Brazil Digital Nomad Visa

Brazil’s Digital Nomad Visa: Income or Savings?

You do not need both. Brazil’s digital nomad visa asks for foreign-source income of at least US$1,500 a month or available bank funds of at least US$18,000, and either one meets the test. The harder part is the rest of the file: proving that the money comes from abroad and that your work is for a foreign employer or client.

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The test is either/or

Article 5 of Resolução CNIg/MJSP nº 45/2021, the resolution behind the VITEM XIV visa, asks for proof of means of subsistence from a foreign source of at least US$1,500 per month, or available bank funds of at least US$18,000. Every consular page we checked on 16 October 2026 uses the same two figures and the same “or”.

In practice that means two routes. If you have steady remote income, the income route may suit you. If you have savings but irregular or project-based income, the funds route may suit you better. Pick the one your documents prove most cleanly, not the one that sounds stronger.

The income route: what evidence looks like

Resolution 45 sets the standard. Consulates decide what proves it, and their lists differ:

  • The embassy in Helsinki accepts payslips, or bank statements for the last three months.
  • The embassy in Dublin asks for a monthly payslip of at least US$1,500.

The resolution says the income must come “from a foreign source”. Income paid by a foreign employer or foreign clients is what the resolution describes; check which documents your consulate accepts as proof of it. Income from a Brazilian employer does not, and as the next section explains, Brazilian employment rules you out of the route entirely.

The savings route: what evidence looks like

The alternative is available bank funds of at least US$18,000. Dublin asks for three months of bank statements showing at least US$18,000. Helsinki lists three months of bank statements among the evidence it accepts; confirm with the post that they serve for the funds route. The word in the resolution is “available”, so make sure the statements show money you can actually use.

The money is only half the test: the foreign-employer condition

Meeting the money test does not make you a digital nomad under the resolution. Article 5 also asks for two other things:

  1. Your own declaration that you can work remotely using information and communication technology. Helsinki and Lisbon require it to be notarised.
  2. An employment contract, service contract or other document proving your link with a foreign employer or contracting party. Abu Dhabi also asks for a remote-work statement on the employer’s or contractor’s letterhead. Dublin asks for a notarised employer letter.

This applies to the savings route too. Savings alone do not qualify you. You still need the remote-work declaration and the foreign contract. The resolution excludes anyone who works for an employer in Brazil, with or without a formal employment contract.

Freelancers and business owners

Because the resolution accepts a service contract with a foreign “contracting party”, freelancers whose clients are outside Brazil can fit. Owners of their own businesses are less clear. Resolution 45 does not mention them, but the Embassy of Brazil in Manama states on its page that business owners are excluded. That is one post’s practice, not a rule in the resolution. If you would be contracting with your own company, ask the consulate handling your case before you apply.

Common evidence mistakes

  • Assuming you need both figures. You do not, and showing a weak version of both is no better than a clear version of one.
  • Hiding the USD figure. The thresholds are in US dollars. If you are paid or save in dirhams or another currency, make the USD equivalent easy to see, and use a rate you can explain. The pages we checked do not say which rate to use, so ask your consulate if the margin is small.
  • Using income from Brazil. The income must come from a foreign source, and a Brazilian employer excludes you from the route.
  • Sending a contract without the remote-work evidence. The declaration, and at some posts a letterhead statement or notarised letter, is part of the requirement, not an extra.
  • Names that do not match. Doha states that the full name on the form must match the passport exactly, and that mismatches mean the application will not be approved. The same care applies to payslips and bank statements.
  • Overstating anything. Article 7 says a false declaration or omitted information, at any time, starts cancellation of the residence authorisation, without prejudice to civil and criminal liability.

You will prove it again at renewal

The initial residence is up to one year, renewable once for the same period. At renewal, Resolution 45 asks for fresh proof of digital nomad status, which includes the money test. Keep your payslips or statements organised from the start, rather than reconstructing them a year later. The full process, from documents to Federal Police registration, is in our Brazil digital nomad visa guide.

If your income is mainly passive rather than from remote work, Brazil’s route is probably not the right fit. Compare the Spain non-lucrative visa or the routes on our residency overview. If you are weighing EU remote-work options, see the Malta Nomad Residence Permit guide.

Official sources (checked 16 October 2026)

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Brazil Digital Nomad Visa

About this guidance

  • These guides are general information — they are not legal or immigration advice, and they are not a substitute for advice about your own circumstances.
  • Requirements, fees, and processes are set by the relevant government authorities and can change without notice. Confirm the current position before you act on anything here.
  • Vizabolt prepares and organises applications. Decisions on visas and residency are made solely by the relevant authority, and no outcome can be guaranteed.
  • Where an article describes documents, those are categories commonly requested — not an official checklist. What your case requires depends on your circumstances.
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