How to buy property in Brazil as a foreigner

Who can buy property in Brazil

Foreign individuals and companies can buy urban property in Brazil — apartments, houses, lots in subdivisions and gated communities, offices and retail units — with the same rights as Brazilians, whether or not they live in the country. There is no minimum stay, no permit to apply for and no limit on the number of properties.

The one exception is rural land. Law 5.709 of 1971 limits how much rural land foreigners (and Brazilian companies controlled by foreigners) can hold, and above certain sizes it requires authorization from INCRA or Congress. Everything on this site is urban property, so that regime does not apply here — but if a “farm” appears in your search, treat it as a different transaction.

The three documents: CPF, power of attorney, apostille

CPF. The Brazilian taxpayer number is mandatory for any property purchase and for opening a bank account or paying taxes later. It is free, issued by the Receita Federal, and a non-resident can obtain it at a Brazilian consulate or online with a passport. Allow a few days.

Power of attorney (procuração). If you will not be in Brazil to sign, you appoint an attorney-in-fact — your lawyer, or a person you trust — by a power of attorney. It can be granted at a Brazilian consulate (in Portuguese, ready to use) or before a notary in your country, in which case it needs the Hague apostille and a sworn translation into Portuguese made in Brazil. Brazil has been part of the Apostille Convention since 2016, so consular legalization is no longer needed for member countries.

Civil status. Notaries ask for proof of marital status. A married buyer usually needs the marriage certificate (apostilled and translated) because the matrimonial regime decides whether the spouse must also sign.

A Brazilian bank account is not required: the purchase price can be paid straight to the seller through a foreign-exchange contract, as explained next.

How the money enters Brazil — and how it leaves

Brazil has exchange controls, which in practice means one thing: money comes in and goes out through a bank foreign-exchange contract. You wire the funds from your bank abroad; a Brazilian bank converts them to reais at the day’s rate, asks for the purchase documents (the contract, the CPF, the seller’s data) and pays the seller. The legal basis is the foreign-exchange law of 2021 (Law 14.286), in force since the end of 2022, which simplified the paperwork for individuals.

Keep every FX contract together with the deed. That record — the money entered Brazil to buy this property — is what allows you to repatriate rental income and the proceeds of a future sale through the same channel, again at the day’s rate. Without it, taking money out becomes slow and expensive.

The exchange rate works in both directions. For a buyer in dollars, euros or yen the entry price is decided by the rate on the day the FX contract is closed, and the exit price by the rate on the day you sell. We put this on the table in the first call; it is part of the investment, not a footnote.

What a purchase costs beyond the price

Budget roughly 3% to 5% of the price for closing costs on a ready property:

ITBI, the municipal transfer tax — in most cities of São Paulo state 2% to 3% of the price or of the municipal valuation, whichever is higher. Notary fee for the public deed (escritura) and registry fee at the Registro de Imóveis, both set by the state’s fee table and together usually 1% to 1.5% for mid-range values, less for high values. Lawyer for due diligence and the power of attorney, optional but strongly recommended for a buyer abroad. Sworn translations and the apostille, a few hundred reais per document.

The brokerage commission is owed by the party that hired the broker, unless the contract expressly allocates it differently. When buying from a developer, confirm in the price list and contract which commercial expenses are included before signing.

Buying off-plan or land from a developer is different: you sign a purchase agreement with the developer’s company (usually an SPE, a single-purpose company), pay according to its schedule — the developers on this site publish cash discounts and installment plans of 36 to 120 months — and the deed comes at the end. During construction the balance is usually indexed to a construction cost index (INCC); after delivery, to a general price index (IGP-M or IPCA). Every development page here states the index and the date of the price list.

Taxes while you own and when you sell

IPTU is the annual municipal property tax. In the cities where CJC operates it is modest relative to the value of the property — typically a fraction of one percent per year — and each listing shows the amount when the owner has provided the bill.

Rental income of a non-resident is taxed at source at a flat 15% (25% if you are resident in a jurisdiction Brazil lists as a low-tax territory). The non-resident’s attorney-in-fact or legal representative in Brazil is responsible for withholding and paying the tax; confirm treaty treatment and procedure with a Brazilian tax adviser.

Capital gains when you sell are taxed at 15% for most gains (the rate rises progressively to 22.5% only for very large gains; 25% for residents of low-tax jurisdictions). For a non-resident seller, the buyer or the attorney-in-fact in Brazil is responsible for withholding the tax at closing. Your home country may tax the same gain; Brazil has double-taxation treaties with some countries (Italy, Spain, Japan, China and others) but not with the United States, where foreign tax credits usually apply instead.

Rates change and individual cases differ. Confirm with a tax adviser in both countries before signing; the figures above are the general rules in force in September 2026.

Residence permit through real estate investment

Brazil grants a residence permit to foreigners who invest in real estate. Under Resolução Normativa CNIg 36/2018, the investment must be at least R$ 1,000,000 in urban property — built or under construction — and the funds must be transferred from abroad; in the North and Northeast regions the minimum is R$ 700,000. The amount may be split across more than one property.

It is a residence authorization, not citizenship: it is granted with conditions, must be maintained (the property kept), and can later become permanent. Naturalization follows its own path and requires years of residence. There is a separate route for investing in a Brazilian company (Resolução Normativa 13/2017, from R$ 500,000).

The application is made to the Ministry of Justice through an immigration lawyer. CJC provides the property documents the file requires — deed, registration, proof of the FX inflow — and works alongside the lawyer you choose. Rules are amended from time to time; check the current text before planning around it.

Where CJC operates, and why the interior of São Paulo

CJC Imóveis is based in Sertãozinho, the country’s hub for sugar-energy equipment and the city where most of the land on this site is. Twenty kilometres away is Ribeirão Preto, a city of about 700,000 people (2022 census) some 300 km from São Paulo, in the heart of the state’s agribusiness belt — sugar, ethanol, and the machinery and services that come with them. It is a regional capital for private healthcare and universities, with an airport and a highway system that puts São Paulo at three hours by car.

What that means for a buyer abroad: prices per square metre that are a fraction of São Paulo or Rio, in cities with real demand behind them. In September 2026 the developer price lists on this site show lots in gated communities in Sertãozinho from about R$ 1,616 per m², and ready-to-build lots in open subdivisions from R$ 1,010 per m²; a new three-suite house in a gated community with a pool lists at R$ 2.9 million. Each page carries the date of its price list.

CJC also brokers selected properties elsewhere in Brazil and, through a Florida-licensed partner, in Miami — the same rules of dated numbers and shown registrations apply to every page.

How the purchase works with CJC, step by step

1. A call in English. You tell us what you want — to live, to rent out, to hold land, to qualify for residency — and we send a shortlist from this site, each item with its price list date and registration.

2. Documents before any deposit. For the chosen property we obtain the current registry certificate (certidão de matrícula), the seller’s certificates, the municipal tax status and, for developments, the subdivision or condominium registration and the developer’s company data. We read them with you on video.

3. Proposal and contract. The offer is made in writing; the purchase agreement is drafted or reviewed by your lawyer. For developers, the developer’s standard agreement is reviewed clause by clause — index, delivery date, penalties.

4. CPF, power of attorney, exchange. In parallel: CPF issued; power of attorney signed and apostilled; your bank and a Brazilian bank aligned for the FX contract.

5. Deed and registration. The public deed is signed at a notary — in person, by your attorney-in-fact, or by video through e-Notariado — and then registered at the Registro de Imóveis. In Brazil the property is yours when the registration is done, not when the deed is signed; we close the file only with the registered certificate in hand.

6. After the purchase. IPTU set up for payment, condominium registration, property management if you will rent, and the FX records filed for the day you sell.

Frequently asked questions