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We talked to Ed Cervantes-Watson, Founder at GoHub & GoRemote, about Cabo Verde, one of few African countries offering a digital nomad visa.
Cabo Verde is an island nation on the same level as Senegal location-wise. It is part of the Macaronesia Island group in the North Atlantic, along with Madeira, Canary Islands and the Azores. It’s known for its beautiful weather averaging at about 28 degrees with 360 days of sunshine a year. Cabo Verde is an archipelago with 9 islands.
In 2020, Cabo Verde announced a special visa program for digital nomads and remote workers who wish to work from the islands tax free. It has the needed charm, internet infrastructure with optic fiber nationwide, a time zone that is suitable especially for those working with Europe, low cost of living and a lot of places to discover.
To obtain the visa, you need to prove a minimum income, that you work remotely and health insurance coverage. For this purpose, you can check SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance package that is made by digital nomads, thus, with understanding of your needs, and covers you all over the world.
Ed added that currently, there are not as many digital nomads in Cabo Verde as one would expect but he hopes that in the next 2 or 3 years, more nomads will discover this hidden gem off the coast of Africa.
He also stated that both the Ministries of Tourism and Commerce as well as several projects like his own, are working together to launch new co-living and co-working areas, as well as educate homeowners about the benefits of long-term rentals, which helps him get better deals for digital nomads. The island is still not getting enough corporate nomads, but the government is working on promoting the island.
The island is now popular with Portuguese digital nomads and people who are familiar with the area of Macaronesia, some are solo nomads or they come with their families, especially over the holidays.
The main challenge that Ed hopes will be solved soon, is getting to the islands. Although there are connections from all major European hubs, there are no low-cost airlines flying to Cabo-Verde. He added that the government is looking to re-introduce its national carrier TACV.
Cabo Verde is keen on attracting digital nomads as they believe they are the key to the development of the digital economy of the islands.
