Fishing Charter Boat Buisness

Hi Stephen,

First of all, it could be pretty tough to purchase a good charter fishing boat in CV as there aren't many available for sale (or maybe someone who had such a business may end up having one for sale due to the pandemic's impact on tourism in CV .... tourism basically went to zero and now may be a good time to get a good deal on a boat but not a good time to start a fishing charter business as tourists are not yet back in any volume). But there's nothing like being ready for when the tourists return!

Getting the license is actually not too difficult, but could take some time because of the bureacratic process. The best way to go about it is to apply for a "utilidade turistica" which is to submit your proposal for a tourism business to the Cape Verde foreigninvestment agency. They will coordinate the issuace of the license on your behalf. Basically, you will need to submit certain documents including your business registration (you need to create a business), your residency visa (you need to apply for residency in CV), the title of the vessel, a safety inspection report for the vessel, insurance certificate, etc, etc.

CVTI will obtain the licenses from the port authorities for you to operate your chater fishing vessel. You will also receive fiscal benefits such as waiver of income taxes, waiver of importation duties (in case you choose to bring a vessel you purchase outside CV), etc. Just be aware that it could take 2-3 months for you to get all the preliminary steps completed (business registration, residency visa, application to CVTI) BEFORE you can start your operations even if you purchase a vessel here in CV (assuming one is available) or before you import one if you purchase outside of CV.

If you're not interested in the fiscal benefits that are given to foreign investors in the tourism sector and you simply want to start your business, then the paperword requirements are the exact same but you would need to make the application directly to the Ministry of Tourism. It would take the same amount of time for your licenses to be issued.

If you'd like more details about the steps in the process and how it all would work, just send me a private message and we can exchange email addresses, Whatsapp, etc.

Best regards,

Angelo

shayden29 wrote:

Hi everybody i would like to know how to go about opening a charter boat buisness from sal in cape verde. I am coming down at the end of may to buy some property with the view of provideing fishing from  sal pier for tourists. Im also wondering how to go about buying a boat their for this any information on this would be great regards Stephen