Hi Steve,
Why Boavista. It is sparsely populated, has very litttle infrastructure and the only real economic driver there is tourism. So unless you just want a very quiet retirement with little opportunity for cultural exposure, that is, if you are planning a business to engage in the tourism sector, I would not recommend Boavista for retirement.
If you plan business in the tourism industry, you should consider the other tourist island which is Sal. You will find that Sal has much more infrastructure beyond the basics in place. In addition, there are twice as many tourists visiting Sal than Boavista. In addition, Sal has the international hub airport which links CV to the rest of the world. Boavista only has flights from source tourist countries.
If you want a richer cultural experience and more interaction with the local community, ypu should consider Santiago (but it's more densely populated), São Vicente (but it has extremely high unemployment) or Fogo (which in my opinion is the best balance but has no international airport).
If you are interested, I have written an eGuide to Living, Working and Retiring in Cape Verde. It goes into a lot more detail on all aspects of each island. You can access a preview of it >>here<<.
One final thing you should know: if you retire in Cape Verde, you are entitled to permanent residence immediately provided you can prove you have a pension that exceeds €1.000 per month. You simply enter on a 30-day visitor's visa, and then immediately apply for the permanent residence at the local immigration department (after you have found your living accomodations). After 5 years of living here, you can then apply for CV citizenship and a CV passport.
Contact me via the private chat if you have any additional questions.
Best regards,
Angelo
Hi
I’m considering relocating/retiring early to Cape Verde - in particular to Boa Vista
Just wondering if there are any expats that have done the same and how you are finding it?
Any thoughts, ideas or info from your personal experience would be incredibly helpful
Many thanks in advance
Steve
