There are two types of Residencia: a permanent or temporary Autorizaçao de Residencia. The first, the unrestricted residence permit, is rarely issued today. Since mid-2002, all new permanent permits must be extended every 5 years in Praia. The temporary Residencia has to be renewed annually in any case. The document has two blank pages attached to it with the heading Revalidaçoes (= renewals of validity). This is where the extension stamps are placed.
The Procedure for Obtaining a Residencia
The residence permit, which exceeds the period of a visa, requires the document of the Residencia. The following is a list of all documents required to apply for a Residencia:
- Completed application form (available at police stations).
- Document showing proof of financial stability (a bank statement from a bank in Cape Verde or the Boletim Oficial of your own company in Cape Verde usually suffices).
- Certificate from the city hall stating that the applicant has been living in the respective municipality for at least 6 months.
- Disclosure certificate from the country of origin (people with a criminal record are rejected), translated and notarised by the consulate. (= certificate of authenticity of the document and the correctness of the translation).
- Disclosure certificate from Cape Verde, 2 documents:
One from the Public Order Police (POP) and one from the Judicial Police (Policia Judiciaria) - Health certificate of the health department in Cape Verde: vaccination records are issued or presented here.
- Rental agreement (with certification stamp from the tax office and notarisation by a notary public or Registo Civil) or proof of property ownership on Cape Verde.
- Copy of passport that is complete with all pages. Visa stamp with the entry “permanente” must be present, meaning more than 6 months of uninterrupted residence. Tourist visa stamps are not valid.
- Two current passport pictures
The official procedure of issuing a Residencia, which means the processing of all submitted documents, can take up to two years. Although you can already incorporate your company during the process, for example, its operation is hardly worthwhile due to high import and export taxes. A special import licence is required to enjoy lower tax rates, which again is dependent on the Residencia.
The Procedure for Extending the Residencia
In order to extend the Residencia, you only have to go to the closest police station and request the renewal of the residence authorisation. This is where you can request a list of necessary documents for the respective application. Everything must be filed at the police station, which in turn sends the documents to Praia where there are officially stamped. Prior to filing, you must pay the fee at a bank and obtain a stamp from the tax office or the Camara.