Moving to Brazil

Minimum monthly income of USD 1,500 (about EUR 1,380) OR available bank funds of at least USD 18,000 (about EUR 16,560) - either satisfies, not both. Must declare the ability to work remotely using information and communication technologies, produce an employment or services contract with a FOREIGN employer or client, and evidence subsistence means from a foreign source. Private health insurance valid in Brazil is mandatory. Also: passport with two free pages, ICAO photo, entry and exit reservation, legalised birth certificate, legalised criminal record certificate (16+), consular fee. Valid 1 year, renewable once for a second year (2 years maximum). EXPRESSLY EXCLUDES working for a Brazilian employer. Because the residence is time-limited rather than 'por prazo indeterminado', it is unlikely to count toward the 4-year ordinary naturalisation clock - treat conversion as unconfirmed. Brazil taxes tax-residents on worldwide income, and 183 days in a 12-month period triggers residence.

BRL 500,000 (about EUR 80,000) invested in a Brazilian legal entity. Note the visa is labelled VITEM IX by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - sources citing VITEM XIII are using an outdated label. The process STARTS IN BRAZIL: the Brazilian company or institution petitions the Ministry of Justice for a residence authorisation BEFORE any consulate will accept the visa application. The consular stage then requires a passport with a blank page, the online form and receipt, a 2x2 photo, a criminal background check issued within 3 months, a birth certificate copy and the fee (USD 290 for US passport holders, USD 100 for others, on a reciprocity basis). The investment must be maintained.

The EMPLOYER petitions via MigranteWeb 2.0 for a labour residence authorisation from the Brazilian labour authority, and this must be approved BEFORE any consular application. The worker then presents a valid passport with blank pages, a recent 5x7 photo under 6 months old, an apostilled birth certificate, an apostilled criminal record certificate (14+), the autorizacao de concessao de visto, professional activity documentation and the consular fee. Visa validity follows the residence authorisation granted. CRITICAL: dependants CANNOT ride on the work visa - spouses, partners and children must each file separately for a VITEM XI family reunion visa, even when lodged at the same time. Consular review runs about 2 business days once documents are complete.

Open to nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Grants temporary residence of up to 2 years WITHOUT having to prove any activity, employment or income. Applied through the Federal Police SISMIGRA system, with a CRNM residence card issued. Conversion to INDEFINITE residence must be requested in the 90 days BEFORE the temporary CRNM expires - missing that window is the standard failure mode on this route. Legal basis Decreto 6.975/2009 promulgating the Mercosur Residence Agreement. Combined with Brazil's 4-year ordinary naturalisation period this is a fast, cheap route for South American nationals.

Qualifying relatives of a Brazilian or of a resident immigrant (Lei 13.445/2017 Art. 37; the consular page lists them 'among others'): spouse; partner; children; stepchildren; parents; grandparents; other ascendants and descendants up to the second degree - so a GRANDCHILD of a Brazilian qualifies, including one whose own descent claim lapsed; siblings; and persons under guardianship, custody or curatorship. Siblings qualify only if under 18, a student aged up to 24, or economically dependent. Requires a valid passport, apostilled birth certificate, criminal record certificate (14+) and proof of the family tie; for spouses a Brazilian marriage certificate is mandatory. IMPORTANT LIMIT: someone whose own residence came solely from family reunion cannot then sponsor further relatives - the law bars successive chain reunifications. A child born in Brazil is Brazilian unless the foreign parents are there in the service of their own country (Constitution Art. 12, I, a), and a Brazilian child gives the parents a family-reunion basis of their own. Under Article 66 of Lei 13.445/2017 the naturalisation residence requirement drops to a minimum of 1 year for, among others, the spouse or partner of a Brazilian and the parent of a Brazilian child; for a grandchild or sibling the ordinary 4 years apply.

Open to nationals of CPLP member states: Angola, Cape Verde, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and Sao Tome and Principe. Legal basis Portaria Interministerial MJSP/MRE 40 of 1 September 2023, implementing the CPLP Mobility Agreement signed at Luanda on 17 July 2021. Temporary residence with a CRNM valid 2 YEARS; conversion to indefinite residence requires proof of means of subsistence, clean state and federal court certificates for the places lived during the temporary period, and a sworn declaration of no criminal record in any country lived in during it. Filed with an electronic form on the Federal Police website; a child applies through either parent or a legal representative. CRNM fee BRL 204.77. IMPORTANT: the widely repeated claim that CPLP nationals naturalise after 2 years confuses this 2-year residence card with the naturalisation period - Article 12(II)(a) of the Constitution asks of persons originating from Portuguese-language countries only ONE year of uninterrupted residence plus moral good standing.

Under Article 65 of Lei 13.445/2017: civil capacity under Brazilian law, 4 years of residence, the ability to communicate in Portuguese, and no unrehabilitated criminal conviction. The Ministry of Justice specifies that the qualifying residence must be 'por prazo indeterminado' - indefinite-term residence - which matters because short-term temporary categories such as the digital nomad visa may not count. Article 66 reduces the period to 1 year for the parent of a Brazilian child, the spouse or partner of a Brazilian, those who have rendered relevant service to Brazil, and those recommended by professional, scientific or artistic capacity. Article 12(II)(a) of the Constitution separately asks only 1 year of uninterrupted residence and moral good standing of persons originating from Portuguese-language countries. Extraordinary naturalisation is available after more than 15 uninterrupted years with no criminal conviction and no language requirement. Brazil permits dual nationality.

The threshold is a monthly transfer to Brazil of an amount equal to or greater than USD 2,000 (about EUR 1,840). Note this is denominated in US DOLLARS on the official consular page, not in reais - figures quoted in BRL circulating online are wrong. Requires proof of retirement or pension at that level, bank certification of transfer capacity, passport valid 6 months or more, health insurance valid at least one year, criminal record certificate and the electronic visa form. Minimum processing 15 business days; apply 20 business days ahead. Per-dependant supplements are not stated on the official page.

BRL 150,000 (about EUR 24,000) invested in Brazilian startups or innovation-focused ventures, confirmed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs investor page alongside the BRL 500,000 general corporate figure. Same architecture as the corporate route: a Ministry of Justice residence authorisation must be obtained in Brazil first, then the consulate issues the visa. The innovation or technology character of the venture is assessed as part of the application.

BRL 1,000,000 (about EUR 160,000) in the Centre-West, Southeast or South; BRL 700,000 (about EUR 112,000) for property in the North or Northeast regions. The property must be URBAN and purchased with the applicant's own funds of EXTERNAL origin. Governed by CNIg Resolucao Normativa 13/2017, consolidated under RN 36/2018; the route remains in force and the thresholds are confirmed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Reported operating terms - an initial 4-year authorisation, a minimum physical presence of 14 days (consecutive or not) per 2-year period, and maintenance of the investment throughout - come from the immigration portal rather than the consular page, so treat those details as documented rather than verified.

Covers regular courses from basic through secondary, undergraduate, graduate, technical and language courses at accredited institutions, plus internships (estagio) and study or research exchanges. Requires a passport valid 6 months or more, ICAO photo, proof of residence in the consular district, birth or marriage certificate, a criminal record certificate under 3 months old, proof of financial means or a scholarship (no monetary threshold is stated), and confirmation of enrolment from the Brazilian institution. Exchange and internship applicants also show home-university enrolment. Minimum 15 business days processing; apply 20 business days ahead. Brazil's federal and state universities charge no tuition, including to foreign students admitted through the standard process.

Granted to foreigners aged 16 or over who are nationals of a country granting Brazil an identical benefit - eligibility is strictly reciprocal. Brazil's reciprocal partners on the outbound side are Germany, Australia, South Korea, France and New Zealand, which indicates the inbound-eligible set, though the official inbound page does not enumerate countries. Requires a passport valid 6 months or more, the printed and signed electronic visa form, ICAO photo, flight reservation, birth or marriage certificate, proof of financial means, comprehensive medical insurance, and evidence that the PRIMARY purpose is holiday with work being incidental. Apply by mail with 20 business days' notice; minimum 15 business days processing. Upper age limits and annual quotas are set by each bilateral agreement and are not published on the official page.