Dealing with Construction Permits in
Cape Verde
Listed below is detailed summary of the procedures, time and costs to build a warehouse —including obtaining necessary licenses and permits, completing required notifications and inspections and obtaining utility connections.
The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.
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Building a warehouse
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Estimated Warehouse Value:
CVE 39,018,000
- City: Praia
| No. |
Procedure |
Time to Complete |
Associated Costs |
| 1 |
Request and obtain plot map from Municipality
The plot map must be recent (within the year at the most). To produce the plot map, the municipality must send an expert to the actual plot. Each neighborhood is assigned a specific day for this type of work. The neighborhood in Praia where the warehouse is likely to be is in Achada Grande or Tira Chapeu, the more industrial parts of the city.
Documents to submit: Location plant (updated after 1 year), zone number, owner, number of floors to be build. The plot map will show any traffic impact such as parking space needed.
The municipality issues this permit only if all tax charges have been paid. BuildCo to prove that all taxes have bee paid presents its IUP (Imposto Único sobre o Património ) payment receipt (the IUP is a receipt for transfer of property, obtained when purchasing the property – this is a one time tax paid on any transfer of property) –valued at 3 % of the property value).
Sequence: The entrepreneur requests the plot map; 15 days later the municipality sends an inspector; 4/5 days municipality issues a second plot map that has to be signed by the Secretary Director; 1 week/10 days later you pay and pick up your plot map.
Agency: Municipality
|
29 days
|
CVE 2,000
|
| * 2 |
Receive inspection from Municipality to obtain plot map
Agency: Municipality
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 3 |
Request and obtain property title from Property Registry
Agency: Property Registry
|
7 days
|
CVE 500
|
| 4 |
Submit and obtain approval of architectural plans from municipality
The architectural plans can be completed by any registered architect. There is no requirement to hire an architect with any special license to draw the plans. After the architectural plans are completed, the architect usually submits them to the city hall for approval in two copies, along with the plot map and a statement from the architect who produced the plans. In most (or even all) cases, the submitted plans do not comply fully with regulations; back-and-forth discussions ensue between the municipality and the architect. On average, the plans are resubmitted two or three times. The plans are reviewed by different municipal departments. After the plans are approved, the company must collect them at the city hall and pay the approval fee. In the past, the approval fee depended on the number of pages in the approval file. Now, the fee varies by type of project.
Agency: Municipality
|
31 days
|
CVE 20,000
|
| 5 |
Submit and obtain structural plans for approval
The company must submit the plans along with an affidavit from the responsible architect or engineer. The utility plans (water, sewage, electricity) are submitted later, during or at the end of construction, to Electra (the utility provider). After the plans are approved, the company must collect them at the city hall and pay the approval fee. In the past, the approval fee depended on the number of pages in the approval file. Now, the fee varies by the type of project.
Agency: Municipality
|
24 days
|
CVE 20,000
|
| 6 |
Request and obtain building permit
The company must submit a form requesting the permit. The same form can be used for a new construction or for an extension of an existing permit. This form includes the dates of approval of architectural and structural plans, the information about the land owner, and the information about the responsible architect or engineer. The fee is based on the construction project’s size, traffic impact, and duration (3, 6, or 12 months).
Agency: Municipality
|
7 days
|
CVE 75,000
|
| 7 |
Receive a pre-construction visit
An officer from the municipality visits the plot and marks the location of the construction before the work starts. It may take 30 days for the municipality inspects only once a week and there is a limit to the number of site inspections that can be done per week. BuildCo while constructing needs to display its permit in a visible location.
Agency: Municipality
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 8 |
Receive a random inspection by municipality
During construction, there are two types of inspection to check if (1) the building permit was granted and (2) construction is being carried out according to the plan. Although the first type is almost always done once, the second type hardly ever occurs barring a problem with construction. Likewise, the Labor Inspectorate inspects only after an accident.
Agency: Municipality
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| 9 |
Notify the Municipality about completion of construction and request occupancy permit
If any changes are made to the initial approved plans, BuildCo submits a request with the redrawn plans. The municipality sets an inspection date. During inspection, over a few hours, the whole building—plumbing, wood work, and so forth—is checked. The next day, BuildCo can collect the occupancy permit from the municipality.
BuildCo also applies for sewage connection with the municipality.
Agency: Municipality
|
1 day
|
CVE 2,000
|
| * 10 |
Receive final inspection from Municipality
During the inspection, a representative of the municipality checks if construction was done according to the plan.
Agency: Municipality
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 11 |
Obtain Occupancy Permit
Occupancy permit is required before you request utilities hook up.
Agency: Municipality
|
22 days
|
no charge
|
| * 12 |
Request water & sewage connection
For the utility connections, BuildCo must constantly follow up with the provider to get the connection on time.
Agency: Electra
|
1 day
|
CVE 50,000
|
| * 13 |
Receive inspection from Electra
Agency: Electra
|
1 day
|
no charge
|
| * 14 |
Obtain water & sewage connection
At this stage, BuildCo submits the electrical and the water and sewage plans for approval. Electra (the utility provider) inspects the site to check the electric work. Then the connection is completed. If the warehouse is not far from one of the water main or electricity centers, the connections are made free of charge, and the user pays only for consumption. Normally, the company builds the connection up to the point at which it becomes free of charge (to save time and money). To get connected, the applicant must submit the certificate of occupancy. However, in practice, consumers are connected without completing Procedures 10 and 11.
Agency: Electra
|
14 days
|
no charge
|
| * 15 |
Request and receive connection to telephone from Cabo Verde Telecom
Agency: Cabo Verde Telecom
|
14 days
|
CVE 3,000
|
| * 16 |
Register the building in the municipality (certidão matricial)
The building registration fee is 3% of project value. This is just an update of the existing registration of the land. BuildCo submits an application stating that there is a new building on land so that the certificate is updated.
Agency: Municipality
|
7 days
|
CVE 1,170,540
|
| * 17 |
Register the building with the Property Registry (certidão predial)
Although not mandatory, BuildCo must register the building if it wants to sell the property. The AUD 2 fee is paid only to the Property Registry.
Agency: Property Registry
|
21 days
|
CVE 176
|
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.