Every foreigner can work in Brazil. The current Normative Resolutions provide for the following situations:

• Administrator, Manager, Director or Executive with management power: Professionals coming to Brazil to represent companies from the same group or economic conglomerate. The work permit is specific to foreign companies with the intention of investing in Brazil with foreign capital. The foreigner is resident conditioned to the exercise of the function assigned to him.
• Individual Investor: Foreign citizens who intend, with own resources of external origin, to make investments in a newly constituted or existing Brazilian company, in projects with the potential to generate jobs or income in Brazil. The granting of a visa/residence permit for a foreigner “Individual” may have an indefinite term.
• Technical Assistance: Specific visa for foreigners who intend to come to Brazil with the purpose of providing technical labor at the invitation of a Brazilian company, for personal technical training and installation of machinery and equipment as a result of a work contract between Brazilian and foreign company, agreement of cooperation or agreement.
• Transfer of Technology: Foreign citizen employee of a foreign company that intends to come to Brazil without employment bond for transfer of technology as result of a contract, cooperation agreement or agreement signed between a legal entity in Brazil and a foreign legal entity. It is competent that the application for a residence permit is based on a Brazilian company that receives a technology transfer service or intermediary from a foreign company under a contract with an exclusivity clause in Brazilian soil.
• Professional Training in Brazil without employment relationship: It is destined to a foreign citizen, employee of a subsidiary company, branch office or head office abroad when it needs professional training in a Brazilian company in activities that aim to develop skills and knowledge through practical work.
• Mercosul: Mercosul is a treaty of cooperation between allt the countries of South America, except Venezuela. The agreement allows free movement of goods, services, labor and factors of production. It also allows any citizen of these countries to claim “Temporary Residence” and later “Permanent” among the participating countries.

Living in Brazil based on Family Reunion is a visa/residence permit that is granted to the foreigner when it fits in any of the following situations:

• With a spouse or foreign partner in a stable situation in Brazil and proof of livelihood in Brazil;
• With a child who has been granted a residence permit in Brazil or who has a child in Brazil;
• With an ascending, descending relative, provided that the affective need for protection by the interested party is demonstrated;
• Be a brother of Brazilian or foreigner who has been granted with a residence permit in Brazil (legal resident).

Brazilian Naturalization is the act by which a person voluntarily acquires a nationality different from his or her nationality. The Brazilian Ministry of Justice provides Naturalization services to foreigners who intend to acquire Brazilian nationality on their own initiative. The order conditions are divided into categories, they are:

•  Ordinary: Foreigner who has lived in Brazil for more than four years, knows how to communicate in the Portuguese language and has no criminal conviction.
• Extraordinary: Foreigner who has lived in Brazil for more than fifteen years, knows how to communicate in Portuguese and has no criminal conviction.
• Provisional: Foreigner who has settled in Brazil before reaching ten years old.
• Transformation of Provisional in Definitive: Foreigner who obtained provisional naturalization and intends to maintain it. Must be requested until the age of twenty years.

Permanence based on marriage or Brazilian child is possible when a foreign citizen marries Brazilian national or is a parent of Brazilian offspring. The interested party may request permanent stay in Brazil under the Normative Resolution of the National Immigration Council, provided that the individual has civil capacity.

CRMN – (Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório) National Migratory Registration Card – Former RNE: granted by public department, is the first step towards regularization and that proves the legality of the foreign citizen in Brazil.

The CRMN is issued by the Federal Police in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and must be requested by all foreign citizens in situations of “Temporary”, “Permanent”, “Refugees”, “Stateless” and “Asylum” in Brazil.

CTPS (Carteira de Trabalho e Previdência Social) for Foreigners: The work and social security card is the document responsible for recording all professional activity of the foreigner working in Brazil in CLT (Consolidação das Leis Trabalhistas – Consolidation of Labor Laws).

Foreigners residing in Brazil also need to obtain their work card and enjoy all the guarantees and labor rights it provides.

CPF (Cadastro de Pessoa Física – Individual Taxpayer’s ID number): The CPF, for various situations in Brazil, is also required to the Brazilian citizen.

It will be necessary to present in lease and acquisition of real estate, opening of bank current account, shareholding and lawsuits.

CNH (Carteira Nacional de Habilitação) for Foreigners: This is the National Driver’s License granted by DETRAN (Departamento Estadual de Trânsito – State Department of Traffic) that authorizes foreigners to drive in Brazil. The care taken to obtain it is very important once the requests are divided into two groups: the group of citizens of countries that are part of the Vienna Convention and the group of countries that are not part of the convention. This fact differs in the request when it comes to documentation.