Who this guide is for
This guide is for foreign companies that want a professional from abroad to work in Brazil: in a Brazilian company of the group, for a Brazilian client or to train a local team.
It covers the migration side. The cost of an employment contract is in our guide on hiring employees in Brazil.
Short answer. A foreign national who will work in Brazil needs authorization to do so. A visitor visa does not allow paid work. The Migration Decree provides a temporary work visa, with or without an employment relationship, and a residence authorization for work, requested from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. Which path fits depends on the work the person will do and on who engages them.
General information as of November 2026. It does not replace the analysis of each case.
Requirements and documents are set by regulation that changes, so they are confirmed on the Ministry's portal before filing.
Run the numbers: CLT or service contract: cost comparison
A visitor visa is not enough to work
The Migration Law (Law 13,445/2017, art. 13, §1) and the Migration Decree (Decree 9,199/2017, art. 29, §1) forbid paid activity to the holder of a visitor visa.
The Decree provides a narrow exception for technical assistance or technology transfer under a contract between a foreign company and a Brazilian company (art. 29, §3). Whether a project fits that exception is checked case by case, and the stay remains limited to the period allowed to a visitor.
Two paths: with or without an employment relationship
Article 38 of the Decree says the temporary work visa may be granted to an immigrant who will carry out work in Brazil with or without an employment relationship.
| Path | What the rules say | Typical situations |
|---|---|---|
| With an employment relationship | Granted on proof of a work offer in Brazil: an individual employment contract or a service provision contract (Decree, art. 38, §1). The Law requires the offer to be formalised by a legal entity active in the country (Law, art. 14, §5). | A professional hired by the Brazilian company of the group |
| Without an employment relationship | Only for the activities listed in art. 38, §2, such as technical assistance or technology transfer, training with the Brazilian subsidiary, branch or parent, and audit or consultancy lasting more than 90 days. | A specialist sent for a project, a trainee, an audit team |
The list in §2 has more items. The text of the Decree is the reference for each one.
Prior authorization when the person is abroad
When the worker is still abroad, the Decree provides for a prior residence authorization before the visa is issued, requested from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (art. 38, §9). The exceptions are set by the joint act of the ministries.
The Ministry's labour immigration portal says that requests are filed directly with the Ministry, through the MigranteWeb system, and that the prior authorization is granted to the person who is abroad, who then presents the decision to the competent consulate.
The Law sets up to 60 days for the decision on residence authorizations for work (Law 13,445, art. 31, §1). We treat it as the legal limit, not as a promise: the real timing depends on the file, the documents and the consular step.
After arrival: registration
Once in Brazil, the immigrant must request registration. The Decree sets 90 days from entry for holders of a visa (art. 64) and 30 days from the publication of the decision for those who receive a residence authorization (art. 66).
Can the person be engaged through their own company (PJ)?
The migration text lists an individual employment contract or a service provision contract as proof of the work offer (Decree 9,199/2017, art. 38, §1, I). In what we read, it does not provide for engaging the worker through their own legal entity: a legal entity appears only as the party that makes the work offer in Brazil (Law 13,445/2017, art. 14, §5).
Whether a relationship is employment or an independent service is a labour-law question. It depends on how the work is actually done, and the migration rules do not settle it. We analyse it against the contract before the application, and our cost comparison shows the two models side by side.
What to settle before the move
- Who engages the person in Brazil. The Brazilian company, or another structure.
- What the person will do. It decides whether the path is art. 38, §1 or §2.
- For how long. Stay, renewal and the registration deadlines depend on it.
- Payroll. Whether the person is on the Brazilian payroll or stays on the parent's.
- Taxes and social security of the person. A separate analysis, which depends on the length of stay and on the agreements in force. It is not covered in this guide.
How we work
The application is filed with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. We coordinate the timeline with the specialists who prepare it and organise the Brazilian side: the structure that engages the person, the contract, the payroll, the accounting and the taxes.
Legal basis and sources
- Law 13,445/2017 (Migration Law), arts. 13, 14, 30 and 31.
- Decree 9,199/2017, arts. 29, 38, 64 and 66, as amended by Decree 12,657/2025.
- Ministry of Justice and Public Security: labour residence authorization.
We did not find one current list of documents in the official pages we read, so we do not reproduce one here. Check the Ministry's portal before filing.