Residency guide
How to get residency in Brazil
Brazil has a residence route for most situations. Which one fits depends on your nationality, your income, your family and what you'll do here. Start with the one closest to you.
The routes
Each route has its own rules and documents. Open one for the details, or check your options in a few questions.
- Digital nomadRemote work for employers or clients abroad, with US$1,500 a month or US$18,000 saved.
- InvestorR$500,000 into a company, R$150,000 for innovation, or property from R$700,000.
- RetirementA pension of US$2,000 a month or more, transferable to Brazil.
- Family reunionA spouse, partner, child, parent or other close relative who is Brazilian or lives here.
- MercosurNationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
- CPLPNationals of Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Portugal, Angola and Mozambique.
- WorkA job offer from a company in Brazil. An attorney can check which work route applies.
- Study or researchA place at a Brazilian university or research institution.
After you arrive
Whatever the route, the next steps are the same: register, get your CPF, settle in, and one day apply to become Brazilian.
Not sure which route fits?
Answer a few questions about your situation, see the route that fits, then book a licensed immigration attorney with their fee shown up front.
Find my route and attorneyOfficial sources
Residence by nationality, Federal Police ↗
Checked against official sources on October 23, 2026. Emigro gives preliminary guidance, not legal advice. Requirements are confirmed against official Brazilian sources and by the licensed attorneys.
More free tools
- Residency and citizenship guidesMercosur residenceTwo years' residence for nationals of Mercosur countries, then indefinite.
- Residency and citizenship guidesCPLP residenceTwo years' residence for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries.
- Residency and citizenship guidesFamily reunion visaResidence to join a Brazilian or a resident relative in Brazil.
- Residency and citizenship guidesRetirement visaResidence for retirees with a pension they can transfer to Brazil.
- Residency and citizenship guidesBrazilian naturalizationWhen you can apply for citizenship, with a calculator for your date.
- Residency and citizenship guidesCitizenship by descentBrazilian nationality for children of a Brazilian parent born abroad.
- Visa toolsPassport visa checkHow long you can visit Brazil, whether you can extend, and the residence agreements your nationality opens.
- Visa toolsDigital nomad visa checkWhether you qualify for Brazil's VITEM XIV: the income rule, who counts as a foreign employer, and the documents.
- Visa toolsInvestor visa calculatorWhether your investment in a company or in property reaches the minimum for residence.
- Document toolsCPF for foreignersWhat a CPF is, how to get one yourself, and how to have it done for you.
- Document toolsRNM registration guideYour deadline to register with the Federal Police, the documents and the fee.
- Document toolsFirst-month checklistWhat to set up in your first weeks: RNM, CPF, bank, phone, health card and more.
- Tax toolsTax residency checkThe date you become, or stop being, a Brazilian tax resident, and what has to be filed.
- Tax toolsTax treaty checkWhether Brazil has a treaty with your country to avoid double taxation.
- Tax toolsTax return checkWhether you have to file Brazil's annual income tax return, and the deadline.
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