Romantic relationship in Cabo Verde

Private dating generally refers to getting to know someone and conducting a romantic relationship privately. There is no state registration, national dating platform, or documented general eligibility requirement, fee, or waiting period for this in Cabo Verde. Reliable national data on the use of dating apps or particular meeting places are not available. Couples may marry or, if the conditions are met, have a de facto union recognized. According to the available information, recognition requires a stable, exclusive, and serious life together between two persons of different sexes, lasting at least three years and involving a shared life. The application is made to the registrar (Conservador) at the shared residence or at a civil registry office (Conservatória) or Civil Registry Delegation (Delegação do Registo Civil). Typical documents include an application, birth and residence records, a criminal-record certificate, a valid national identity card (CNI), where applicable birth certificates of joint children, and the CNI cards of three witnesses; foreign participants may also need a certificate of capacity to marry. A recognized de facto union generally has statutory effects like a marriage from its beginning. Even a non-recognized life together that meets the statutory conditions may, after it ends, give rise to claims for maintenance, a share of property acquired jointly, and the family home when minor children are involved. Such claims must be made within three years after the end. For a civil marriage, a birth certificate, proof of residence, valid identity documents, and at least two and at most four witnesses are required. A religious marriage has civil effect only after transcription in the Civil Registry (Registo Civil). A standard marriage certificate costs 150 CVE; a multilingual certificate costs 1,476 CVE and is valid for six months; transcription of a foreign marriage costs 2,875 CVE and may take up to 15 days. The fees for the marriage ceremony itself are not reliably documented nationwide. Rights and duties during the relationship depend mainly on marriage or a recognized de facto union. Private agreements do not replace official proof of status. For a recognized status, the social-security survivor's pension (INPS) may be available to spouses or recognized de facto unions: for women under 50 and men under 55, it is generally limited to a maximum of five years; from those age thresholds onward, or in the event of complete permanent incapacity to work, it may be paid for life. Health services and the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme (Programa Nacional de Saúde Sexual e Reprodutiva) provide, among other things, contraception and counselling on sexually transmitted infections and HIV. The national strategy for 2024–2028 and youth programmes are part of this area, but access to effective contraception remains limited according to WHO. For gender-based violence (VBG), the Portuguese abbreviation, the gender-equality institute (ICIEG), support offices (Gabinetes), and Victim Support Centres (Centros de Apoio às Vítimas), as well as the police, health services, legal advice, and shelters, can help. The number 132 is free; the relevant authority (MFIDS) additionally lists 800 18 18 as a free and confidential number on weekdays from 08:00 to 20:00. Every police station accepts complaints about gender-based violence, even if the relationship has already ended. A marriage ends through divorce (divórcio). By mutual agreement, the parties may submit agreements concerning children, property, and maintenance; the notarial route is available only when no minor or dependent child lacking legal capacity is involved. A foreign divorce requires transcription. The available sources do not establish a current procedure for same-sex marriage or a de facto union; at the same time, official human-rights documents cite a prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Claims about equality for same-sex partnerships would therefore not be reliable.