Brazil · Residency

Brazil residency requirements for US citizens

Source-checked21 sources, 14 officialHow we check

Last checked 13 Nov 2026Written for US citizensSome rules are still being checked

In brief

Remote workers can use the digital nomad visa: $1,500 a month from abroad, or $18,000 in the bank. Retirees need $2,000 a month transferred to Brazil. Neither has a confirmed path to indefinite residence.

Residency income from$1,500 a month (digital nomad)

Visa-free (US)No: an eVisa is needed (up to 90 days)

CitizenshipAfter 4 years of residence

Tax on foreign incomeYes, from your 184th day, paid monthly

Digital nomad visa or residence

(visto temporário ou autorização de residência para nômade digital)

Who it's for: Employees or contractors working remotely for foreign employers or clients. Not for work for anyone in Brazil.

Money needed: $1,500 a month from a foreign payer, or $18,000 in the bank
How long it lasts: Up to 1 year, renewable once for the same period
Leads to: No path to indefinite residence found Not established yet
Apply from: A Brazilian consulate, or the Ministry of Justice once you're in Brazil legally
Processing time: No deadline set Not established yet

What you need

Passport, plus health insurance valid in Brazil
Proof of remote work: your own statement plus an employment or service contract with a foreign payer
Income or bank proof: $1,500 a month, or $18,000 available
Criminal record: from your home country; in Brazil, from everywhere you lived in 5 years
Birth certificate for the in-country route, apostilled and translated by a sworn translator
Fees in Brazil: about $30 to process and $36 for the ID card. Consulate fee Not yet verified

Good to know

Register within 90 days with the Federal Police to get your ID card.
Only remote work abroad: working for anyone in Brazil takes you out of this visa.
Family: there's no family rule; dependants use family reunion Not established yet.

Not yet verifiedThe rules were read from an unofficial copy; the official text is still to confirm.

Still being checkedThe consulate fee and checklist, and whether these years count toward citizenship.

Sources (8)

Legal basis and exact figures

Still being checked: RN 45/2021 was read only from a non-official reproduction (the Portal de Imigração reset every connection); re-read the official text and confirm no later amendment. Consular visa fee for US nationals and the current consular checklist (apostille of US documents) not established. No established path to indefinite residence; whether nomad years count toward naturalisation (Portaria 623/2020 unread).
Money: means of subsistence from a foreign paying source of at least $1,500 a month, or bank funds of at least $18,000 (RN 45 art 5 III); about BRL 8,420.55 / 101,046.60 at PTAX 5.6137 (12 Nov 2026).
Law: RN CNIg/MJSP 45/2021 (DOU 24/01/2022) art 1 (§1 foreign employer; §2 excludes employers in Brazil), art 2 (same activity as a visitor), art 3 (consular visa), art 4 (in-country residence; birth certificate 'devidamente legalizado e traduzido por tradutor público juramentado'), art 6 (renewal 'por igual período'). Decreto 9.199 art 142 §3 (change to indeterminate term) doesn't cover this hypothesis. PF registration within 90 days (Lei 13.445 art 109 III; Decreto art 307 III). Fees: R$ 168.13 processing, R$ 204.77 CRNM (Decreto Anexo, art 131).
Tax: a temporary-visa holder without a Brazilian employment link becomes resident on completing 184 days in Brazil within 12 months (IN SRF 208 art 2 III b 2); then worldwide income, foreign pay through monthly carnê-leão and the annual return (art 16).

Retiree visa or residence

(visto temporário ou autorização de residência para aposentado)

Who it's for: Retirees, or people receiving a survivor's pension, who can transfer money to Brazil every month. No minimum age.

Money needed: $2,000 a month transferred to Brazil; other regular income can top it up
How long it lasts: Up to 2 years; how to renew isn't set yet Not established yet
Leads to: Indefinite residence Not established yet
Apply from: A Brazilian consulate, or the Ministry of Justice once you're in Brazil legally
Processing time: No deadline set Not established yet

What you need

Passport, plus health insurance valid in Brazil
Pension proof: your retirement or pension, and that you can transfer $2,000 a month
Criminal record from your home country
Vaccination certificate, when the health agency requires one
Proof of travel into Brazil and the visa form, for the consulate route
Fees in Brazil: about $30 to process and $36 for the ID card. Consulate fee Not yet verified

Good to know

No extra money per dependant is required, but family must apply under family reunion.
Work rights aren't stated in the rules Not established yet.
Apostilles: the in-country document list wasn't read; expect apostilled, translated papers Not yet verified.

Checked against the lawThe $2,000 a month and 2-year length are in the official retiree rules.

Still being checkedRenewal, any step to indefinite residence, the document list and the consulate fee.

Sources (11)

Legal basis and exact figures

Still being checked: renewal and the path to indefinite residence (RN 40 art 5: renewal 'será disciplinada em Resolução Normativa específica', not identified; RN 30/2018 is a lead only); the RN CNIg 1/2017 document list and apostille rule for the in-country route; current force of RN 40 (no amendment search on the official portal); the consular fee for US nationals.
Money: $2,000 a month transferred to Brazil in foreign currency (RN 40 art 1; art 3 I–III), about BRL 11,227.40 at PTAX 5.6137 (12 Nov 2026). No amount per dependant (a third-party claim of $1,000 per dependant isn't in the official text).
Law: Resolução Normativa CNIg 40/2019 (DOU 27/11/2019) arts 1–5; art 2 (consular documents, vaccination 'quando assim exigido pela Anvisa'); art 4 (in-country route); art 6 revoked the old RN 45/2000, so leads citing 'RN 45' for retirees are outdated. Decreto 9.199 art 142 §3 is tied to other hypotheses. Fees R$ 168.13 + R$ 204.77 CRNM. No quota.
Tax: resident after 184 days within 12 months (IN 208 art 2 III b 2); then US pensions and Social Security are taxable through carnê-leão at the progressive table, and US interest at 15% in the annual return (Lei 14.754 arts 2–3). No US–Brazil income tax treaty.

Links

Status chips: Checked against the law means we read the official legal text. Not yet verified and Not established yet mean it isn't confirmed at the official source yet. Still being checked marks open questions; each route's Sources list names them.

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