Residency in Brazil

Residency in Brazil for Italians is highly sought after and has recently become increasingly popular. Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is located in the eastern half of South America. It borders the French overseas department of French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela to the north; Colombia to the northwest; Peru and Bolivia to the west; Paraguay and Argentina to the southeast; and Uruguay to the south.

It covers an area of ​​8.2 million square kilometers and has a population of over 200 million, making it the largest and most populous country in Latin America and the fifth largest in the world. Its capital is Brasilia, although its most populous city is São Paulo. Its official currency is the Brazilian Real (BRL).

Taking up residence in Brazil, the economic giant of South America

Brazil's economy is also the largest in Latin America, the sixth largest in the world by nominal GDP and the seventh largest by purchasing power parity. The country is a founding member of the United Nations, the G20, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), and the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), as well as being one of the BRIC countries.

The country has several large and developed economic sectors, including agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and services, as well as a large labor market. Brazil is a major exporter of aircraft, electronics, automobiles, alcohol, textiles, footwear, iron, steel, coffee, orange juice, soybeans, and canned meat. In addition to being a global powerhouse in agriculture and natural resources, it has abundant reserves of oil, coal, gas, timber, gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and many others. Taking up residence in Brazil opens the door to this magnificent array of business opportunities.

How to obtain residency in Brazil

At Studio Panama Italia, we're here to help you through every stage of your internationalization and structuring plans. If you're looking to incorporate a company, open a bank account, immigrate, and/or obtain residency permits in Brazil, you can view some of our articles and find more information about the country on our website. Foreign citizens can benefit from full (permanent) residency in Brazil in several ways.

The ways to obtain permanent residency in Brazil are:

• Residency in Brazil through marriage to a Brazilian citizen
• Residence in Brazil via child with a Brazilian citizen
• Residency in Brazil through retirement (individuals who are retired and can demonstrate a regular fixed minimum income may be eligible)
• Residency in Brazil via Family Reunification
• Residency in Brazil if they are high-level scientists or researchers
• Residency in Brazil for investment purposes (individuals investing a minimum of R$ 150,000 in a Brazilian company or real estate may be eligible)
• Residency in Brazil while being the administrator, manager, or director of a professional or commercial company.

Additionally, former residents who have lost their residency status (due to being outside the country for two or more years) may reapply. Residency may also be granted to political refugees or asylum seekers.

At Studio Panama Italia, we provide comprehensive support for your residency application in Brazil. To apply for legal residency in Brazil, applicants must provide a valid passport, passport-sized photos, and pay a small administrative fee. Birth certificates must be certified (authenticated) by a local consulate or embassy and translated into Portuguese by a certified translator in Brazil. A criminal record check by the local police is also required in all countries where the applicant has lived in the last five years. Police reports must also be translated.

Here are the various ways to obtain residency in Brazil

Child with a Brazilian citizen: Proof of identity of the child and the Brazilian partner, birth certificate, and declaration of ability to support the child.

Marriage to a Brazilian citizen: Proof of the Brazilian partner's identity, marriage certificate, and a statement that the applicant is not separated or divorced from the Brazilian spouse.

Family reunification: Proof of identity of the current Brazilian resident and the family member applying for residency; proof of relationship between family members (such as a birth or marriage certificate); a statement that the person applying for residency has not been accused or convicted of a crime inside or outside Brazil; and proof that the current family member residing in Brazil can financially support the applicant.* Couples married by proxy who wish to move to Brazil must apply directly in Brazil.

Senior Scientist or Researcher: Current temporary visa, declaration that the applicant has not been charged or convicted of a crime within or outside Brazil, CV and proof of qualifications, proof of more than 2 years of previous work experience in the science and technology sector.

Refugee: Proof of identity and a statement that the person applying for residency has not been charged or convicted of a crime inside or outside Brazil, as well as evidence of persecution and refugee status. Such residency in Brazil must be based on irrefutable and demonstrable evidence.

Retirement: Individuals receiving a pension and at least fifty years of age who can demonstrate a minimum monthly income of R$6,000 (Brazilian reais) for themselves and two legal dependents may apply for residency in Brazil as a retired person. An additional R$2,000 plus US$1,000 is required for each additional dependent.

Investment: Individuals who invest a minimum of R$150,000 in a Brazilian company or property may qualify for residency. However, residency in Brazil must be renewed every three years, and the individual must demonstrate that the company is legal and creates local jobs.

Administrator or manager of a startup: A startup is a foreign company that has been operating in another country for five years. A power of attorney is granted to its legal representatives in Brazil to establish the company.

Company Director or Manager: Brazilian companies may hire foreign managers, directors, or administrators provided they demonstrate an investment of USD 200,000 per candidate and declare the technical and social benefits of their employment.

Additionally, individuals will be required to have their thumbprints on file.

Lay Volunteer : for foreigners who carry out voluntary work at religious or lay volunteer organizations

Religious Mission : For foreigners who carry out religious activity in Brazil as ministers of a religious denomination; members of an institution of consecrated life, denomination, or religious order; or as missionaries.

Additional documents and authentications for residency in Brazil

Contact us to obtain residency in Brazil.

To begin your residency transfer process, contact us at info@studiopanamaitalia.com, sending us a copy of your passport, and the exact dates to start and take up residency in the country of your choice, or contact us through the contact form on this website or via WhatsApp-Telegram at +1 786-623-8177

Living in Brazil is a dream for many. Living in Brazil is a wonderful experience that many wish to have sooner or later. Often, the idea of ​​living in Brazil comes after a trip to explore the country, perhaps for tourism. Many are fascinated by the country and its people and then decide to move to Brazil. For many, living in Brazil will also mean working in Brazil; for others, it will mean enjoying their retirement in Brazil or working remotely. But the most important question of all remains this: Is it worth living and/or working in Brazil?

There are many things to consider before deciding to move to Brazil, and in our experience, they are perhaps more important in Brazil than in other South American countries. If you really want to move to live and work in Brazil, then carefully check these points:

One requirement to meet once you've decided to move to Brazil is to understand its social dynamics. The continent has approximately 213 million inhabitants, a mix of all possible races. For those who have visited all Latin American countries, Brazil remains the country with the greatest social hardship and social inequality in the Latin American continent. What is observed in the large cities of Brazil is not observed in the large cities of most other Latin American countries. The stark social inequality is evident in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, and all the large cities of Brazil. Afro-descendants are the ethnic group that suffers most from this inequality, a historical legacy of slavery and colonial policies of past centuries. Drugs are highly consumed in Brazil. This is a key factor that makes Brazil a microcosm, significantly different from the typical low percentage of drug users in Latin America. Brazil remains the only country with real crack lands on the outskirts, and not just in the large cities. It's not hard to spot people injecting drugs on street corners or completely confused by crack. Fentanyl is quite widespread. In June 2024, the country completely legalized the use of marijuana at the federal level, meaning there are no longer any crimes related to possession and use of the plant. Brazil is the second largest consumer of cocaine in the Americas, after the United States. Society remains fragmented, especially in highly populated areas where competition and social inequality are exacerbated. In Rio de Janeiro, even deep-rooted cultural characteristics of doing little and getting tired as little as possible make it very difficult for a foreign entrepreneur to do business. Forget the industriousness and speed of Mexicans; in Brazil, on the contrary, everything will be slow and confusing. Sao Paulo deserves a special case, where the industriousness is comparable to that of Mexico City, so much so that Sao Paulo is also considered the city par excellence to move to if you are a foreigner dedicated to work, business, or seeking advantageous career opportunities. Sao Paulo itself also remains far less violent than smaller cities.

Brazil passed a tax reform in July 2024 that will make it the country with the highest taxes in the world. With a VAT of 27.1% and purchase taxes exceeding 30%, Brazil surpasses another country known for high taxes, Colombia. Objectively speaking, the Lula government has achieved victory with a reform hostile to the country's business and private classes, which already suffer from high taxes and inflation, sapping Brazilians' purchasing power. With this financial maneuver, Brazil becomes the country with the highest taxes in the world. This is an excellent reason for countries like Panama, Paraguay, and others on the continent to quickly break away from this trend and easily capture capital flight and foreign investors who, if they once considered investing in Brazil, now have a 27.1-fold incentive not to do so and instead divert to capitalist-safe countries like Panama and Paraguay. At StudioPanamaitalia, we've been working with Brazilian clients for years, and we've been dedicated to opening offshore companies for Brazilians, opening offshore bank accounts for Brazilians, and enabling Brazilians to establish tax residency in Panama or relocate to Panama entirely, either alone or with their families. Brazilians who want to establish residency in Panama, transfer capital or invest capital in Panama, or Brazilians who open online businesses and want to legally avoid taxes 100%, can contact us to initiate rapid, remote transactions that allow everyone to protect their capital from Brazilian tax authorities.