Brazil digital nomad visa: income rule, documents and process

Brazil’s digital nomad visa, called VITEM XIV at consulates, gives you up to one year of residence, renewable for the same period. You qualify if you work remotely for an employer or clients outside Brazil. You must show US$1,500 a month in foreign income or US$18,000 in bank funds. You also need health insurance valid in Brazil and clean criminal record certificates.

The visa suits remote employees and freelancers who want to live in Brazil for more than a few months without changing jobs. It does not let you work for Brazilian companies. This guide covers the legal basis, who qualifies, the income rule, documents, where to apply, registration with the Polícia Federal, renewal and taxes.

The legal basis

The visa rests on CNIg Resolution 45 of September 9, 2021 (Resolução CNIG MJSP nº 45). It was published in the Diário Oficial da União on January 24, 2022, Edition 16, Section 1, page 104. Article 8 says it took effect on the day of publication.

Resolution 45 was issued by CNIg, Brazil’s National Immigration Council, then part of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. It has not been amended since publication. The Ministry of Justice still publishes the original text on its labor immigration portal, with no amendment or revocation note.

Decreto 12.657 of October 7, 2025, published in the Diário Oficial on October 8, 2025, reorganized the immigration council. It revoked Decreto 9.873 of 2019, which organized CNIg, and created a National Migration Council (Conselho Nacional de Migração). It also made investment residence follow a joint act of the Justice and Foreign Affairs ministers (Decreto 9.199, article 151, paragraph 4). The decree does not mention Resolution 45, and consulates continue to list the nomad visa.

Check before you go: because the council was reorganized, email the Ministry of Justice immigration office (imigrante.cgil@mj.gov.br) to confirm the current rules before you spend money on documents. Check the VITEM XIV page of your consulate on the day you apply, too.

Who qualifies

You qualify if you can do your job in Brazil remotely, using information and communication technology, for a foreign employer (Article 1). Article 5 accepts an employment contract or a services contract, so freelancers with foreign clients fit.

You do not qualify if you work for an employer in Brazil, with or without an employment contract (Article 1, paragraph 2). You also cannot receive salary or benefits through a Brazilian company. Keep your contracts and invoices with foreign parties only.

The income or savings rule

Article 5 sets two options. You show foreign-source income of at least US$1,500 a month, or available bank funds of at least US$18,000. You also sign a statement that you can work remotely and show the contract with your foreign employer or clients.

Consulates apply the rule in their own way:

• The income figure. The Miami consulate asks for proof of income averaging US$2,000 or more. It accepts the last three bank statements or six pay stubs. That is above the US$1,500 in the resolution.
• Where the US$18,000 sits. The London consulate asks for three months of bank statements showing US$18,000 and names no country. Some advisers expect the funds in a Brazilian account. Ask your consulate which accounts it accepts before you move money.

Follow the page of the consulate that serves your address. It decides your application. If you are close to the threshold, plan for the higher figure.

The health insurance rule

You need health insurance valid in Brazil (Article 3). The London consulate adds that it must cover your whole stay in Brazil. Bring the policy wording that names Brazil and the dates. Many standard travel policies cap trip length, so check that yours covers a full year. See travel insurance for Brazil for what to look for.

Documents

The list has two versions: Article 3 for consulates and Article 4 for applications inside Brazil. Both routes need a passport, proof of nomad status (statement, contract, income or funds) and criminal records.

Consulates add their own rules on top. London wants a police check from each country you lived in during the last 12 months. Each check needs an apostille and, if needed, a certified translation. Checks expire 3 months after issue, so order them last. Miami asks for a recent FBI background check covering the last 12 months.

The birth certificate matters later. The Polícia Federal asks for it at registration, and mismatched data can stop the process. Make sure the names on your birth certificate, passport and application match exactly.

Where to apply

You have two routes: a Brazilian consulate before you travel, or the Ministry of Justice once you are in Brazil.

At a consulate. From September 1, 2026, the London consulate issues temporary visas electronically for nationals who do not need a visitor visa. That includes UK passport holders. You file in the Integrated Consular System (SCI), upload the documents, and the visa arrives by email. Other consulates are moving to the electronic process at different times, so read the VITEM XIV page of the consulate that serves you for its current method.

US citizens need a visa even to visit Brazil. The Miami consulate takes the form through SCI and the documents through e-Consular, then sees you in person. Its fee is US$290 for US passports and US$100 for others, paid by debit card or USPS money order.

Inside Brazil. Article 4 lets you apply to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The ministry lists the nomad route on its labor immigration portal. That portal’s online system for residence requests is MigranteWeb 2.0, which uses the gov.br login and no longer needs a digital certificate. Email the Ministry of Justice immigration office (imigrante.cgil@mj.gov.br) to confirm which system takes a nomad request before you file.

Article 2 also allows nomad work while you are in Brazil as a visitor, under the stay rules for your nationality.

Validity and renewal

The first residence period is up to one year, on either route (Articles 3 and 4). Article 6 lets you renew for the same period.

To renew, you file:

1. The power of attorney, if an agent files for you
2. A new sworn statement of no criminal record
3. Fresh proof of nomad status (statement, contract, income or funds)
4. A copy of your CRNM card
5. Criminal record certificates from the places you lived during the residence

Start the renewal well before your residence expires, and confirm the filing system with the Ministry of Justice immigration office (imigrante.cgil@mj.gov.br). Order the new criminal record certificates early, since they can take weeks.

Register with the Polícia Federal for your CRNM

You must request registration within 90 days of entering Brazil on a temporary visa (Decreto 9.199, article 64). If the Ministry of Justice approves you inside Brazil, the deadline is 30 days from publication of the approval (article 66). Missing either deadline brings a fine (article 307).

Registration gives you a National Migration Registry number and the CRNM card. The Polícia Federal asks for:

• The online application form from the Polícia Federal site
• Your passport
• The original visa form (London says to bring the copy it gives you)
• The CRNM fee of R$ 204.77 (about US$40, checked Oct 2026), revenue code 140120, paid by GRU
• Biometrics taken at the appointment

Documents issued abroad must follow Brazil’s legalization and translation rules. Appointments in big cities can book up weeks ahead, so request one soon after you arrive. Conversions on this page use the Banco Central PTAX selling rate of R$ 5.0826 per US$1 on October 16, 2026.

With a CRNM you can get a CPF, open a bank account more easily, and sign a lease in your own name. See money in Brazil for Pix and banking.

Taxes

You become a Brazilian tax resident on the day you complete 184 days in Brazil, consecutive or not, within a 12-month period. That is the Receita Federal rule for people who enter on a temporary visa without a Brazilian employment contract. You become resident sooner if you get a permanent visa or a Brazilian employment contract before day 184.

If a 12-month window closes before you reach 184 days, a new window starts from your next entry.

Once resident, you pay carnê-leão, the monthly income tax on money a resident receives from abroad. The due date is the last business day of the month after you receive the income.

Your home country may tax the same income. The US has no income tax treaty with Brazil. The UK-Brazil double taxation convention signed on 29 November 2022 has not yet entered into force; the only UK-Brazil income tax agreement in force covers aircrew salaries. Talk to a Brazilian accountant, and one in your home country, before day 184.

Step-by-step checklist

1. Confirm your employer or clients are all outside Brazil.
2. Pick your route: consulate abroad, or Ministry of Justice inside Brazil.
3. Open the VITEM XIV page of the consulate that serves your address and note its income figure.
4. Gather proof of income (US$1,500 a month) or funds (US$18,000), plus your contract.
5. Buy health insurance valid in Brazil for your whole stay.
6. Order criminal record checks for each country your consulate names, then get apostilles.
7. Get a full birth certificate with apostille, and sworn translations where needed.
8. File the application and pay the fee.
9. Enter Brazil and request Polícia Federal registration within 90 days.
10. Pay the R$ 204.77 CRNM fee by GRU and attend the biometrics appointment.
11. Count your days in Brazil and plan for tax residency at day 184.
12. Put your renewal date in your calendar well before the one-year mark.

Who should pick another route

Five situations point to a different route:

• You will stay under 180 days. A visit visa allows up to 90 days, extendable by up to 90, within 180 days per migration year (Decreto 9.199, article 20). Resolution 45 lets nomads work as visitors.
• You have a Brazilian employer or Brazilian clients. You are excluded from this visa.
• You earn below the threshold and have no US$18,000 in funds.
• You live on a pension, or want residence through family, study or investment.
• You plan to stay for good. This route starts as temporary residence.

Compare every option on Brazil visas and residency: every route. Before you move, read money in Brazil and is Brazil safe, and compare cities on best Brazilian cities for long stays.