Brazil Work Visas & Work Permits [Best Guide]

If your business is planning to expand to Brazil, then you will probably be looking to bring along some of your valued talent to help with the setup and growth. To do this, you will need to obtain an individual Brazil work visa for each employee.

However, the process of getting valid Brazilian work visas is complicated and could take several weeks or months to complete. The country has multiple categories of visas, so it is crucial that you understand the relevant visa for your situation and follow the proper procedures if you want to avoid costly delays.

At Horizons, our expansion experts offer extensive Brazil work visa services, immigration support, and outsourcing, giving your organization everything needed to expand into Brazil along with your existing employees.

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Basic requirements for Brazil work visas

Each type of Brazil work visa has varying requirements, so you’ll need to know which visas you need and their precise requirements. The most common type of work visa for Brazil is the VITEM V visa, and for this, your employees will need at least two years of proven experience in a relevant field and a minimum of nine years of education. Alternatively, they can have a university degree with one year of professional experience, or a post-graduate degree in a relevant field. It’s also important to note that your employees will need to obtain a valid temporary or permanent residency visa before applying for their work visa. The simplest option is to first get temporary residence and then switch to permanent once in the country for four years.

Different types of Brazil work visas

There are various types of visas enabling people to work in Brazil. Some of the most common are:

VITEM V visas: The most common type of work visa and probably the most applicable for your organization and its employees.
VITEM II visas: For business trips. These are valid for 10 years and holders can stay in Brazil for up to 90 days.
Permanent work visas: A work visa granting permanent working rights to foreigners. This is more difficult and expensive to get than the standard VITEM V visa, but you can upgrade to it in many cases after spending time working in Brazil.

Obtaining work visas for Brazil

As an employer, you will need first need to have an established entity in Brazil (or use a global PEO such as Horizons) and submit all the supporting documentation to the General Coordination of Immigration Department in Brazil. The file will be passed to the Ministry of Foreign affairs, followed by the embassy/consulate in the employee’s resident nation. At this point, correspondence and transfer of documents will generally be to the employee’s local embassy/consulate.

Further considerations

The precise documents and fees associated with each application can vary, so remain engaged with the process to ensure full compliance. Also, applications can take several weeks to complete, so always start the process in good time to avoid delays to your expansion operation.

If your employees need to bring family members with them to Brazil, then this will need to be included in your application. In some cases, they will need completely separate visas.

How can Horizons help with your Brazilian work visas?

At Horizons, we assist organizations of all kinds with their successful expansion into Brazil, and we are experts in obtaining work visas for Brazil. Our Brazil work visa specialists offer reliable advice and tailored outsourcing services to support you through Brazil’s complex immigration process quickly and effectively. We can ensure that you and your valued employees are fully compliant with Brazil’s unique regulations, save you time, and answer any questions you may have along the way.

Additionally, we provide extensive outsourcing services covering recruitment, payroll, HR, administration, and more to help your business start trading in Brazil as efficiently as possible, even if you don’t have an established subsidiary in the country.