Work Visa for Foreign Executives and Administrators in Brazil (2026)

Reviewed by Luiz Eduardo da Silva, director of LegalBR. Updated on 21 October 2026. About 9 minutes to read.

For a foreign executive who will run a Brazilian subsidiary on the ground, the work visa for Brazil starts with a residence authorization from the Ministry of Justice, usually under CNIg Normative Resolution 11/2017 or 2/2017. The executive route is tied to foreign direct investment of R$ 600,000 per executive, or R$ 150,000 plus ten new jobs. This guide explains which route fits, the 2024 changes, documents, timing and what happens after arrival.

Do you need a work visa for Brazil at all?

Not always. Since 2022, the administrator of a limited company (Ltda) may live abroad, and since Law 14,195/2021 the same applies to directors of a corporation (S.A.). The condition is a power of attorney to a person resident in Brazil with authority to receive service of process. Therefore, an executive who signs documents digitally and visits a few times a year does not need residence.

Short business trips also work without a work visa. Under the Migration Law (Law 13,445/2017), a visit visa, or visa exemption where your nationality qualifies, covers meetings, negotiations and site visits. However, a visitor may not be paid by a Brazilian source. As a result, once the executive moves to Brazil, receives a local salary or manages operations in person, a residence authorization is required.

Our guide on foreign directors living abroad explains the non-resident option in detail.

Work visa routes for executives

Labor-related residence is decided by the General Coordination of Labor Immigration (CGIL) of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, applying resolutions of the National Immigration Council (Conselho Nacional de Imigração, CNIg). The right resolution depends on who pays the executive and where the money comes from.

For founders who invest their own money, our guide on the investor visa and residence covers RN 13/2017 in depth. The rest of this article focuses on executives.

The administrator and director route (RN 11/2017)

Normative Resolution 11/2017 grants residence to an administrator, manager, director or executive with management powers who will represent a foreign company or group that invests in a Brazilian company. It is the standard route for an expatriate general manager of a subsidiary.

• Investment threshold. At least R$ 600,000 per executive, or at least R$ 150,000 per executive combined with the creation of at least ten jobs within two years of the company’s establishment or the executive’s arrival.
• How it is proven. Since Normative Resolution 49/2024, which aligned the rules with the new foreign exchange framework (Law 14,286/2021), the proof is a foreign exchange receipt from an institution authorized by the Central Bank, classified as foreign direct investment. Financial statements may replace it in specific cases.
• Investment funds. Investment made through a private equity fund (FIP) is accepted with an appointment act from the foreign investor and proof of the capital flow.
• Management powers. The executive must be appointed as administrator or director in the company’s registered acts, with real management powers.
• Term. Residence is granted for an indefinite term. For the R$ 150,000 route, keeping it depends on proving that the jobs were created.

The company must also notify the ministry when the executive leaves the position. Then, any move to a company outside the group, or to new or additional positions within the group, needs the ministry’s prior approval.

The employment route and other options

When the Brazilian company hires the executive as an employee, with a local salary under the Consolidated Labor Laws (CLT), the request usually follows Normative Resolution 2/2017. In that case, no minimum investment applies. Instead, the company shows that the professional’s education and experience match the job, and the contract follows Brazilian labor rules, including the 13th salary, vacation and FGTS.

This route suits subsidiaries that are already operating and want to bring in a specific manager. However, it adds payroll cost and labor obligations, explained in our guide on hiring employees in Brazil.

• Technical assistance and training. Specialists who come for a limited period to install equipment, transfer technology or train staff have their own short-term resolutions.
• Mercosur nationals. Citizens of countries in the Mercosur Residence Agreement, such as Argentina, Chile or Colombia, can usually obtain residence without any investment or employer sponsor.
• Family members. Spouses, partners and dependents can apply for residence for family reunion, and family reunion residence allows work.

How to apply for a work visa for Brazil, step by step

The work visa for Brazil is a two-stage process. First, the ministry grants the residence authorization; then, the consulate issues the visa on that basis.

1. Prepare the company

   The Brazilian company is incorporated, the foreign capital enters through a foreign exchange contract classified as direct investment, and the executive, who needs a CPF, is appointed in an act registered at the Board of Trade.

2. File in MigranteWeb

   The company files the request online, with a gov.br account, attaching the documents listed in Normative Resolution 1/2017 and the paid fee slip (GRU) of R$ 168.13.

3. Wait for the decision

   According to the government service page, complete files are decided in up to 30 days, or up to 60 days when the ministry raises requirements. You can follow the case on the public query of the migration system.

4. Get the visa

   With the authorization granted, the executive applies for the temporary visa at the Brazilian consulate with jurisdiction over their residence, through the e-consular system.

5. Register in Brazil

   Within 90 days of arrival, the executive registers with the Federal Police, giving biometric data, and receives the National Migration Registry card (CRNM).

Executives already in Brazil under another status may request residence from within the country under the same resolution. Once the apostilled documents arrive in Brazil, our team typically has the company ready to operate within 15 to 30 days, unless the activity requires a specific license, and the immigration request runs from there.

Documents and common rejections

The general list of documents is in Normative Resolution 1/2017, and each specific resolution adds its own. In practice, a request under RN 11/2017 includes:

• Executive’s documents. Valid passport and criminal record certificates, apostilled and translated where issued abroad.
• Company documents. Articles of association or bylaws and the registered act appointing the executive with management powers.
• Investment proof. The foreign exchange receipt classified as foreign direct investment, and the related registration data.
• Jobs commitment. For the R$ 150,000 route, the plan to create at least ten jobs within two years.
• Fee. The GRU fee slip and proof of payment.

Most requirements raised by the ministry come from a few recurring problems. For example, the money entered as a loan or was classified under the wrong foreign exchange code. In other cases, the appointment act does not give real management powers, or the names differ between passport, CPF and corporate acts. Also, documents issued abroad without an apostille and a sworn translation are returned. Our guide on apostille and sworn translation covers that step.

After arrival: registration, tax and family

The CRNM is the executive’s identity document in Brazil. With it, the executive updates the CPF, opens personal bank accounts and, if employed, activates the Digital Work Card linked to the CPF.

Tax residence deserves early planning. Therefore, coordinate the move date, home-country exit rules and any tax treaty with an adviser before the executive arrives, because Brazil taxes residents on income earned anywhere.

Questions investors ask