Brazil Insurance Act adds 10% tax and higher premiums for nomads

Brazil's Insurance Act took full effect Dec. 11, 2025, forcing resident expats and digital nomads toward locally licensed cover that industry rules suggest will cost more than the international policies many have relied on.

The 10% reinsurance charge reshaping premiums

Law No. 15,040/2024, published Dec. 10, 2024, is Brazil's first comprehensive statute for private insurance contracts and applies to any policy where the insured is resident or domiciled in Brazil. Overseas insurers can't underwrite Brazilian-located risks directly without a SUSEP-authorized local entity and there's no passporting of foreign licenses.

The cost pressure comes from the reinsurance chapter. SUSEP is set to require collateral in Brazilian government bonds from foreign reinsurers or impose a 10% CIDE tax on cedents that use them, per Insurance Europe. Brazilian carriers that lean on foreign capacity to price international-style medical plans absorb that spread, then pass it through at renewal.

Complementary Law No. 213/2025, in force since Jan. 15, 2025, widens the net further by pulling insurance cooperatives and mutual property protection groups under CNSP/SUSEP supervision, closing the informal channels some expats used for cheaper cover.

What it costs a resident nomad

For a foreigner on a CRNM, the practical route is now a SUSEP-regulated insurer or an ANS-regulated plano de saúde. Mid-tier private health plans in São Paulo and Rio typically run R$800 to R$2,500 a month ($145 to $455) depending on age and network, versus international expat policies often quoted at $100 to $180 a month for the same age brackets. A resident switching from an unlicensed foreign plan to a compliant local one can expect an added $600 to $3,300 a year, before any reinsurance-driven premium hike lands at renewal.

International policies aren't banned. They just can't be sold as Brazilian domestic insurance, so many will be restructured as supplemental overlays sitting on top of a local base plan, which stacks two premiums instead of one. Anyone weighing a longer stay in Brazil should price the local plan first, then treat international cover as the top-up.

Digital nomads on the VITEM XIV

CNIG Resolution 45/2022 still governs the digital nomad visa and requires health insurance valid in Brazil for the full stay. It doesn't mandate a Brazilian-issued plan and consulates continue to accept international policies covering treatment and repatriation, with informal minimums around $30,000 for medical emergencies. Nomads on short VITEM XIV stays sit outside the residency trigger and keep the cheaper international option, at least until they convert to a CRNM.