Last Updated: September 21, 2026

Global Retirement Report: Cape Verde

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Introduction

The 2026 Global Retirement Report & Index benchmarks 46 retirement, passive-income and non-lucrative visa programs as an allocation decision, a way to diversify tax, lifestyle and political exposure across borders. Each is scored on five weighted factors: Quality of Life, Mobility & Citizenship, Tax, Procedure, and Costs & Investment, combined into a single composite. Below is the program’s overall score and rank, followed by the five sub-indices that show where its real strengths and trade-offs lie.

Rankings Snapshot

Index	Ranking	Score
Overall Ranking	30th	78.9
Procedure Index	4th	95.9
Citizenship and Mobility Index	36th	73.9
Quality of Life Index	24th	69.7
Tax Optimization Index	24th	69.1
Costs and Invest Index	19th	95.8

Country Information at a Glance

Category	Details
Legal Provision	Permanent Residence Permit — Lei n.º 66/VIII/2014, updated and streamlined by Law Decree n.º 13/2025
Region	Africa
Income Requirements	US$1,800. Qualifying income: Pensions, rental, dividends, investments, deposits.
Processing Time	3-6 months
Family Member Inclusion	Spouse. Children: Kids under 18 years old.Adult Children: Children up to 25 years old if they are attending college or university.Disabled Children: Children of any age if they are physically or mentally unable to work.Parents and Grandparents: Older relatives who live with you, as long as their own monthly income does not exceed the national minimum wage.
Tax Benefits	Worldwide taxation; income tax 27.5%. Wealth tax: None. Inheritance tax: up to 3%. Retiree benefits: Non-Habitual Resident (NHR): Foreign-sourced investment income, rents, pensions, and capital gains: these can be fully exempt from taxation in Cape Verde, provided the income is or can be effectively taxed in the source country. Settee.
Path to Citizenship	5 years. Time spent on this visa counts toward the residency requirement for naturalisation.
Dual Citizenship	Allowed

Conclusion

Cape Verde places #30 of 46 overall (score 78.9), scoring strongest on Procedure and weakest on Tax Optimisation. Its Permanent Residence Permit sets an income bar of US$1,800, with citizenship possible after 5 years. It best suits applicants who want a relatively straightforward, fast application; the main trade-off is that the tax treatment of foreign and retirement income is less favourable.

Footnotes

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