Brazil digital nomad visa (2026)

Who can apply

• Employment or service contract with a foreign employer
• Work that can be done remotely using digital tools
• Foreign income of US$1,500 a month or US$18,000 in bank funds
• Health insurance valid in Brazil for the whole stay

Income requirement

You need to show at least US$1,500 per month, or US$18,000 in savings. Income must come from a foreign source; as an alternative, bank funds of at least US$18,000 can be shown.

Documents you need

• Online visa application form
• Passport with at least two blank pages and a photo
• Police clearance certificate, apostilled where required
• Health insurance valid in Brazil
• Employer letter or contract confirming remote work
• Pay slips or three months of bank statements

How to apply, step by step

1. Fill in the online form through the consular system and upload documents
2. Pay the consular fee and attend the appointment if required
3. Collect the visa (sent by email for visa-exempt nationals since September 2026)
4. Register with the Federal Police within 90 days of arrival

Where and how to apply

There are two routes under CNIg Normative Resolution 45/2021. From abroad, you apply to the Brazilian consulate or embassy responsible for where you live, through the online consular visa form; the consulate decides on the VITEM XIV visa and may call you to an interview with the original documents (the London consulate does). If you are already in Brazil, article 4 of the resolution lets you ask the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) for a residence authorisation instead of a visa. That request is filed online in the MigranteWeb system run by the Ministry's labour immigration department, with a processing fee of R$168.13; the official service page gives up to 30 days for complete files and up to 60 days when the file is put 'em exigência' (asked for corrections). Either way, the Federal Police later handle registration and issue the residence card (CRNM). The resolution also says remote work for a foreign employer may be done under an ordinary visitor stay, subject to the normal visitor time limits, so the nomad permit matters mainly for stays longer than a visitor is allowed.

Timeline

1. Get police certificates Valid 3 months from issue (London consulate)
   Obtain a criminal record certificate from every country you lived in during the last 12 months, apostilled and translated where needed. For the in-country route the resolution asks for certificates covering the last five years plus a sworn declaration.
2. Collect employer and income evidence Last 3 months of statements
   Get a notarised employer letter confirming your role can be done remotely from Brazil, plus pay slips of at least US$1,500 a month or three months of bank statements showing US$18,000.
3. File the online form and attend the consulate Not stated officially
   Upload all documents before completing the form; some consulates then require an appointment with originals. In Brazil, file on MigranteWeb instead (up to 30 days for complete files, per the MJSP service page).
4. Enter Brazil Residence period counts from first entry
   For a temporary visa holder, the residence period printed on the card starts on the first entry into Brazil after the visa is issued (Decree 9.199/2017, art. 73).
5. Register with the Federal Police Within 90 days of entry
   Book online, pay the CRNM issuance fee of R$204.77 and attend for fingerprints. If your authorisation was granted in Brazil, the deadline is 30 days from publication in the Diário Oficial.
6. Collect the CRNM card About 30 working days
   The Federal Police service page estimates around 30 working days for the card to be produced; you check its status online and book pick-up.
7. Renew before expiry Before the current period ends
   File the renewal for an equal period with the MJSP before the residence expires; filing after expiry triggers a fine under Law 13.445/2017.

Proving your income

Article 5 of Resolution 45/2021 requires means of support that come from a foreign paying source: either at least US$1,500 a month or available bank funds of at least US$18,000. Alongside the money you must show a contract of employment or services, or other documents proving the link with a foreign employer, and your own declaration that you can do your work remotely with digital tools. The London consulate asks for pay slips at or above the monthly figure, or bank statements for the last three months showing the US$18,000, and may also ask for the original contract. It also wants a notarised letter from the employer naming you, your role, and stating that all your duties can be performed remotely from Brazil. Documents issued abroad generally have to be legalised or apostilled and translated by a sworn translator when used before Brazilian authorities; the London page specifically asks for apostilled police checks with certified translations where needed. Income paid by a Brazilian company does not count, and working for a Brazilian employer disqualifies you altogether.

Bringing your family

Resolution 45/2021 does not mention spouses, partners or children, and sets no extra income per dependant. Family members use the general family-reunion rules of the Migration Law instead. Under Law 13.445/2017, art. 37, and Decree 9.199/2017, arts. 45 and 153, a family-reunion visa or residence can be granted to the spouse or partner (without discrimination), children, and certain other relatives of an immigrant who holds a residence authorisation, and the family-reunion visa can be requested at the same time as the main applicant's visa. When the main holder's residence is for a fixed term, the relative's authorisation expires on the same date. A family-reunion visa holder may take up any activity in Brazil, including paid work, on the same terms as Brazilians, which is broader than the nomad's own permission. Dependants still need their own Federal Police registration within the usual deadlines.

Health insurance

Article 3 of the resolution lists health insurance valid in Brazil among the documents for the consular visa, and the London consulate states that the policy must cover the whole of your stay in Brazil. Neither the resolution nor the consulate page sets a minimum amount of cover, a deductible limit, or a list of approved insurers, so a policy that clearly names Brazil and runs from your arrival date to the end of the requested stay is the safe choice. The list of documents for the in-country route under article 4 does not mention insurance, but the MJSP may ask for additional documents. If you renew for a second year, keep the policy continuous, since consulates assess cover for the entire stay.

Cost and processing time

The fee is set per consulate and nationality (for example QAR 400 at the embassy in Doha). Processing takes set per consulate. Budget extra for translations, certified copies and health insurance.

After you arrive

• Register with the Federal Police within 90 days of entry (30 days after Diário Oficial publication if the permit was granted in Brazil); missing the deadline is an offence punished with a fine under Decree 9.199/2017, art. 307.
• Pay the CRNM card fee of R$204.77 through a GRU slip; the Federal Police appointment takes about 20-30 minutes and the card usually takes around 30 working days.
• Get a CPF taxpayer number from Receita Federal: registration is free online or at Receita offices (R$7 at partner outlets such as Banco do Brasil, Caixa, Correios or registry offices).
• Keep your address current with the Federal Police; address changes are filed online, free, with proof such as a utility bill showing the postcode.
• Watch your email during any Federal Police or MJSP process: unanswered notifications lapse after 30 days and the request is closed (Decree 9.199/2017, art. 72).
• Tell the Federal Police if you stop meeting the conditions of the permit, such as losing the foreign job (Decree 9.199/2017, art. 135).

Tax

Receita Federal's rules (IN SRF 208/2002, art. 2, and Law 9.718/1998, art. 12, as summarised in the 2026 IRPF Questions and Answers) say a person entering on a temporary visa without a Brazilian employment link becomes tax resident on the day they complete 184 days in Brazil, consecutive or not, within a 12-month period; if they take a Brazilian job or a permanent visa earlier, residence starts that day. If the 184 days are not reached within 12 months, a new 12-month count starts from the next entry. Before residence starts, foreign income is not taxed in Brazil. Once resident, income from foreign sources is taxed through the monthly carnê-leão payment and the annual return, with credit for foreign tax where a tax treaty or reciprocity applies (Brazil lists treaties with countries such as Argentina, Canada, France, Japan, Portugal and Spain; the US, UK and Germany are accepted on reciprocity). Neither Resolution 45/2021 nor the Receita Federal material reviewed contains any tax exemption for digital nomads, so a full year on this permit will normally make you tax resident.

Does it lead to permanent residence?

The nomad permit is a fixed-term temporary residence: Resolution 45/2021 allows an initial period of up to one year and a renewal for an equal period (art. 6), and it contains no provision for converting to residence for an indefinite term (prazo indeterminado). That matters because naturalisation under Law 13.445/2017 needs four years of residence (reduced to one year for people with a Brazilian child or spouse), and Decree 9.199/2017, art. 221, counts only periods in which the immigrant has residence for an indefinite term. Time on the nomad permit therefore does not build toward citizenship by itself. You can request a new residence authorisation on a different legal basis, such as family reunion or work, if you meet its conditions (Decree 9.199/2017, arts. 130 and 135); doing so means giving up the earlier status, and filing after your current permit has expired brings a fine.

Why applications get refused

• Police certificate older than three months, or missing for a country where you lived in the past 12 months, or without an apostille and certified translation.
• Any work, paid or not, for an employer or client in Brazil; the resolution excludes such applicants entirely.
• Income below US$1,500 a month or bank funds below US$18,000, or income that is not from a foreign paying source.
• Health insurance that does not name Brazil or does not cover the whole stay.
• Names or parents' names that differ between the visa form and the birth certificate, which can block Federal Police registration later.
• False or missing information, which leads to cancellation of the residence under art. 7 of the resolution and Decree 9.199/2017, art. 136.

Cost of living in Florianópolis

1-bedroom rent

R$2,500-4,500 per month in the city centre; R$1,800-4,000 outside the centre (Numbeo, 12 Nov 2026)

Coworking desk

No dated price data found

Numbeo figures are crowd-sourced ranges and vary by neighbourhood and season.

Good to know

• From 1 September 2026, visa-exempt nationals receive this visa electronically
• Federal Police registration within 90 days of entry is mandatory

Visiting first? Entry rules for popular passports

100 passports can enter Brazil visa-free for a short stay, a common way to try the country before applying. Check Brazil visa requirements for your passport.

Official source

Consulate-General of Brazil in London – Digital Nomads (VITEM XIV)

Not yet confirmed on an official source: renewal, fee, processing time. Check these with the consulate before you apply.