Brazil real estate investor residency: R$ 1 million or R$ 700,000

Buying urban property worth at least R$ 1,000,000 (about US$197,000, checked Oct 2026) can earn you Brazilian residence. In the North and Northeast regions, the threshold is R$ 700,000 (about US$138,000). CNIg Normative Resolution 36 of 2018 sets these amounts. Resolution 46 of 2021 set the initial term at four years.

This page covers US and UK buyers. The resolution applies to citizens of any country, so Canadian and Australian buyers follow the same rules. It explains the thresholds, what counts as a qualifying purchase, the proof of funds, the costs on top of the price, how to apply and how to keep your status.

Who this route suits

The property route suits buyers who want a home in Brazil anyway and can pay in cash from abroad. You do not need a job, a pension or a Brazilian spouse. You also do not need to live in Brazil full time.

It suits fewer people than the headline suggests. You must pay the minimum with your own money, wired from abroad, and keep the property to keep your status. If you have a steady pension, the retirement visa asks for income instead of a purchase and ties up far less capital. If you want to run a business, the company investment route has a lower minimum.

The legal basis

The route rests on the Migration Law’s investment category and a CNIg resolution. The Migration Law allows residence for “realização de investimento,” the making of an investment (Lei 13.445/2017, art. 30, I, h). It does not mention property.

Decreto 9.199 adds a limit. Owning property in Brazil does not, by itself, give you a right to a visa (art. 11). The same article keeps the investment visa rules in place.

The property route itself comes from CNIg Normative Resolution 36, dated 9 October 2018 and published in the Diário Oficial in November 2018.

CNIg Normative Resolution 46 of 9 December 2021, published in the Diário Oficial on 8 August 2022, amended Resolution 36. It raised the initial term from two years to four and added a presence rule. Older guides written before 2022 still show the two-year term, so ignore them on this point.

CNIg Normative Resolution 49 of 25 June 2024 amended Article 3 of Resolution 36. The change aligned the proof of funds with Lei 14.286/2021, Brazil’s 2021 foreign-exchange law.

A change to watch. Decreto 12.657 of 7 October 2025, published in the Diário Oficial on 8 October 2025, revoked Decreto 9.873 of 2019, the decree that organized CNIg. The 2025 decree created a National Migration Council (Conselho Nacional de Migração). It also rewrote Decreto 9.199, art. 151, §4. Investment residence now follows requirements set in a joint act of the Justice and Foreign Affairs ministers, after hearing other ministries. The earlier wording pointed to a CNIg resolution.

The Ministry of Justice still lists Resolutions 13 and 36 on its labor immigration portal, with amendment notes for Resolutions 46 and 49 and no revocation note or joint act (checked 18 Oct 2026). For now, those resolutions are the working rules.

Check before you go: before you sign for a property or build a file, email the Ministry of Justice immigration office (imigrante.cgil@mj.gov.br). Ask whether Resolution 36 still governs property residence, or whether a joint ministerial act has replaced it.

The thresholds

The minimum is R$ 1,000,000 anywhere in Brazil, or R$ 700,000 in the North and Northeast.

The North covers Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins. The Northeast covers Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe. These lists follow Brazil’s standard macro-regions.

The text of Resolution 36 says the R$ 1,000,000 minimum can be reduced by up to 30% in the North and Northeast. In practice the figure applied is R$ 700,000. The resolution itself names no states.

If your property sits near a regional border, or you plan to pay close to R$ 700,000, confirm the reduced figure applies to that address. Ask the Ministry of Justice immigration office (imigrante.cgil@mj.gov.br) before you sign. Paying R$ 1,000,000 removes the question entirely.

The thresholds are in reais. Your cost in dollars or pounds moves with the exchange rate. Every conversion here uses US$1 = R$ 5.08, the Banco Central PTAX rate of 16 October 2026, rounded. Budget a margin in case the real strengthens between your offer and your transfer.

What counts as a qualifying purchase

The property must be urban, paid with your own funds from abroad, and registered in your name. These are the working rules:

• The property must be urban, either built or under construction.
• Rural land does not qualify.
• You may add several properties together to reach the threshold.
• Co-ownership qualifies only if each co-owner invests the minimum.
• The reduced North and Northeast threshold also applies to several properties and to co-ownership.
• You must pay with your own funds, transferred from abroad.
• Financing is allowed only for the part of the price above the minimum. Financed amounts may not count toward the minimum, so plan to pay the full threshold in cash.
• For a property under construction, you must prove the amounts you actually paid. Contracted amounts alone do not count.
• Ownership passes only when the deed is registered at the property registry (Registro de Imóveis). Signing a private contract is not enough.

Proof of funds

The money trail matters as much as the deed. Resolution 49 of 2024 changed the proof. The declaration about your purchase must come from an institution authorized or registered with the Banco Central do Brasil. It must confirm the international transfer of capital. If you pay a down payment under a purchase promise contract, the declaration must confirm the transfer for that payment.

The core documents are the registered deed, proof of the transfer and the Banco Central foreign capital registration (RDE). Make sure the bank transfers match the value on the registered deed.

Wire the money from an account in your own name. Third-party funds create gaps in the paper trail. The property registry asks for the buyer’s CPF or Brazilian ID number (Lei 6.015/1973, art. 176), and a foreign buyer with no Brazilian ID uses the CPF. See how to get a CPF.

Costs on top of the price

Expect transfer tax and registry fees of roughly 3% to 4.5% of the price, plus migration fees. The first table shows typical market figures, which vary by city.

The official migration fees on the gov.br residence service, last modified 23 July 2026:

Add lawyers’ fees for the title search and the residence file, sworn translations of foreign documents, and apostilles. Ask each professional for a written quote before you start.

Where to apply

You can apply from abroad through a consulate or from inside Brazil through the Ministry of Justice:

• From abroad: a temporary investment visa at a Brazilian consulate.
• Inside Brazil: a residence request to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

Decreto 9.199, as amended in 2025, says temporary investment visas need a prior residence authorization (art. 42). Allow about three to six months after the deed is registered.

Ask the Brazilian consulate that serves you which visa category to request and what its consular fee is. Fees differ by consulate and change with exchange rates.

Then register with the Polícia Federal. With a visa, you have 90 days from entry (Decreto 9.199, art. 64). With approval inside Brazil, you have 30 days from publication (art. 66). See registering with the Polícia Federal.

How long it lasts

Resolution 46 of 2021 sets a four-year first term, then an indefinite term:

• Initial term: four years (Arts. 3 and 4).
• After that: a change to an indefinite term (Art. 5), on proof that you still meet the investment conditions, with a copy of your CRNM and criminal record certificates.
• Presence: at least 14 days in Brazil, consecutive or not, in each two-year period, counted from Polícia Federal registration (Art. 6). If you miss it, you can ask for a new four-year authorization while the investment stays in place (Art. 6-A).
• Loss of status: the authorization ends if the basis for granting it ceases (Art. 6-B).

If you sell the property, expect the basis for your residence to end, at least while your term is still fixed. A sale that drops your holdings below the threshold is likely to end it. The resolution has no article on sales.

Check before you go: if you might sell before you reach an indefinite term, email the Ministry of Justice immigration office (imigrante.cgil@mj.gov.br) first. Ask how a sale affects your status, and get the answer in writing.

Your family

Your spouse, partner and children can apply for family reunification residence. When your permit has a fixed term, theirs expires on the same date (Decreto 9.199, art. 153). Once your permit is indefinite, theirs is too. See residency through family.

Property route and company route compared

The company route has a lower minimum but requires a business plan you must carry out.

Resolution 49 of 2024 amended Article 3 of Resolution 13 for investments below R$ 500,000 and not less than R$ 150,000 in innovation or research. Above that band, the general figure is R$ 500,000.

Taxes

Residence and tax residence are separate tests. Receita Federal makes a temporary visa holder a tax resident on the day they complete 184 days in Brazil within 12 months. Owning property does not appear in that rule. Ask a Brazilian accountant about rental income, ITBI and capital gains before you buy. US citizens also stay subject to US tax filing wherever they live.

Practical tips

Most problems with this route come from paperwork, not the property itself.

• Get the CPF first. You need it for the deed and the bank side of the transfer.
• Keep every transfer record. Save SWIFT confirmations, bank statements and the Banco Central declaration together.
• Register the deed quickly. Until the deed is registered, the property is not legally yours for this purpose.
• Check the title. Unpaid condo fees, liens and tax debts can follow the property. A title search catches them.
• Diary your 14 days. Log your days in Brazil in each two-year period, so you never fall short.

Who should skip it

This route is a poor fit in several cases:

• You need a mortgage to buy. The minimum must come from your own funds.
• You want rural land or a farm. Rural property does not qualify.
• You may need to sell soon. Selling can end your residence.
• You have a pension that meets the retirement threshold. That route is cheaper.
• You only want long holidays. A visitor visa, or the e-visa for US citizens, may be enough.

Before you apply

Hire a Brazilian property lawyer for the title search and an immigration lawyer for the residence file. Do both before you wire money. If you have a pension, the retirement visa asks for income instead of a purchase. Compare every option on Brazil visas and residency: every route, and read how residence years count toward naturalization.