Foreign buyers, Italian citizens included, can purchase property on Boa Vista by following the procedures laid down by local law. Below you will find the general steps that usually make up a purchase abroad: the order and the details may vary depending on the property and your personal situation.
1. Clarify your goal
Before you even think about the property, decide what you are looking for: a home to use often and manage yourself, or an investment with professional management and limited personal use. The choice changes the type of property, the area and how you assess it. The comparison between an apartment and an Apart-Hotel will help.
2. Visit the island and the properties
Seeing things in person is still the best way to decide. We organise exploratory trips to Boa Vista to get to know the area, visit the projects and assess the opportunities. If you cannot travel straight away, a video call is a good first step.
3. Have the property checked by a local professional
Before signing any document, a professional qualified in Cape Verde (a lawyer or notary) should check, among other things:
- who the owner is and whether they are entitled to sell;
- the status of the property in the public registers;
- whether there are any mortgages, encumbrances or debts;
- for properties under construction, the planning documents for the project and the guarantees provided for in the contract.
4. Prepare your personal documents
As a rule you need a valid identity document and a local tax identification number. Exactly which documents are required, and how to obtain them, should be checked with the professional handling the purchase.
5. Preliminary contract and traceable payments
The purchase often goes through a preliminary contract setting out the agreed terms (price, timescales, payment terms). It is advisable for every payment to be made by traceable bank transfer and for the contract to be read by a lawyer before signing.
6. Final deed and registration
The sale is completed with the final deed and the subsequent registration in the buyer’s name. Costs, taxes and timescales should be requested in advance from the notary or the professional in charge: we do not quote figures in this guide because they depend on the specific case and may change.
7. Obligations in your home country
Anyone who is tax resident in Italy and owns a property abroad normally also has reporting and tax obligations in Italy. Other countries may have similar rules, so whatever your country of tax residence, speak to your accountant before the purchase, so that you know in advance what it involves.
We support you at every stage
Our group has been working on Boa Vista for almost 30 years and supports clients from the choice of investment through to the paperwork, and on to after-sales support, in collaboration with local professionals.
Would you like to talk it through with a person?
Book a video call or message us on WhatsApp: we will answer your questions about Boa Vista and The View.
