Residence in Brazil: retirees, digital nomads, investors and family
Brazilian lawyer, OAB/MG 155.242, admitted in Brazil only. Not legal advice under your local law.
Brazil grants residence on several grounds, each with its own rule. The visa is issued by a Brazilian consulate; if you are already in Brazil, residence is asked of the Ministry of Justice or the Federal Police. A lawyer here prepares the file, follows it and answers the government when it asks for more.
Write to the lawyer on WhatsAppWhich route fits you
- Retired, with a pension of at least US$ 2,000 a month transferred to Brazil.
- Working remotely for an employer abroad: the digital nomad route.
- Investing in a Brazilian company or in property.
- Spouse, partner, child, parent or sibling of a Brazilian or of a resident.
The rules in force
- Retiree: proof of a pension and the ability to transfer at least US$ 2,000 a month; other regular income can make up the difference; first residence of up to two years (CNIg Resolution 40/2019).
- Digital nomad: work for a foreign employer and at least US$ 1,500 a month, or US$ 18,000 in funds; up to one year, renewable (CNIG/MJSP Resolution 45/2021).
- Investor: separate resolutions for company and property investment (CNIg Resolutions 13/2017 and 36/2018, as amended); the minimum amounts are checked on the day of the application.
- Family reunion: spouse or partner, child, ascendant or descendant up to the second degree, or sibling of a Brazilian or of a resident (Migration Law, Law 13.445/2017, art. 37).
- Whoever enters with a visa registers with the Federal Police within 90 days (Decree 9.199/2017, art. 64).
The firm does not promise approval or deadlines: the decision is the government's.
Questions
Can I apply from inside Brazil?
In several routes, yes: the application goes to the Ministry of Justice instead of a consulate, with the same documents plus a sworn translation of what is in a foreign language.
Which documents are usually asked for?
A valid passport, health insurance valid in Brazil, a criminal record certificate from your country and proof of the ground (pension, contract, investment or family link). Foreign documents are apostilled and translated.
Do I need a lawyer for this?
It is not mandatory. A lawyer saves you the back and forth: checks the route, assembles the file, answers requests for more documents and appeals a refusal.
Other pages
- Relative arrested in Brazil now
- Interpol red notice and extradition from Brazil
- Recognition of a foreign divorce or judgment in Brazil
- A correspondent in Brazil for your firm
- CPF for foreigners: the Brazilian taxpayer number
- Criminal record certificate in Brazil
- Brazilian consulates: what they do
- Buying property in Brazil as a foreigner
- Opening a company in Brazil as a foreigner
- All pages in English
- OAB/MG 155.242, admitted in 2014
- Postgraduate studies in Criminal Procedure (Faculdade Legale)
- Guaxupé (MG), practice throughout Brazil
Write to us
Tell us briefly about your case. A lawyer from the firm replies by email, usually within one business day.
How to hire from abroad
- You describe the case in writing, by WhatsApp or e-mail, in English.
- The fee is agreed in a written contract before any work begins.
- The contract and the power of attorney are signed online, and payment can be made from abroad.
How to check a lawyer in Brazil
- Look up the OAB registration in the National Registry of Lawyers (cna.oab.org.br).
- Ask for the fee in writing, in a contract.
- Pay only in the name of Felipe Mendes Smargiassi. Nothing is received in the name of third parties, and any other contact using his name is not his.
OAB/MG 155.242, cna.oab.org.br · How to check a lawyer in Brazil · Google ★
When a person answers
The office answers in person Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm Brasília time (UTC-3).
WhatsApp receives messages at any time.
The first answer comes in writing, at any hour; the lawyer usually replies within one business day.
Page reviewed in October 2026.