Identity verification in Cape Verde
Executive summary. Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) is a small archipelago nation of approximately 600,000 people in the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa, with a services-driven economy anchored by tourism, remittances, and a growing fintech sector. Its AML/CFT framework operates under the supervision of the Banco de Cabo Verde (BCV) and aligns with GIABA (Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Launde
Documents supported
(Government IDs from 220+ countries)
Average verification time
Countries covered
(Government-issued IDs validated)
Market overview
Cabo Verde has a population of approximately 600,000 spread across ten islands, with Praia (Santiago) and Mindelo (Sao Vicente) as the main commercial centres. GDP per capita is among the highest in West Africa, driven by tourism, remittances from a large diaspora (estimated at over 500,000 abroad), and services. Three verticals drive KYC demand:
Supported documents
Didit templates cover national IDs, passports, residence permits and regional documents — plus 14,000+ documents globally for cross-border flows.
Regulators
regulated by the Banco de Cabo Verde, which supervises all deposit-taking institutions, payment service providers, and foreign-exchange operators
the FATF-style regional body for West Africa, under which Cabo Verde undergoes mutual evaluation
Direcção Geral dos Registos e Notariado
restricted
National ID card issued. Civil registration well-organized for small island population. E-government initiatives progressing.
Government & regulated databases
Compliance framework
AML framework
Supervised by Banking Law
- Lei de Prevencao e Combate ao Branqueamento de Capitais e ao Financiamento do Terrorismo — the principal AML/CFT law, requiring customer due diligence, suspicious-transaction reporting, and beneficial ownership identification for all obliged entities. - Law No. 133/V/2001 — on the protection of personal data, establishing data-subject rights and controller obligations. - Banking Law — regulated by the Banco de Cabo Verde, which supervises all deposit-taking institutions, payment service provid
Data protection
Supervised by National DPA
Law No. 133/V/2001 restricts cross-border personal-data transfers to jurisdictions with adequate protection levels or subject to appropriate safeguards. Transfers to EU/EEA countries are generally permitted given Cabo Verde's close institutional ties with Portugal and the EU. The national data prote
Penalties for non-compliance
Non-compliance in Cabo Verde carries consequences beyond administrative fines:
Use cases
Neobanks, EMIs, payment institutions, lenders, brokerages.
1. Document capture. Photograph or scan of the Bilhete de Identidade (front and back) or passport data page. 2. Liveness and biometric match. Selfie with liveness detection, matched against the document portrait. 3. Data extraction. Full name, date of birth, document number, NIF, expiry date. 4. PEP
Exchanges, custodians, wallets, on/off-ramps.
Cabo Verde does not yet have a dedicated virtual-asset regulatory framework. However, VASPs operating in or serving Cabo Verdean residents would fall under general AML/CFT obligations supervised by the BCV. Standard CDD applies: document verification, biometric matching, source-of-funds declarations
Sports betting, online casinos, age-gated platforms.
The gambling sector in Cabo Verde is small. Any regulated operators must comply with general AML/CFT obligations, including age verification, identity document checks, and suspicious-transaction reporting.
Gig platforms, delivery, creator economy, e-commerce.
Marketplace platforms serving Cabo Verdean users face CDD obligations primarily through:
Biometric liveness
Cabo Verdean national ID cards are not chip-enabled biometric cards in the current generation. Verification therefore relies on optical character recognition of the document combined with facial biometric matching via liveness detection. ISO 30107-3-compliant liveness checks paired with document-portrait comparison are the standard for remote onboarding. ---
CERTIFICATIONS
Our platform meets the highest international standards for information security, data privacy, and biometric accuracy.
Full EU data protection compliance
Information security management
PAD (liveness + face match)
TRUSTED WORLDWIDE
Join thousands of companies that trust Didit for their verification needs
Didit’s NFC + active biometrics technology blocks the most advanced fraud scenarios, offering a level of security equivalent to or superior to in-person verification.
Spanish Financial Sandbox
CNMV, SEPBLAC & Spanish Treasury — Conclusions Report
Didit is an exceptionally valuable partner, delivering a stable and highly adaptable solution”.
Vuk Adžić
Head of the E-Business Department at Crnogorski Telekom
Didit offered us a robust technology with a simple implementation and adaptability to different markets”.
Fernando Pinto
CEO & CoFounder at TucanPay
Thanks to Didit we have been able to reduce manual processes and improve data extraction accuracy”.
Diana Garcia
Trust & Safety Executive at Shiply
Didit’s integration slashed verification times and costs, freeing resources for other projects”.
Guillem Medina
COO at GBTC Finance
Didit removed KYC costs, enabling faster scaling with high verification standards and less fraud.”
Paul Martin
VP Marketing & Growth at Bondex
Didit’s secure, user-friendly verification boosts customer trust and optimizes our process.”
Cristofer Montenegro
Executive assistant to the CEO at Adelantos
Didit ensures a precise, secure digital onboarding without slowing negotiations or client time.”
Ernesto Betancourth
Gerente de riesgos at CrediDemo
FAQ
Yes. Cape Verde permits remote KYC onboarding under its national AML framework, including document verification, biometric liveness and video identification where required by regulation.
Didit verifies all major national IDs, passports and residence permits issued in Cape Verde, plus 14,000+ document types globally for cross-border flows.
Didit charges $0.30 per verification with 500 free checks per month. No contracts, no minimums. Competitors typically charge $1.00–$2.50+ per verification.
Yes. Didit screens against 1,000+ global watchlists including PEP databases, sanctions lists (EU, UN, OFAC, OFSI), and adverse media — covering all AML obligations in Cape Verde.
Most regulated sectors in Cape Verde require or strongly recommend biometric liveness detection for remote onboarding. Didit provides ISO 30107-3 PAD Level 2 certified liveness.
Yes. Didit supports document verification, liveness, AML screening and ongoing monitoring aligned with Cape Verde’s crypto regulatory framework, including EU Travel Rule compliance where applicable.
Yes. Didit provides document-based age verification and identity confirmation suitable for Cape Verde’s iGaming regulatory requirements.
500 free verifications per month. No contracts, no minimums. $0.30 per verification after the free tier.
