Brazil Digital Nomad Visa

Brazil's digital nomad visa, the VITEM XIV, lets foreign remote workers live in Brazil while they keep working for employers or clients abroad. It rests on Normative Resolution 45/2021 (RN 45) of the National Immigration Council, in force since Jan. 24, 2022.

The money test is $1,500 a month in foreign-source income or $18,000 in bank funds. The first residence term runs up to 1 year and can be renewed once from inside Brazil. Working for an employer in Brazil isn't allowed.

There are two ways in. Applicants abroad get the visa from a Brazilian consulate, while people already in Brazil ask the Ministry of Justice and Public Security for the same status as a residence authorization. Every holder then registers in person with the Federal Police.

Short stays don't need this visa. RN 45 also lets nomads do the same remote work as visitors, within the stay limits and visit-visa rules for their nationality.

The visa is for people who can do their job remotely from Brazil, using information and communication technology, for an employer based abroad. Anyone who works for an employer in Brazil, even without an employment contract, doesn't count as a digital nomad under RN 45.

Freelancers with clients abroad can qualify. RN 45 accepts a service contract as proof of the foreign link. The consulate in Santiago also lists self-employed professionals serving clients outside Brazil among eligible applicants.

Some consulates read the rule more narrowly. New York says the visa isn't open to business owners and asks for an employment contract signed by a foreign employer. Freelancers should check their consulate's list before applying.

The money test is set in US dollars: at least $1,500 a month from a foreign paying source or at least $18,000 in available bank funds. RN 45 sets no nationality limits. Nationality changes how the application is made and, for US nationals, the fee.

Family members don't join the nomad's visa. A spouse, partner, children or other dependents apply for their own family reunion visa (VITEM XI), which can be filed at the same time.

RN 45 lists the core documents for both routes. Consulates can ask for more, so the checklist published by the consulate handling the case is the one to follow.

Applying at a consulate

• Passport: a valid passport or other travel document proving identity and nationality.
• Health insurance: valid in Brazil.
• Visa form and fee: the completed application form and proof the consular fee was paid.
• Travel: proof of transport into Brazil.
• Criminal record: a certificate from the country of origin or, at the consulate's discretion, an equivalent document.

Proof of nomad status

• Declaration: the applicant's own statement that they can work remotely using information and communication technology.
• Foreign link: an employment contract, a service contract or other documents tying the applicant to a foreign employer.
• Money: proof of $1,500 a month from a foreign paying source or $18,000 in bank funds.

Applying from inside Brazil

Applicants already in Brazil send the ministry a valid passport and the same proof of nomad status, plus:

• Residence form: the request form attached to RN 45, signed by the applicant or a representative. A representative also needs a power of attorney.
• Parents' names: a document showing them, legalized and translated by a sworn translator, unless the passport already shows them.
• Fee receipt: proof of payment of the residence processing fee.
• Criminal record: certificates from every place lived in during the past five years, plus a declaration of no criminal record in any country over the same period.

What consulates add

Extra items vary by post. London and New York want the police certificate issued within the last three months, plus a letter from the employer confirming the work can be done remotely. New York also asks for a passport photo and a copy of the birth certificate.

Rules on police certificates differ too. London wants one from every country lived in during the past 12 months, apostilled. Santiago wants apostilled certificates from every country lived in during the past five years. London and Santiago also want health insurance covering the full stay.

The standard consular fee for this visa is $100. US nationals pay a reciprocity rate of $290. Other reciprocity rates can apply to some nationalities, so applicants should confirm the amount with their consulate.

Brazil's consular fee table sets these amounts in reais-ouro, a unit fixed at US$1. Consulates charge the equivalent in local currency.

• Residence processing fee: R$168.13, paid only on the in-country route.
• Registration card (CRNM): R$204.77, paid when registering with the Federal Police.

Health insurance, police certificates, apostilles and sworn translations add to the bill. Their cost depends on the country and the provider.

The route depends on nationality and on where the applicant is.

• Nationals who don't need a visit visa: since Sept. 1, 2026, they apply fully online in the Sistema Consular Integrado (SCI), upload the documents and receive the visa by email. No passport or paper file goes to the consulate.
• Nationals who need a visit visa: those of the US, Canada, Australia and India, among others, fill in the same online form, upload the documents to the consulate's e-Consular platform and attend an in-person appointment with the originals.
• Applicants already in Brazil: they apply online to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security through its MigranteWeb system.

Processing times vary by consulate.

After arrival

Every holder registers in person with the Federal Police, which takes fingerprints and issues the migration registration card (CRNM). Visa holders have 90 days from entry. When residence was granted inside Brazil, the deadline is 30 days from publication of the approval in the Diário Oficial.

The Federal Police asks for its online form, the passport, the visa application form and proof of the card fee. It can request an updated birth or marriage certificate if civil details are in doubt. Documents issued abroad must meet its legalization and translation rules.

The first residence term runs up to 1 year on both routes.

• Renewal: Renewable once in Brazil for an equal period (up to one more year), on proof that the applicant still meets the digital nomad requirements, a copy of the CRNM card and criminal-record certificates from every place lived during the residence. The regulation sets no further renewals.
• Permanent residence: No direct path. The visa grants temporary residence only, up to one year and renewable once, with no provision for converting it to permanent residence.

The status can be cancelled at any time if the application left out relevant information or contained a false statement. Brazil's investor visa, by contrast, can lead to indefinite residence.

Receita Federal, Brazil's tax authority, applies its standard test for temporary-visa holders without a Brazilian employment contract. A digital nomad becomes a tax resident on the day they complete 184 days in Brazil, consecutive or not, within a period of up to 12 months.

Until then, Brazil doesn't tax income received from abroad. From that day, foreign salary and client payments fall under carnê-leão, a monthly tax due by the last business day of the following month. They also go on the annual income tax return.

Tax paid abroad can be credited against the Brazilian bill only where Brazil has a tax treaty or reciprocity with the country that levied it. The residency rules make no exception for digital nomads, so anyone planning a long stay should track their days in Brazil.