How to Move to Brazil: Immigration and Citizenship Options
The visas options, immigration steps and naturalization in Brazil
Visa and Citizenship Options in a Nutshell
I know the feeling. You read the Introduction to Brazil, and you’ve imagined how life would be in this beautiful, tropical country. Now, you might be asking yourself: “How can I become a resident of Brazil?”
Put very shortly, there are 6 relevant visa/residency options:
Mercosur, Nomad, Family Reunion, Retiree, Entrepreneur, and Investor.
The cost for the process ranges from US$ 2000.00 to US$ 4,000.00, depending on the type of residency and the documentation necessary.
Once you have lived in Brazil long enough, you can apply for citizenship. This takes:
1 year of permanent residency if married to a Brazilian, has a Brazilian child, or comes from a Portuguese-speaking country.
2 years of permanent residency for serving the country or excelling in an artistic, scientific, or business capacity.
4 years of permanent residency otherwise.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, let’s dive deeper into the visa options and the immigration process.
Residence in Brazil in Detail
The easiest option is to be a citizen of a country in Mercosur (Mercosul in Portuguese), such as Argentina, Colombia, or Paraguay. In this case, by having this citizenship you can obtain the Mercosur temporary visa, which gives you the right to live and work in Brazil for two years. After the second year, it is possible to obtain a permanent Mercosur visa.
For readers from other countries where this is not possible, Brazil has some fairly accessible immigration paths, especially with the Brazilian Real devalued as it is.
One of the easiest options is the recently approved Digital Nomad Visa, valid for one year and renewable for another.
To qualify, the applicant must prove that they:
have a monthly income of at least 1.500 USD, or
have at least 18.000 USD in their bank account.
Other requirements are rather standard for this type of visa, such as health insurance, a clean criminal record, etc. This, however, is a temporary visa that does not lead to permanent residency or citizenship.
For those looking to settle down in Brazil, besides standard visa options through work, family reunion, or study, Brazil also has a number of paths to obtain a permanent visa (VIPER) immediately.
Entrepreneurs can obtain a visa investing 500.000 BRL ($97.000) in an existing or new business entity. Investments of 150,000 BRL ($29.000) in technology or research areas or that hire 10 Brazilian employees may also qualify.
There is no established requirement regarding where the investment should be spent, and it could be in real estate, stocks, or setting up a business. This visa also allows one to bring the family to the country too.
Retirees (accompanied by up to two dependents) who can prove that they can transfer a monthly amount equal to or greater than 6000.00 BRL ($1160) to Brazil can also obtain a permanent visa. If the applicant has more than two dependents, he will have to transfer an amount equivalent to 2000.00 BRL ($387) for each dependent exceeding two.
Speaking of dependents, another interesting alternative is to marry a Brazilian or have a child in Brazil. Any person born in Brazil gets Brazilian citizenship and the parents get access to permanent residency to take care of the child. This also has advantages for your own citizenship process, as we will see later in the citizenship section.
Those looking to invest in Real Estate can also obtain permanent residency. The minimum investment in real estate ready or under construction is 700,000 BRL ($136.000, for the Northern and Northeastern states) and 1 million BRL ($194.000, for the other regions). This applies to both residential and commercial properties, but only to urban properties - rural properties are not included.
The real estate investor must remain in the country for at least 30 days during the period granted in the residence permit. During the two-year period, the property must be maintained and remain with the same owner. After the two-year period, the residency becomes permanent.
Once you obtain your visa or residence permit, you should register at the RNE (National Registry of Foreigners). You must apply for registration within ninety days from the date of entry into the national territory.
You have to apply at the Regional Superintendences of the Federal Police (Polícia Federal) to obtain a Registro Nacional Migratório number (RNM, National Migratory Registry) and receive your Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório (CRNM, National Migratory Registry Card).
For that, you will need to fill out a form and provide documentation including:
Travel document
Visa granted by a Brazilian Embassy
Birth certificate (or marriage certificate, when married or divorced)
Documents not in Portuguese have to be translated by a sworn translator.
How to Acquire Real Estate in Brazil
The process of acquiring real estate in Brazil as a foreigner looks like this:
First of all, the person must obtain a CPF number (registration number as physical person), which can be done in Brazil or any embassy or consulate of Brazil abroad. If the person already has a residence permit in Brazil, the person will have to provide their RNM number, otherwise an authenticated passport copy. Further, if the person is married, the spouse will also have to obtain a CPF as well.
Should the person not want to be in Brazil for the purchase, they can prepare a power of attorney and have it legalized when visiting the Brazilian consulate.
With the CPF number in hand, the following documents are required for the acquisition of urban real estate:
CPF
Passport
Proof of residence
Birth or marriage certificate with a sworn translation
There are additional requirements for foreigners looking to acquire rural properties. Besides the documents listed above, they must provide proof of residence in Brazil, and the area of the property shall not exceed fifty modules total, the size of which varies according to the location (from around 5 to 110 hectares in some cases).
Cost-wise, besides any fees for deeds, realtors, and document notarization, it is worth mentioning that the Real Estate Transfer Tax (ITBI) is paid by the buyer, and ranges from 2 to 3% in most cities.
Once the deal is finalized, the person can then transfer the sum. Bank accounts in Brazil can generally only be opened to residents in the country, so for the visa acquisition, the sum will have to be transferred from a foreign account. As these sums are quite high, the transferor must prove the reason for the transfer so that the Central Bank of Brazil releases the amount. This proof can be a Deed of Purchase and Sale of Real Estate or a private instrument.
How and Why Get a Brazilian Citizenship
Coming to the topic of nationality, Brazil is an interesting option for second citizenship.
For those married to a Brazilian citizen or who is a parent of a Brazilian citizen, naturalization is possible in only one year - yes, one! - of uninterrupted permanent residency. For immigrants from Portuguese-speaking countries, the same one year applies.
The residence requirement is of two years in case the person has rendered or can render relevant service to the Country; or has been recommended for his professional, scientific, or artistic ability. This will apply mostly to well-connected or renowned artists, scientists, businessmen, or those who render heroic acts.
For all other cases, the requirement is to have been a permanent resident of Brazil for at least four years.
General requirements include being able to communicate in Portuguese, having no criminal convictions, or having been rehabilitated under the terms of the law.
Brazilian citizenship is a great option for non-Mercosur citizens as it gives free access to live and work in any country belonging to the Mercosur block.
With the approval of the CPLP visa and residence last year, Brazilian citizens will soon have the same mobility in all Portuguese-speaking countries - Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé e Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.
The Brazilian passport is above average for Latin America, being ranked 18th globally and giving Visa-Free or Visa on Arrival access to 130 countries. This includes the Schengen area but does not include the USA, Canada, China, Japan, or Australia. However, unlike most EU countries, Brazil has 90-day visa-free access to Russia.
Brazil as a country also allows dual citizenship. For males, it is important to notice that the country imposes mandatory military service for one year. However, in practice, people are not forced to serve against their will - one is asked at their enlistment if they want to serve or not and those who do not want can usually go home.
Once a citizen is exempted, he is given either an Enlistment Certificate, Reservist Certificate, Certificate of Exemption, or Certificate of Dispensation from Incorporation, depending on the case.
To sum up, Brazilian citizenship provides a solid passport with great mobility in two large economic blocs. Given the right conditions, it can be one of the fastest second citizenships to obtain, and therefore, offers a solid and fast plan B.
Conclusion
That was it for today’s overview of migration and citizenship in Brazil.
If you are interested in moving to Brazil, reach out. I’m glad to put you in touch with my local lawyers so they can help you. As mentioned, expect to pay around US$ 2000.00 to US$ 4,000.00 for the whole process, depending on the type of residency and the documentation necessary.
The two remaining posts for this first guide will be about tax optimization and companies.
Stay toon’d