Residency and Citizenship in Brazil

If you are traveling to Brazil for a temporary stay, a visa will suffice. Visas last for 90 days, so a short business trip will only require a regular visa. However, if you need to stay in Brazil longer, or if you expect to be going back and forth from the United States to Brazil often, you should consider applying for permanent residency. Especially if you’re looking to invest in Brazilian real estate, permanent residency would make more sense.

To qualify for permanent residency, you must meet one of the following requirements:

• You are married to a Brazilian national
• You are about to have a child with a Brazilian national
• You are retired
• You are being reunited with your family
• You are a high level researcher or scientist
• You have invested at least $150.000,00 in Brazilian real estate

Citizenship

For those looking to gain permanent residency based on their investment in the country, they will need to renew every three years. If you become a permanent resident based on your investment, you will need to keep proving that your company’s finances are sound and that it is creating jobs in order to maintain your status. Many documents and forms are needed to apply for permanent residency based on a Brazilian investment, including proof of qualifications, fingerprints and proof that you have paid all registration fees.

In some cases, you might even qualify for citizenship in Brazil. You can apply for it if:

• You already have a permanent residency in Brazil
• You have lived in Brazil for four years without interruption
• You are able to speak and write in Portuguese
• You have the resources to support yourself

If you have invested in Brazilian real estate, you might not even have to wait the full four years to gain citizenship. If you have invested a certain amount in Brazil, you can gain citizenship after only one year of residency. If you gain citizenship in Brazil, you will also need a Brazilian passport in addition to the passport you have for the United States. All Brazilian citizens must present a valid Brazilian passport to enter and exit the country. While getting the passport might seem like a frustrating added step to the process, it will actually save you a lot of time in the end when you do not have to go through customs for every trip you make to Brazil. You will have the same travel rights as Brazilian nationals, and if you have ever waited in line at customs entry, you know that this could save hours at a time.

Real Estate

Investing in Brazilian real estate is a smart idea right now. Low housing costs and booming business make it the perfect place to invest. However, you are also committing to the country and will probably be traveling back and forth to it often. Instead of reapplying for a tourist visa every time, you should consider getting permanent residency or even citizenship to make traveling easier. You will also save money by doing so, since every visa application requires a fee.

“Try Out” Visa for Digital Nomads

Brazil allows digital nomads to stay in Brazil for up to two years through an application for the Brazil Digital Nomad Visa.

Phone: 214-432-8100

Email: [email protected]