Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde Remote Working Program: health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Cabo Verde's Remote Working Program lets non-residents who earn their income outside the country live on the islands for six months, renewable once for a further six. It is one of the clearer schemes on insurance: applicants must hold travel and health cover that includes medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. There is no published minimum coverage sum, so the priority is a policy that clearly includes evacuation and overseas treatment.
The requirements at a glance
| Repatriation required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of stay |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | Proof of valid travel and health insurance covering medical evacuation and repatriation of remains, uploaded with the online application (alongside bank statement or payslips, accommodation proof and criminal record check). |
Open to non-residents who are self-employed or work remotely for clients/employers outside Cabo Verde. Proof of income is commonly cited as an average bank balance of about 1,500 euros over six months for an individual, or about 2,700 euros for a family, though no single official salary figure is published. Passport valid 6+ months, accommodation booking and a clean criminal record are also required. Visa fee is 20 euros plus a 34 euro airport fee. Remote-work income earned abroad is not taxed locally.
Our take
Cabo Verde is one of the few nomad programs that writes the insurance requirement out in plain terms: it is not just travel and health cover, it must include medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. Treat that as the spec, not a formality, and check those two words appear in your policy wording.
There is no government-set coverage amount, which means a cheap policy with a low headline limit can technically tick the box while leaving you exposed. Because a serious case here is flown to mainland Europe, choose a plan with a high evacuation limit and overseas treatment, not the minimum that satisfies a checkbox.
What happens if you get it wrong
A policy that excludes or sub-limits medical evacuation. This archipelago routinely flies complex cases to Europe, and two islands (Brava and Santo Antao) have no working airport, so a weak evacuation clause is the failure point that the visa rule is specifically trying to prevent.
Assuming insurance gets you treated without paying. Hospitals and private clinics generally demand upfront payment even from insured patients, so you pay first and claim back. Without a card or cash buffer and saved receipts, a valid policy still leaves you stuck at the desk.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Cape Verde without insurance?
You pay, out of pocket
$1,500–$8,000
A serious private admission or common surgery.
Bars to scale. A flight home is in another league.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Yes. Applicants must hold valid travel and health insurance, and the requirement specifically names coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains.
No official minimum sum is published. Because serious cases are evacuated to Europe, the sensible standard is a policy with a high evacuation limit and overseas treatment rather than a low headline figure.
It is granted for six months and can be renewed once for a further six months, giving up to a year in total.
No single official salary figure is published. It is commonly cited as an average bank balance of about 1,500 euros over six months for an individual, or about 2,700 euros for a family. Confirm current figures with the consulate.
No. There is no requirement to buy from a local insurer; an international travel and health policy is accepted, as long as it covers medical evacuation and repatriation.
Reviewed by Lukas Schönberg, Founder & researcher, Nomad Insurance Broker OÜ
Nomad Insurance Broker OÜ (Estonia) is an information and matching platform, not currently registered as a regulated insurance intermediary in any jurisdiction. See /how-it-works for the full disclosure.
Source: visit-caboverde.comLast verified
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