Frequent Asked Questions
Brazil is the New World. I believe is the future for humanity due to its natural resources. If you are willing to invest and/or relocate to the country, you surely have a lot of questions. In this page, I aim to address the most important information you need to know on real estate investments and the relocation process to Brazil.
1. How long does the 'Business Investment Visa' process usually take?
It takes 6 months in average to have the money invested in the business account and the residence visa for the investor granted.
*We provide a consultancy service to set up a legal entity in Brazil and apply for a residence visa based on investment. Our fee is 8k USD with professional assistance from an immigration lawyer.
2. What is the procedure for obtaining a permanent investor visa in Brazil?
To be qualified for the investor visa, a foreigner must invest R$ 500,000 in either an already existing Brazilian company or create a new one. Nevertheless, the investor need to set up a company first, then open a bank account to transfer the value. And only then apply for the visa.
3. How much an average simple house costs in Santa Catarina?
It depends on the location. We can simplify though saying it will vary from 300k BRL to 500k BRL, depending on the location mainly.
4. How much is a land plot in a good location?
What city are we talking about and what neighborhood of the city. A beach front lot will cost +2M BRL.
Other places will vary from 100k BRL up.
5. Do I need permits to build in Brazil?
Depends on the location, again. In the cities, you always do. In rural areas, you mostly don't. So, that's why I prefer rural developments. You never need any permits in most of the rural areas. That means you can build chalets, 'Airnbs and so on in your rural property not having to worry about it.
6. What are the property taxes and how much is it.
For urban areas, you have the IPTU, which is a municipality tax that you have to pay annually and it is around 1% on the value of the property assessed by the municipality, and it is usually lower than the market price.
For rural areas, you have the ITR, which will vary depending on how many hectares and how much is the utilized area related to the total area. It's a Federal Tax. The rates vary accordingly from 0.3% up to 20%.
7. How is the transfer property title like in Brazil?
It is not a simple task. You better have your trust lawyer and real estate broker, just to make sure you are not going into big trouble.
Resuming, you make an offer and once both parties agree on terms, you go to the Notary and make a Private Sales Contract in order to assure the deal and start the process. Having the parties signed all documents, you call your bank and ask them to transfer the money to the seller. The seller will then call its bank and ask if the money has arrived. Once this is done, you take the the Public Deed to the Properties Registry Office to officially transfer the property title to your name. After this is done, you are now considered to be the legal owner of the property.
It looks like double , however, it is what it is and I guess this is one of the reasons that characterizes Brazil as a bureaucratic country.
8. What about the commissions?
In Brazil the seller pays the commission. The rate is different for each State. In Santa Catarina, the commission for an urban property sale is 6% and for rural properties is 10%.
9. Are foreigners allowed to buy rural land in Brazil?
Yes, it is possible. There are certain restrictions for foreigners, but it is possible to buy farmland as long as you keep that land productive and serving our economy.
10. What are the taxes you have to pay when you buy and sell real estate in Brazil?
Buying: ~2% for title transference of ownership to the buyer's name.
Selling: 15% on Capital Gains.