Brazil digital nomad visa

Requirements

• Proof of remote foreign income of at least $1,500/month, or available bank savings of at least $18,000
• A work or service contract showing you're employed by or contracting for a company outside Brazil
• Valid passport with sufficient remaining validity
• Apostilled criminal background check — the most common rejection point when missing or incorrect
• Health insurance valid in Brazil
• Proof you work over the internet and not for a Brazilian employer
• Completed application forms and passport photos

How to apply

1. Confirm you meet the $1,500/month income (or $18,000 savings) test
2. Apostille your documents under the Hague Convention — the criminal record especially; missing apostilles are the top rejection reason
3. Gather income proof (often six months of bank statements or a tax return), contracts, insurance, and passport
4. Apply at a Brazilian consulate abroad, or online via MigranteWeb if you're already inside Brazil
5. Receive the one-year visa (renewable for a second year) in roughly 15–30 business days

Renewal and long-term stay

• Renewable: yes, up to 2 years in total
• Path to permanent residency: no — time on this visa does not lead to residency
• Path to citizenship: no

Resolution 45/2021 gives one year plus one renewal — two years is what you are entitled to. Third years have been granted in practice through 2026, but treat that as discretion rather than a rule you can plan around. No number of renewals turns into permanent residency: people who stay switch lanes entirely (marriage or união estável, retirement income, investment, work). File through MigranteWeb before the current residence expires, or it becomes a fresh application.

Applying: where and how

• Apply from outside the country: yes — apply before you travel
• Where you file: either at a consulate or in-country, depending on where you start

Either at a Brazilian consulate before travelling or in-country. Renewals go through MigranteWeb and must be filed before the current residence expires — miss the window and it is treated as a fresh application rather than an extension.

Bringing a partner or children

• Dependants: yes — a partner and children can be included
• Extra income required: add ~$500/month for a partner and ~$500/month per child

Dependants add roughly $500/month each to the income requirement. Expect apostilled and sworn-translated proof of the relationship for each one, plus their own passport and background check — the translation step is the slow part, so start it early.

Tax

• You become tax resident: after 183 days in the country
• Foreign income taxed locally: yes — taxed once you become tax resident
• Special nomad or expat tax regime: no — ordinary resident rates apply

Brazil is stricter than most and catches people out: cumulative presence above 183 days in any rolling 12-month window triggers automatic fiscal residency — a rolling window, not a calendar year, and regardless of which visa you hold. Once resident you are taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates up to 27.5%. There is no digital-nomad exemption.

This summarises published rules, not your situation, and it is not tax advice. Two things it can't tell you: your home country may tax you anyway — US citizens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live — and day-count is only the most common trigger for tax residency, not the only one. Having a permanent home, a family or your centre of economic interests in a country can make you resident well before the day count does. Get advice before you move.

Moving abroad means more than the visa — sort your travel insurance (many visa applications require proof of coverage), set up borderless banking, and land with data working.

First nomad visa? Our digital nomad visa guide explains how qualifying, applying, and taxes work across every country.