Property
Registered private ownership with a functioning cadastre programme
Cabo Verde recognises private freehold ownership under the Código Civil, with registration through the Conservatória do Registo Predial. A national cadastre programme has substantially increased registration coverage.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Conservatórias do Registo Predial register title; Tribunais de Comarca hear disputes.
- Deadline — Registration of a transfer: at the Conservatória do Registo Predial following the deed
- Deadline — Cadastral declaration: within the period set for each island's cadastre campaign
Governing law
- Código CivilPortuguese-derived, as adapted
- Lei n° 63/VIII/2014 sobre o cadastro predial
- Código do Registo Predial
In practice
Unlike most African states in this region, Cabo Verde has genuine private freehold rather than state ownership with use rights, and its island-by-island cadastre programme has produced comparatively reliable title records. Emigrant ownership is a distinctive feature: a large diaspora holds property at home, and succession disputes frequently involve heirs resident in Portugal, the United States or the Netherlands.