To obtain permanent residence, you must register a company in Brazil and invest 500,000 Brazilian reais in it (approximately $94 514). Investments in an existing business are also permissible. The body responsible for making this decision is the National Council of Immigration (CNI).
Investor visa conditions
When you decide whether to issue an investor visa, CNI, which is part of the Department of Labor, assesses several factors. Among them are factors:
- the number of jobs that the investment will create (based on the company’s business plan);
- company located in the country;
- the sectors of the economy the company will operate and how exactly it will benefit this sector, whether the transfer of technology and resources will be beneficial to the country as a whole.
According to the official government websites, all of these factors should be taken into account by all investment visa applicants. In fact, the state responsible for approving investor visa applications should approve all applications that have been duly submitted and meet the capital requirement of R $ 500,000 or more.
Stages of business immigration to Brazil
The process of business immigration to Brazil can be schematically divided into several stages, which are described below.
- The first step is to apply for a CPF (Brazilian Social Security Number).
- The second step is to find a Brazilian citizen or permanent resident to represent the applicant and register a company to apply for a permanent visa. After obtaining a permanent resident visa, the applicant, and identity card, the applicant will replace their legal representative in the company.
- The third step is to open an account for the company in any Brazilian bank.
- The fourth step is to invest BRL 500,000 (USD 94,320) from a personal account outside Brazil to a Brazilian company account. This money can then be spent. But for the renewal of the card (identity card), which occurs after three years, it must be shown that the money has been invested.
- The fifth step is to register the BRL 500,000 investment with the Brazilian Central Bank.
- The sixth step is to prepare the questionnaires and accompanying documents and apply for a permanent resident visa at the Brazilian consulate in your country.
Legal spouses and children under 18 years of age can be included in the visa application. If children are studying, then they can be included in the application even if they are over 18 years old.
Documents for applying for an investor visa
- Company charter;
- Business plan of the company;
- Applicant’s passport;
- Confirmation of foreign direct investment from SISBACEN;
- Proof of payment of the applicable fees;
- A valid international yellow fever vaccination certificate;
Once approved, you can legally move to Brazil and work there.
You are now eligible for the RNE (Registro Nacional de Estrangeiros), which is the national identity card for foreigners in Brazil. Moreover, you can also appoint yourself as a company administrator.
Visa
A first-time permanent visa for three years. After three years, it will be necessary to show the immigration authorities that the business continues to work, then the person will receive the next visa, and the business can be closed.
You should know that permanent residence in Brazil, or, as it is also called, a permanent visa, is not an unconditional immigration status once and for all. If a foreigner with a permanent visa wishes to return to his home country for more than two years, then he loses the right to permanent residence in Brazil.
To regain the right of permanent residence in Brazil, he must go through the process of obtaining a permanent visa again. In exceptional cases, you can try to prove the force majeure of the situation to maintain a permanent visa of a foreigner (the legislation provides for separate exceptions).
Brazilian passport
The unconditional status, which will no longer be taken away, is Brazilian citizenship. After obtaining citizenship, a foreigner has political rights (the right to be elected and to be elected to public office), as well as the right to obtain a passport of a Brazilian citizen. You can apply for Brazilian citizenship after 4 years of residence in the country.
The naturalization period can be decreased to 3 years if the applicant purchases a property worth at least USD 200,000. A Brazilian passport is a document for visa-free travel, allowing you to visit all EU countries without the need for a visa.