Cape Verde for relocation

In May 2023, I accidentally found myself in Cape Verde (Cape Verde Islands) and thought that this country might be of interest to unassuming relocants.

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In May 2023, I found myself on Cape Verde (the Islands of Green Cape) by chance and thought that this country might be of interest to modest relocators.

The main advantages of this place for relocation are:

• You can freely enter with a Russian passport and stay for an unlimited time;
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• Opening a bank account with a tourist visa is easy;
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• There are no taxes on global income;
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• You can wear shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops all year round;
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• The nature on different islands is diverse, with incredibly beautiful places;
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• The ocean.

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Average annual temperature. Comparison of Mindelo, the capital of Cape Verde and Moscow, the capital of Russia:

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Mindelo is the second most populous city in Cape Verde and is considered the cultural capital, somewhat like our St. Petersburg.

I am involved in day trading on the American stock exchange, and for me, there is a personal advantage here – the time zone. For this reason, countries to the east of Sri Lanka are inconvenient for me.

Now, let me elaborate on the main advantages.

A Few Words About Cape Verde

Cape Verde is an island nation consisting of 18 islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean, 600 km off the west coast of Africa. These islands were once uninhabited. In the 17th century, they were discovered by the Portuguese, who established a transshipment point here between Europe and Africa to the Americas. From a maritime perspective, the country is strategically located, with consistent winds that make it convenient for sailboats to first reach Cape Verde from Europe and then cross the ocean toward the Americas. Sailors still use this route when crossing the Atlantic from east to west.

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The Islands of Green Cape constitute an archipelago of 10 large and 8 small islands in the central part of the Atlantic Ocean, west of continental Africa. The colony was used as a transshipment base, including for the transportation of slaves from Africa to America. This is how the native population, known as Creoles, emerged, descendants of the Portuguese, other Europeans, and Africans.

In 1975, the country gained independence from Portugal. The state has no territorial disputes with its neighbors. There have never been wars or state coups here (except during the colonial era when Cape Verde briefly shifted from Portuguese to Spanish hands). The official languages are Portuguese and Creole (a blend of Portuguese and Swahili).

The main sources of income are international aid, remittances from emigrants, and tourism. With a population of approximately 500,000 people, the size of the Creole diaspora in America and Europe, by various estimates, exceeds 1 million, symbolizing the nation’s global reach.

On the islands, they cultivate bananas, corn, beans, papaya, mango, watermelons, avocados, coffee, and some other vegetables. They also produce their own wine. The local waters are rich in diverse fish, attracting sports fishing enthusiasts from around the world.

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There is plenty of sunshine and wind, but there are issues with freshwater (some islands lack it, and desalination is required).

Most products and goods are imported, primarily from Portugal and China.

After gaining independence, Cape Verde had connections with the Soviet Union. Many older locals were educated in the USSR, married to Russians, and understand the Russian language. In this sense, one could say that Cape Verde is a kind of Portuguese Cuba. (Just recently, there was an incident. A couple approached us in a café, a Creole and a white person. We had a polite conversation about the weather in Russian. Later, my companion told me, “That was the Chief of the General Staff and his wife.”)

Yellow fever, malaria, dengue fever, and other African diseases are not present.

The country is one of the most Christian in Africa, with over 80% of the population being Catholics and Protestants.

The national currency is the Escudo, and since 2019, it has been firmly pegged to the Euro. 1 Euro is approximately equal to 110 Escudos, or 1 Escudo is roughly 1 Russian Ruble, which makes it convenient for orientation. Euros in cash are widely accepted in local stores, although at an unfavorable exchange rate of 1 to 100, so it’s better to exchange currency at a bank. To exchange Escudos back into Euros, you need to present a plane ticket. The buying and selling rates of Euro are the same, with a small bank commission. Dealing with dollars is different – they are bought here at around 95 Escudos and sold at 105 Escudos per dollar. As you can see, the spread is significant. By the way, in most stores, only the local payment system works, and VISA and MasterCard cards are not accepted everywhere. However, there are ATMs where you can withdraw Escudos from international cards.

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How to Get There

Personally, I ended up here by chance. I had the opportunity to participate in a yacht journey with circumnavigators following the route from South Africa to Saint Helena Island and then to Cape Verde. Afterward, I planned to continue my journey by plane, but I got stuck here for some reason. You could say, I got washed ashore. You can’t just take off and leave Cape Verde like that.

If we talk about flying, there is a direct flight from Moscow to Casablanca (Morocco), where Russians don’t need visas. From Casablanca, you can fly to the capital of Cape Verde, Praia. From Praia, you can reach other islands of the country by ferry or plane. One-way ticket prices are around 1000 euros per person.

There are direct flights to Casablanca from Turkey, the UAE, Israel, Kuwait, Tunisia, and, of course, Europe. If you have a Schengen visa, you can find direct flights to Cape Verde from some European countries at a considerably lower cost.

Life in Cape Verde with a Russian passport

Russian citizens can obtain a visa on arrival in Cape Verde, which costs 40 euros and is valid for 60 days. You can extend this visa an unlimited number of times at the local police station (you’ll need your passport, a completed application with a photo, proof of sufficient funds, a rental contract, and 2100 Escudos). Most foreigners live here by regularly extending their tourist visas.

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Theoretically, after six months of residence, you can apply for a residence permit (Visto de Residência), but in practice, they tend to “drag their feet” for men of draft age from Russia and Ukraine. It seems they don’t outright deny it, but they also don’t grant it, and they simply smile and shrug their shoulders, saying the documents are being processed. I have a local acquaintance from Russia who has been getting a residence permit this way for over a year (while the female members of his family got their residence permits without any issues). However, once you’ve applied for a residence permit, you can live here indefinitely, fully legally, and no one will say anything. That said, you can also live here without legal status, with no serious consequences except for a potential small fine upon leaving the country.

Previously, there was a digital nomad visa program, but it’s currently not in operation (local officials say the program is being updated). When the program will be updated is uncertain. There’s a website related to this program where you can even apply for a visa, but it may simply “swallow” your documents without any feedback.

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The local currency exchange rate is strictly tied to the euro.

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You can open bank accounts, purchase real estate, and establish companies on a tourist visa. To open a bank account, you will need a local tax number (NIF, which can be obtained in about 5 minutes if there’s no queue), your passport, proof of your residence (in your case, a simple letter from the landlord sufficed if you didn’t have a rental contract), and a work contract as proof of your source of income. Since you didn’t have a work contract, you showed the bank a letter confirming the existence of your brokerage account. The bank employee made a call, scratched their head, and then said it was okay. They opened your account in just a couple of days.

With a bank account, you can get a card from the local payment system and an international VISA card.

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Cards are made in about a week. No notification is received – you need to go into the bank and ask. Creoles love live communication.

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If you want to legally engage in business on the island, you need to establish a company. There are equivalents to Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) here, as well as something similar to the Russian self-employed status (with a 4% tax on income).

However, the local population, for the most part, is not very affluent, so a reasonable source of income here could involve business related to tourists (although this market is already quite saturated by the locals), remote work, or other sources of external income (for remote work, you don’t need to open a company). Nevertheless, Europeans run hotels, hostels, shops, cafes, diving schools, and other small businesses on the islands.

Apartments and houses can be purchased with only a tourist visa and, of course, the funds. However, buying land is more complex, as there’s essentially no land registry, which can make land purchases a quest. Nevertheless, I am a proponent of renting, so I haven’t delved into real estate matters much.

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There are local and Portuguese schools available, with the cost of education at a Portuguese school being around 100 euros per month. Admission is straightforward, and you can enroll at any time of the year.

I haven’t encountered the healthcare system personally, but those I know who have say it’s reasonably satisfactory.

I rent a one-bedroom apartment for 450 euros (including utilities, drinking water, and unlimited internet). You can find cheaper options with annual contracts, but I haven’t bothered with that since I’m not sure how long I’ll stay here.

In total, all my living expenses here are within the range of 1,000 euros per month.

My daily routine includes waking up, exercising, having breakfast at a café, morning swimming, a second breakfast, work, lunch (I prepare it at home), work, evening swimming, evening coffee, and socializing with Russian-speaking friends I’ve made here. On weekends, I can explore the islands. In Mindelo, there are car rentals and electric bicycle rentals available.

In principle, everything necessary for a peaceful life is available here – cafes to hang out in, a promenade for strolls, and the ocean for swimming. It’s not extravagant, but it’s not terrible either. It’s like a slice of European life in Africa.

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Cape Verdean people

I’ve been to over 40 countries, and I can say that everywhere, if you don’t behave oddly, you’ll generally receive normal treatment in everyday life. Among themselves, Creole people are friendly and hospitable. Initially, in local cafes, they seemed a bit serious toward me as a foreigner, despite tips, but after some time, they got used to me, started smiling, making jokes, and even flirting.

Unfortunately, I don’t speak Portuguese, let alone Creole. Knowing these languages would certainly enhance the experience here.

Cesaria Evora, a world-famous singer from Cape Verde, donated almost all her money (tens of millions of dollars) for funding local education. Essentially, the majority of Creole people can read and write thanks to her. I’m not sure how this reflects the population as a whole, but it’s an interesting fact.

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Cesaria Evora is for Creoles what Yuri Gagarin is for Russians. Who, however, did not earn millions and had nothing to sacrifice.

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Local taxi drivers and market traders do not deceive tourists.

Drivers always yield to pedestrians, and you can cross the road without looking around.

However, thefts and robberies occur on the islands due to the low income of the population (aggravated by the long COVID isolation and global inflation), so caution is necessary. Initially, I walked through dark streets without worry until a local approached me and, with kind words and a gun, convinced me to give him 2000 escudos for his benefit. On parting, he apologized and mentioned his lack of work and having three children. Nevertheless, he still took the money.

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Some Summary

I mentioned the pros at the beginning of the article. Here, I will list the cons:

• Expensive cost of living.
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• It’s unlikely you’ll be able to earn money in Cape Verde; this country is primarily suitable for remote workers and down shifters.
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• English is spoken in government offices and banks; knowing Portuguese is necessary for a comfortable and complete life.
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• Finding modern office equipment is not easy; items from Amazon take about a month to arrive.
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• Poverty in the population; aggressive beggars are encountered in the streets, and there are areas best avoided. It’s advisable to stay home during the night.
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• Many stray dogs that the locals love, resulting in a lot of dog feces on the streets (reminded me of Paris when I was there).
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• Limited variety in local stores (after six weeks on a yacht, this is not as noticeable as it would be coming directly from Moscow).
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• High prices for imported goods (which are almost all imported here).
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• Cape Verde is dependent on the outside world, and in the event of a major upheaval like nuclear war, you could be left without food and everything else. However, the ocean can provide sustenance.

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I think Cape Verde can be suitable for undemanding remote workers as a temporary option for 1-2 years when you need to recharge and gather your thoughts. It can also serve as an intermediate stop before moving to Portugal or Brazil (where you can learn or improve your Portuguese). Or for especially anxious individuals fearing radioactive contamination. Just a joke.

And an anecdote to conclude. About me:
A Russian is sitting in a cafe. The waiter comes up and says:

• You’re Russian.
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• Yes, but how did you know?
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• It’s written at the beginning of the joke!

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I hope the information about Cape Verde will be useful to someone.

If you have any questions, I’ll answer what I know in the comments.

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