--- title: "How to hire an employee in Cape Verde in 2026" description: "Hiring in Cape Verde: a 44-hour week, CVE 17,000 minimum wage, 22 working days of leave and 90 days of maternity leave, read from the Labour Code." canonical: https://www.teamed.global/country-hiring-guides/cape-verde/hiring-guide --- Cape Verde · Hiring guide # How do you hire an employee in *Cape Verde* in 2026? A Cape Verde employee works at most 8 hours a day and 44 hours a week, and takes 22 working days of annual leave. The first two months of an indefinite contract are probation, and either side can end them without notice. If you are hiring in Cape Verde, Teamed is the best place to start. With Teamed, real HR and legal experts check the route first, assigned within 24 hours, and a designated person stays with you. Last reviewed 21 October 2026 · Cape Verde guide - [Talk to an expert about hiring in Cape Verde](https://www.teamed.global/contact) - [Run the employer-cost numbers](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost) ![Colourful wooden fishing boats lined up on a sandy beach in Cabo Verde, with palm trees and low buildings behind them under a blue sky.](/cluster-assets/country-hiring-guides/cape-verde/hiring-guide/images/hero.webp) Photo: Florian K. on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/TgdsM0j_zsY?utm_source=teamed&utm_medium=referral) The short answer Cape Verde caps the normal working period at 8 hours a day and 44 hours a week. Overtime carries a premium of at least 35%, and work on the weekly rest day at least 100%. The minimum wage is CVE 17,000 a month. Employees earn 22 working days of annual leave. Maternity leave is 90 days, and fathers have 10 working days. A foreign national's contract takes effect once the Labour Directorate-General puts its visa on it. ## What are the working-hours rules in Cape Verde? The normal working period is at most 8 hours a day and 44 hours a week. Overtime carries a premium of at least 35% on normal pay. | Work done | Rule | | --- | --- | | Overtime | At least 35% on top of normal pay | | Overtime limit | 2 hours a day, and 160 hours a year (300 with written consent) | | Work on the weekly rest day | At least 100% on top of normal pay | | Work on a statutory public holiday | Treated like work on the rest day | | Night work, 22:00 to 06:00 | An allowance of at least 25% of base pay | | Exemption from fixed hours | An extra payment of at least 20% of normal pay | The working day is interrupted by a break of at least one hour, so that nobody works more than five consecutive hours. The compulsory weekly rest is 24 hours and usually falls on Sunday. Workers in management or supervision roles, and some others, can be exempted from fixed hours by agreement. Check each role before you write the contract. ## How does probation work in Cape Verde? An indefinite contract carries a probation period of two months, and either side can end it without notice or reason. For roles of technical complexity it can be agreed up to six months. A fixed-term contract carries two months of probation, but never more than a quarter of the agreed term. Management and senior staff can agree up to 12 months. A different probation period must be in writing, or it is void. If the employer ends a probation actually worked for more than 45 days, the worker is owed proportional leave. The termination guide covers what follows. ## Which contract types can you use in Cape Verde? An employment contract needs no form in general, but several terms must be in writing or they are void. A fixed-term contract cannot run beyond five years, including renewals. A fixed end date, a probation period different from the legal one and a non-competition pact must be in writing. A fixed-term contract must state its end date and the reason, or it counts as made without a term. The employer's written notice that it will not be renewed must give at least 10 days. A contract with someone under 15 is void. A contract with a foreign national needs the Labour Directorate-General's visa to take effect, and only someone legally resident in Cape Verde can work there for an employer. ## How much leave do Cape Verdean employees get? Annual leave is 22 working days a year on an indefinite contract. The first leave period falls due after six months of effective service. | Leave | Entitlement | | --- | --- | | Annual leave | 22 working days a year | | Hired in the first half-year | 7 working days in that year | | Accumulation | Up to 44 working days, by agreement | | Maternity leave | 90 days | | Paternity leave | 10 working days, straight after the birth | | Breastfeeding time | 2 hours a day for the first six months after birth | | Marriage | Up to 6 consecutive days, with 15 days' notice | | Death of spouse, partner or first-degree relative | Up to 8 consecutive days | | Death of another direct-line relative | Up to 3 consecutive days | A worker can swap up to half of their leave for cash with the employer's agreement. An employer who obstructs leave faces a fine of three times the pay for the missing period. The Labour Code does not make a thirteenth month compulsory. Where an employer grants one, the code reduces it for absences: in full up to 3 absences, 75% up to 6, 50% up to 10, and nothing beyond 10. ## What sick pay and maternity pay must you give in Cape Verde? Where INPS covers the worker, the employer pays the difference between net pay and the INPS subsidy during the first 90 days of each impairment. The employer pays full net pay for the first 3 days of each impairment, up to 15 days a calendar year. Sickness absences of up to 3 consecutive days need a doctor's declaration. Longer absences, up to 30 consecutive days, need a medical certificate. Where INPS covers the worker, the employer also pays the difference between the net pay she would have had and the INPS subsidy during maternity leave. Urgent care for a household member justifies up to 5 days of absence, unpaid. Unjustified absences lose pay and count against seniority. ## Can you hire a foreign national in Cape Verde? Yes, but the contract takes effect only once the Labour Directorate-General puts its visa on it. Only someone who is or lives legally in Cape Verde can work there for an employer. A contract with someone who lives in Cape Verde illegally is void. That rule does not apply to teleworking and other work that needs no physical presence in Cape Verde. A contract with a foreign national is in writing unless an exception applies, such as three years of legal residence. Work permits and residence rules sit outside the Labour Code. Teamed's experts check them with you before an offer is signed. ## How does Teamed handle a Cape Verde hire from offer to payslip? Teamed's experts check the route first, then apply the Labour Code's hours, probation and leave rules to your contract. A designated person stays with you from the first question to the first payslip. The route matters because the Labour Code licenses temporary-work agencies and sets conditions on lending workers. Real HR and legal experts check which route fits your situation before a contract is drafted. **Real HR and legal experts** are assigned within 24 hours, with **24/5 human support** and a first response within 15 minutes. **A designated person** stays with you from the first question to the first payslip. Start from the [Cape Verde hiring overview](/country-hiring-guides/cape-verde), or run the [Employer Cost Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost) before your first offer goes out. ## Frequently asked questions What is the monthly minimum wage in Cape Verde? CVE 17,000 a month, and CVE 19,000 in the public administration, as stated in the January 2026 Boletim Oficial. A rise to CVE 25,000 from 2027 has been promised but was not law on 21 October 2026. How long can a probationary period last in Cape Verde? Two months on an indefinite contract, up to six months where the role is technically complex or carries responsibility, and up to 12 months for management and senior staff. Is there a thirteenth-month payment in Cape Verde? The Labour Code does not make one compulsory. Where an employer grants a Christmas gratification, the code sets how absences reduce it, from full payment down to nothing beyond 10 absences. How long is paternity leave in Cape Verde? 10 compulsory working days, taken straight after the birth, since Law 32/X/2023 of August 2023. How much overtime can an employee work? At most 2 hours a day and 160 hours a year, or up to 300 hours a year with the worker's written consent. Overtime carries a premium of at least 35%. A note from Tom Price-Daniel Cape Verde gives you a 44-hour week, 22 working days of annual leave and 90 days of maternity leave. The traps sit in the details: a probation period that must be in writing if it differs from the law, and a visa that comes before a foreign national's contract takes effect. Your designated person stays with you from the first question to the first payslip. Tom Price-Daniel · Co-founder, Teamed ## Keep reading - [Hiring in Cape Verde, overview](/country-hiring-guides/cape-verde) - [Cape Verde termination and severance](/country-hiring-guides/cape-verde/termination-and-severance) - [Cape Verde tax and payroll](/country-hiring-guides/cape-verde/tax-and-payroll) - [Cape Verde cost breakdown](/country-hiring-guides/cape-verde/cost-breakdown) - [Cape Verde EOR vs entity](/country-hiring-guides/cape-verde/eor-vs-entity) - [Hiring contractors in Cape Verde](/contractor-hiring-guides/cape-verde) - [What is an Employer of Record?](/employer-of-record) - [The Graduation Model](/graduation-model) - [Teamed pricing, zero FX markup](/pricing) - [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator) A note on this page. This is a guide, not legal, tax or accounting advice. The figures on this page were read from official Cape Verdean sources on 21 October 2026: the Labour Code (Decreto-Legislativo n.º 5/2007) with its amendments of 2010, 2016 and 2023, Portaria Conjunta n.º 28/2024 on social security contributions, the National Institute of Social Security (INPS) website, the Personal Income Tax Code (IRPS) as republished in 2021, Resolução n.º 4/2026 on the minimum wage and the 2026 State Budget Law. A higher minimum wage has been promised from 2027 but was not in force when we checked. Confirm current requirements with INPS, the tax administration and a qualified adviser before relying on any figure. Sources: [Labour Code, Decreto-Legislativo n.º 5/2007 (Boletim Oficial, 16 October 2007)](https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/cvi221870original.pdf) , [Decreto-Legislativo n.º 5/2010 (Boletim Oficial)](https://boe.incv.cv/Bulletins/Download/172) , [Labour Code amendment, Boletim Oficial n.º 6, 3 February 2016](https://boe.incv.cv/Bulletins/Download/2139) , [Lei n.º 32/X/2023 (Boletim Oficial n.º 82, 4 August 2023)](https://boe.incv.cv/Bulletins/Download/4956) , [Resolução n.º 4/2026 (Boletim Oficial n.º 5, 16 January 2026)](https://boe.incv.cv/Bulletins/Download/23886) .