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Residency Through Real Estate in Brazil: A Buyer's Guide

Brazil's real estate residency rule (RN 36) explained clause by clause, with the federal rules on rural, border and coastal land, the closing costs, and the questions to ask before you sign.

PDF guide (25 pages) + Excel workbook. Written by Gabriela Rabachini, Brazilian attorney, OAB/SC 78438.

You pay on Stripe's secure checkout page, which shows the price. The files arrive by email right after payment.

Brazil grants residence to a foreigner who invests their own money from abroad in Brazilian urban real estate: at least R$1,000,000, or as little as R$700,000 in the North and Northeast. Much of what is written about this route in English gets the basics wrong, from the length of the residence to the presence rule. This guide works from the consolidated text of CNIg Resolution 36/2018 and explains it clause by clause.

It covers the questions a buyer has to settle before choosing a property: how your own foreign funds and the bank's declaration are proven, why financing can only cover the part above the minimum, when co-ownership counts, and which properties qualify. It explains the separate federal rules for rural land, the border strip and coastal Union land, including the federal property office's prior authorization that a foreign buyer needs on coastal land above 1,000 square meters.

You will see how a purchase works in Brazil, from the notary's deed to registration, which is the moment ownership passes; what the closing costs are and who sets each one, with Florianópolis as the worked example; how to apply for residence and register with the Federal Police; and how the 14-day rule, the change to an indefinite term after 4 years and family reunion work.

Every statement carries its official source and the date it was read, and open points, such as the ITBI base after recent court decisions, are labeled as open. Chapter 14 lists the questions to ask the seller, the notary, the registry and the bank, and the Excel workbook does the arithmetic for the minimum, the closing costs and the presence count.

What is inside

  • RN 36 explained clause by clause: thresholds, own foreign funds, financing, co-ownership, the 4-year term, the 14-day rule and the change to an indefinite term
  • Urban, rural, border and coastal rules, including INCRA, the National Defense Council and the federal property office (SPU) authorization for foreign buyers
  • How a purchase works in Brazil: the notary's deed, registration and the documents RN 36 asks for
  • Closing costs by category, with the Florianópolis ITBI rate as researched and the coastal laudêmio
  • Questions to ask the seller, the notary, the registry, the bank and the city
  • Tax points for property investors, family reunion and how the route compares with others
  • Excel workbook: threshold check, closing-cost worksheet, 14-day presence tracker and document checklist

Who it is for

  • Foreigners considering an investment of R$700,000 to R$1,000,000 or more in Brazilian property as a route to residence
  • Buyers who want to understand the rule and the purchase process before they commit money or engage anyone
  • People looking at property in Florianópolis or on the coast, where Union land and its extra steps are common
  • Digital nomads and other residents weighing a switch to a residence based on property

Table of contents

  1. How to use this guide
  2. The rule and where it stands today
  3. Real estate or another route?
  4. RN 36, clause by clause
  5. Your money: foreign funds, financing and co-owners
  6. Which property qualifies: urban, rural, border and coastal
  7. How a purchase works in Brazil
  8. Closing costs
  9. Applying for residence and registering
  10. Coming from the US: documents, visits and visas
  11. Keeping the residence: 14 days, 4 years, then indefinite
  12. Your family
  13. Tax points for property investors
  14. Questions to ask the seller, the notary and the registry
  15. Claims you will see online, checked
  16. Worksheets
  17. Glossary of Portuguese terms
  18. Sources

Educational material: it explains the rules and gives you the tools to prepare your own purchase and application. It is not legal or tax advice on your situation, it does not assess any property, and no one reviews your documents.

You pay on Stripe's secure checkout page, which shows the price. The files arrive by email right after payment.

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