Cabo Verde insurance for nomads

Cabo Verde has a public system built around two central hospitals, Hospital Agostinho Neto in Praia and Hospital Baptista de Sousa in Mindelo, backed by regional health centres on the other islands. It is not free, even for residents, and the US State Department describes public clinics as lacking basic resources and supplies. For day-to-day care, nomads use the private sector instead, which is concentrated on the islands tourists and remote workers actually live on: São Francisco de Assis in Praia, Clínica do Sal in Santa Maria, and tourist-focused clinics like Clinitur on Sal and Clinica Boa Esperança on Boa Vista.

English is the dividing line. In public health centres consultations run almost entirely in Portuguese or Cape Verdean Creole, while the private clinics aimed at visitors keep English-speaking and often multilingual staff, which is the practical reason to default to private care. Emergency numbers are 130 for medical, 132 for police and 131 for fire, but ambulance coverage is thin and slow, and travellers are often advised to reach a hospital by taxi rather than wait. Pharmacies are common in the main towns and stock most routine medicines, though supply can be patchy on smaller islands. The detail that defines insurance here is evacuation: a serious case is typically flown to mainland Europe, and the islands of Brava and Santo Antão no longer have working airports, so a medical emergency there can mean a sea crossing before a flight is even possible.

For short visits, US, British, Canadian and Australian travellers do not need a visa for stays of up to 30 days. What everyone does need is the EASE pre-registration: you complete the online traveller form (at ease.gov.cv) at least five days before arrival and pay the airport security tax, the TASE, of 3,400 CVE, around 30 euros, either online or on arrival. From 1 July 2026, arriving without completed pre-registration means paying double at the border. Your passport must be valid for at least six months. Travel insurance is not a legal condition of tourist entry, though given the upfront-payment culture and evacuation distances it is strongly advised.

To stay and work remotely, Cabo Verde runs the Remote Working Program, open to non-residents who earn their income from clients or employers outside the country. The visa is granted for six months and can be renewed once for a further six. Here insurance is not a suggestion but a documented requirement: applicants must hold valid travel and health insurance that covers medical evacuation and repatriation of remains, alongside proof of income (commonly cited as an average bank balance of about 1,500 euros over the prior six months for an individual, or about 2,700 euros for a family), accommodation and a clean criminal record. There is no published minimum coverage sum, so the sensible standard is a policy that clearly includes emergency evacuation and overseas treatment rather than just a headline number. We break down the eligibility and the insurance clause on the Cabo Verde digital nomad visa page.

• Off-island evacuation. Serious cases are flown to mainland Europe, and Brava and Santo Antão have no working airport, so evacuation cover is the single most important line in your policy here.
• Pay upfront, claim later. Hospitals and clinics generally want payment before treatment even if you are insured, so keep a card or cash buffer and save every receipt.
• Tap water. It is desalinated and fine for showering but not for drinking; stick to bottled water, and be extra careful after heavy rain when damaged pipes can cause contamination.
• Mosquito-borne illness. Cabo Verde was certified malaria-free by the WHO in January 2024, but dengue and Zika still circulate, with a dengue rise reported on Santiago and Fogo in late 2025, so use repellent.
• Petty crime in Praia. The capital sees more pickpocketing, bag-snatching and occasional muggings than the resort islands, especially at night and around the Sucupira market, so keep phones and cameras out of sight.