The programme the market calls the Golden Visa has existed in Brazil since 2018. It is Normative Resolution No. 36 of the National Immigration Council, which regulates the residence permit for foreigners who buy property in the country with funds from abroad. In March 2025, the Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Council of Real Estate Brokers, Cofeci, signed a protocol to promote the programme to foreign investors. The signing took place at MIPIM, the international property fair held every year in Cannes. The protocol did not change the rules.
How much you need to invest
The minimum is R$ 1 million in urban property, completed or under construction. In the North and Northeast regions, the minimum falls to R$ 700,000. The amount can be reached with a single property or by adding up several.
When more than one person buys the same property, each of them must have invested the minimum on their own. Financing is accepted only for the part above the minimum. The minimum must be paid with the investor’s own funds.
The money has to come from abroad
The resolution applies to investment made with funds of foreign origin. The international transfer is proven by a declaration from the financial institution that received the money in Brazil. This declaration is attached to the application, together with the property documents.
The property documents
For a completed property, the application includes the certificate from the property registry, which proves ownership, and the bank’s declaration on the transfer. For a property under construction, it includes the preliminary purchase and sale agreement, the bank’s declaration, the building permit and the development’s incorporation memorandum (memorial de incorporação). The personal documents required for any residence application in Brazil are added to these.
Four years of residence, then an indefinite term
The initial permit is valid for four years. Until 2022 it was two. The term changed with Resolution No. 46 of December 2021, published in the Official Gazette in August 2022. At the end of the four years, the investor can apply for residence for an indefinite term, provided the conditions that gave rise to the permit are maintained, including the investment itself.
The required presence is at least 14 days in Brazil, consecutive or not, in each two-year period. The previous rule required 30 days over the two years of the permit.
How the application works
The residence permit is granted by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Those already in Brazil apply directly to the ministry. Those abroad can apply for the temporary investment visa, VITEM IX, at a Brazilian consulate. Once the application is approved, the foreigner registers with the Federal Police and receives the National Migration Registration Card (CRNM).
Spouses, partners and children can apply for residence through family reunification. Each person files their own application, under the Migration Law and Interministerial Ordinance No. 12 of 2018.
Permits granted since 2019
Between 2019 and early 2025, 787 residence permits were granted for real estate investment, according to data from the National Immigration Council. The annual amount invested rose from R$ 11.3 million in 2019 to R$ 362 million in the most recent year with data. The figures were released in March 2025, together with the protocol signed in Cannes, and the target presented at the event was to attract R$ 1 billion in investment in the first year of the protocol.
The programme at a glance
- Rule
- CNIg Normative Resolution No. 36 of 9 October 2018, amended by CNIg/MJSP Resolution No. 46 of 9 December 2021
- Minimum investment
- R$ 1 million in urban property
- North and Northeast
- R$ 700,000
- Property
- Urban, completed or under construction, one or several
- Financing
- Only for the amount above the minimum
- Source of funds
- Abroad, with a declaration from the bank that received the transfer
- Initial term
- 4 years
- Afterwards
- Indefinite term, if the conditions are maintained
- Minimum presence
- 14 days every 2 years
- Granted by
- Ministry of Justice and Public Security
- Application abroad
- VITEM IX visa, at a Brazilian consulate
- Registration
- Federal Police, with issue of the CRNM card
- Family
- Family reunification, in a separate application
- Permits granted
- 787, between 2019 and early 2025
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum investment for Brazil’s Golden Visa?
R$ 1 million in urban property, completed or under construction. In the North and Northeast regions, the minimum is R$ 700,000. The amount can be reached with more than one property.
Does Brazil’s Golden Visa give permanent residence?
The initial permit is valid for four years. After that, the investor can apply for residence for an indefinite term, provided the investment and the other conditions are maintained.
How much time do I need to spend in Brazil?
At least 14 days, consecutive or not, in each two-year period.
Can I finance the property?
Only the part above the minimum. The minimum must be paid with the investor’s own funds from abroad.
Can my family be included?
Spouses, partners and children can apply for residence through family reunification. Each person files their own application.
Does residence lead to Brazilian citizenship?
Not automatically. Naturalisation is a separate application, with its own requirements set out in the Migration Law, Law No. 13,445 of 2017.
Properties for sale
Every property for sale at Villas in Brazil costs more than R$ 1 million. They are houses, apartments and islands in Rio de Janeiro, Angra dos Reis, Búzios, Bahia and São Paulo. Whether a property qualifies also depends on its location, the source of the funds and the documents, and should be confirmed with an immigration lawyer before the purchase. Ask our team about prices and conditions, and see also our article on the most expensive square metre in Brazil, in Leblon.
Published on 24 March 2025. Updated on 25 September 2026. Sources: CNIg Normative Resolution No. 36/2018 and CNIg/MJSP Resolution No. 46/2021, from the National Immigration Council; Metrópoles and Xinhua, for the protocol signed at MIPIM and the number of permits; Interministerial Ordinance No. 12/2018, for family reunification.