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Doing business
Doing business in Cabo Verde
The official bodies a foreign company, investor or professional deals with in Cabo Verde – linked to their own websites – plus the treaties that matter for contracts and disputes, and law firms there that list business work.
Key facts
Key facts for business in Cabo Verde
The short answer
Company registry in Cabo Verde: Direção Geral dos Registos, Notariado e Identificação (DGRNI). Tax authority: Direção Nacional das Receitas de Estado (DNRE). Requirements, fees and timelines change – confirm them with the body concerned and a lawyer admitted in Cabo Verde before you act.
| Legal system | Civil law |
|---|---|
| Official languages | Portuguese |
| Currency | Cape Verdean escudo (CVE) |
| Regional blocs | ECOWAS |
| OHADA business law | No |
| AfCFTA (continental free trade) | Ratified (instrument deposited) |
| New York Convention (arbitral awards) | Party – in force since 2018 |
| ICSID Convention (investment disputes) | Contracting state – in force since 2011 |
| Apostille Convention (public documents) | Party – in force since 13 Feb 2010 |
Treaty status from the official depositary records (UNCITRAL, ICSID, HCCH), regional blocs from their own websites, AfCFTA from tralac – checked October 2026. Not legal advice.
Official bodies
Who does what in Cabo Verde
| What for | Official body | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Registering a company | Direção Geral dos Registos, Notariado e Identificação (DGRNI) | justica.gov.cv |
| Tax | Direção Nacional das Receitas de Estado (DNRE) | mf.gov.cv |
| Work and residence permits | Direção de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (DEF) – Directorate of Foreigners and Borders | e-portaldef.gov.cv |
| Courts and justice | Supremo Tribunal de Justiça – Supreme Court of Justice | stj.cv |
We could not confirm an official website for: investment promotion, central bank, currency and foreign exchange. We only link to sites we could open and confirm as the body’s own in October 2026.
Each link was opened and checked as the body’s own website in October 2026. Links to official sites only – never to agents or look-alike sites.
Getting started
What foreign businesses usually sort out first
- Choose how you will operate. A subsidiary, a branch, a representative office, or working through a local partner or distributor. The options and their conditions are set by national company law.
- Register the business. Company registration: Direção Geral dos Registos, Notariado e Identificação (DGRNI).
- Register for tax. Tax registration: Direção Nacional das Receitas de Estado (DNRE).
- Check investment rules and incentives. Some sectors have licensing, local-ownership or registration rules, and some investors qualify for incentives. Investment agency: the national investment agency.
- Permits for foreign staff. Work and residence permits: Direção de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (DEF).
- Banking and foreign exchange. Rules on accounts, moving money in and out and paying dividends abroad come from the central bank (the central bank) and the banks.
- Contracts and disputes. Agree the governing law, the courts or arbitration seat, and the language. Cabo Verde is a party to the New York Convention, so arbitral awards made in other member states can be recognized there under it.
A general checklist, not legal advice. What applies to you depends on your sector, structure and nationality.
Law firms
Law firms in Cabo Verde for business matters
CMA – Carla Monteiro & Associados, Sociedade de Advogados, RL
Santa Maria (Sal), Sal Rei (Boa Vista), Praia
VPQ Advogados
Praia
2 firms in Cabo Verde list corporate, tax, employment or other business work on their own websites. See every firm in Cabo Verde.
Checking a lawyer in Cabo Verde
Who admits lawyers: Ordem dos Advogados de Cabo Verde (OACV)
Professional title: Advogado
Official roll: oacv.cv
Check the lawyer's name in the OACV's published PDF list of advogados with valid registration (linked on oacv.cv).
Sources: oacv.cv. Checked October 2026. Not legal advice.
Questions
Doing business in Cabo Verde: questions
Where do you register a company in Cabo Verde?
With Direção Geral dos Registos, Notariado e Identificação (DGRNI) (justica.gov.cv). Requirements change, so confirm them with the registry and a lawyer admitted in Cabo Verde.
Is Cabo Verde a party to the New York Convention?
Yes – in force since 2018 (UNCITRAL status table, checked October 2026).
Does Cabo Verde accept apostilles?
Yes – Cabo Verde is a party to the Apostille Convention, in force since 13 Feb 2010 (HCCH status table). A public document from another member state needs only an apostille from the issuing country.
What currency is used in Cabo Verde?
Cape Verdean escudo (CVE).