's simply a letter from a doctor which says you do not have communicable diseases. It costs 1.000 escudos.
b = Certificado de registo criminal Cabo-verdiano and You get this at Casa do Cidadão which is the same place where you got your NIF.
c = Cadastro Policial (PN e PJ) The cadastro from PN you get from the Policia Nacional (PN) which means, any police station. The station that you will be refered to is the police station in Achada Santo António across from the post office (Correio de Cabo Verde). You will need a copy of your passport and your NIF. I believe the document costs 500 escudos (they will ask you to pay via a bank deposit to the PN account and you return with the receipt, then wait for 1 week for it to be ready. The cadastro from PJ you get from the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) in Achada Grande Frente. You will need a copy of your passport and your NIF. It costs 400 escudos. It takes a week to receive the document.

3) The Autorizaçao De Residencia Temporaria also ask to obtain for further more documentation which are
a = Posse de visto de residencia As noted above, this is the visa that you will be given when they approve your application for authorized residency. So you will not have the visa until the end of the process.
b = Atestado de Residencia emitido pela Camara Municipal de sua area de residencia This is not an extra document. You need this to apply for the visa. For residents of Praia, this used to be given by Camara Municipal. But they no longer do so. You have to go to the Centro de Acção Social which is behind the Policia Municipal in the Parque Cinco de Julho (which is behind Sucupira). They will give you a list of documents you will need in order to get the atestado de residência. I believe it costs 650 escudos or thereabouts. If you live in a different municipality, just go to the Câmara Municipal of that municipality and request the atestado.

If you need more details than this, please send a private message. Responding on the public forum will not be helpful to others.

Regards,

Angelo

Hanet wrote:

Hello Angelo,

I hope you are well especially with all what's happening.

I have seen many of your responses on the forum and I would like to say, good job and thank you for giving out information regarding Cape Verde.

I would like to ask a few questions regarding residency. A bit of background, I have been in Praia since February 2020 on tourist visa. I now would like to apply for residency as I found a job and most of all love the place. So far I have my NIF which was fast end efficient to get. Plus I have obtained a couple of residency options requirements as information form Immigration ( Ministerio da Administracao Interna). Here are my questions
1) What is the difference between Autorizaçao De Residencia Temporaria and Visto Temporario Ordinario? (I am more interested in the length of the visa)
2) Both this option asking for some documents but does give information where I can obtain them. The documents are
a = Atestado Médico,
b = Certificado de registo criminal Cabo-verdiano and
c = Cadastro Policial (PN e PJ)

3) The Autorizaçao De Residencia Temporaria also ask to obtain for further more documentation which are
a = Posse de visto de residencia
b = Atestado de Residencia emitido pela Camara Municipal de sua area de residencia
Again where do I get this documents

Any help will be much appreciated.


Many thanks

Thank you so much for the prompt response... I will contact you privately if I need further assistance.

Hello Angelo, hope all is well.

I see that you are no longer available on your WhatsApp number. Do you have a new number that I could reach you on?

Here is mine: *** - I am in the finishing steps of aquiring a flat here in Tunisia and would like to come to CV thereafter

Regards,
Ivan