Brazil Digital Nomad Visa

Brazil Digital Nomad Visa (VITEM XIV): How the Rules Work

Brazil’s digital nomad visa is a temporary residence route for people who work remotely for an employer or clients outside Brazil. You qualify on income of US$1,500 a month or on US$18,000 in available funds, not both, and you receive up to one year of residence, renewable once. The visa is only the first step: registering with the Federal Police after you arrive is what completes it.

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What VITEM XIV is, and the resolution behind it

The route is set out in Resolução CNIg/MJSP nº 45 of 9 September 2021, a resolution of Brazil’s National Immigration Council. It was published in the Diário Oficial da União on 24 January 2022 and came into force on that date. Brazilian consulates issue the visa as a temporary visa, category XIV, usually written VITEM XIV.

The resolution defines a digital nomad as a migrant who can do their work in Brazil remotely, using information and communication technology, for a foreign employer. That definition is the whole route in one sentence. The rest of the resolution sets out how you prove it and what you receive.

There are two ways in. From outside Brazil, you apply for the consular visa (article 3). Someone already in Brazil can instead ask the Ministry of Justice and Public Security for a residence authorisation (article 4). This guide focuses on the consular visa, because that is the route for anyone applying from abroad.

Who qualifies, and who is excluded

The test is about where your work comes from, not what job you do. To fit, you need to be able to show the following:

  • You can do your work remotely, using information and communication technology. You declare this yourself.
  • You have a link with a foreign employer or contracting party, shown by an employment contract, a service contract or another document.
  • You meet the money test, set out in the next section.

The exclusion is just as clear. The resolution says anyone who works for an employer in Brazil is not a digital nomad, with or without a formal employment contract. Working for an employer in Brazil puts you outside the route, and a Brazilian client cannot be the foreign contracting party the resolution requires.

Founders and owners of their own businesses should check carefully. Resolution 45 says nothing specific about them, but the Embassy of Brazil in Manama states on its own page that business owners are excluded. That is one post’s practice, not a rule in the resolution, and it shows why the post handling your case has the final word.

The money test: US$1,500 a month or US$18,000 in funds

Article 5 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. These are alternatives. You meet one or the other, and every consular page we checked on 16 October 2026 repeats the same figures.

The evidence consulates ask for differs. The embassy in Helsinki accepts bank statements for the last three months or payslips. The embassy in Dublin asks for a monthly payslip of at least US$1,500, or three months of bank statements showing at least US$18,000. Our companion guide, income or savings, goes through each route and the evidence it needs.

Documents, item by item

Article 3 sets the legal minimum for the consular visa. Brazilian authorities can add to it, and consulates do.

Required by Resolution 45 (article 3)

  • A valid travel document.
  • Health insurance valid in Brazil.
  • Proof of payment of the consular fee.
  • The visa application form.
  • Proof of transport for entry into Brazil.
  • A criminal record certificate from your country of origin, or an equivalent document at the consul’s discretion.
  • The digital nomad documents: your remote-work declaration, the contract or other proof of your foreign employer or client, and the income or funds evidence.

What consulates commonly add

  • A notarised remote-work declaration (Helsinki, Lisbon).
  • A remote-work statement on the employer’s or contractor’s letterhead (Abu Dhabi), or a notarised employer letter (Dublin).
  • A birth certificate or other proof of your parents’ names (Abu Dhabi, Lisbon, Helsinki).
  • A recent photo and a printed form receipt (Abu Dhabi).
  • Police certificates from every country you lived in during the last 12 months (Abu Dhabi, Dublin).

Two details catch people out. First, insurance: the wording on the Abu Dhabi, Doha, Manama and Lisbon pages is “health insurance valid in Brazil”. Helsinki asks for travel medical insurance covering the whole stay, and Dublin asks for cover for the whole stay plus repatriation in the event of death. Buy cover that matches your consulate’s wording. Second, timing: Abu Dhabi and Dublin state that a police certificate is “only valid for 3 months after issuance”, so order it last, not first.

Applying from the UAE

The Embassy of Brazil in Abu Dhabi has its own VITEM XIV page. It is dated 21 March 2024, so treat the details below as the embassy’s published position and confirm them with the embassy before you apply.

  • Booking: log into e-Consular and request an appointment for “VITEM XIV - Digital Nomad” with the embassy in Abu Dhabi.
  • Fees on that page: AED 400 for the visa, plus AED 80 for the embassy to legalise the police certificate. The embassy’s fee table (updated 9 January 2026) lists VITEM XIV at AED 1,160 for US nationals, AED 400 for all other nationalities, and free for low-income applicants.
  • Police certificate: required from age 18, legalised first by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Embassy of Brazil. A sworn translation may be required.
  • Passport: valid until the end of your trip, with at least one blank visa page. Amendment pages are not accepted.

The page does not say who may file in Abu Dhabi, for example whether non-residents or residents of other Gulf states can. It also gives no processing time for Abu Dhabi, and we do not estimate one. Elsewhere in the Gulf, the embassy in Doha lists a fee of QAR 400 and the embassy in Manama lists BHD 116, both paid by bank transfer.

After you land: Federal Police registration

Once in Brazil, you register with the Polícia Federal and apply for your national migration registration card (CRNM). Official pages disagree on the deadline. The national gov.br service page says you have 90 days after entering Brazil, and the consulate in Lisbon and the embassy in Helsinki say the same. The embassies in Dublin and Tel Aviv say 30 days. Confirm the deadline with the consulate that issues your visa. Registering within 30 days meets both readings.

  • The gov.br service page lists a CRNM issuance fee of R$ 204,77. Booking the appointment is free, and you are generally seen at the Federal Police unit for the area where you live.
  • Late registration can lead to penalties under Decree 9.199/2017. The pages we checked state no amount.
  • While your card is being processed, the CRNM request protocol, together with your travel document, gives access to your rights for up to 180 days. The Federal Police can extend this at no cost.
  • Make sure your details match across every document. Dublin warns that inconsistent personal data, for example on the birth certificate, can block the registration.

Bringing family: a separate VITEM XI visa

Resolution 45 has no provision for dependants. The Consulate-General in Santiago states that a spouse, partner, children or other dependants who will come with you must apply for the family-reunion visa, VITEM XI, even if they apply at the same time as you. The Abu Dhabi fee table lists VITEM XI at AED 1,160 for US nationals and AED 400 for all other nationalities. For document preparation across a family file, see applying as a family.

Validity and renewal

The resolution grants an initial residence of up to one year, not a fixed year. Helsinki adds that the type and validity of any visa are at the consular authority’s discretion. Article 6 allows renewal once, for the same period. Helsinki says renewal is handled by the Federal Police while you are in Brazil.

Renewal documents (Resolution 45)

  • A power of attorney, if someone is filing for you.
  • A declaration that you have had no criminal record in the last five years.
  • Fresh proof of digital nomad status: declaration, foreign contract and income or funds.
  • A copy of your CRNM.
  • Criminal record certificates for the places you lived during your temporary stay.

The resolution provides for that one renewal and says nothing about further renewals or a maximum total stay.

What this visa does not do

  • It does not let you work for a Brazilian employer. The exclusion in article 1 applies throughout your stay.
  • It does not state a route to permanent residence. Resolution 45 contains no provision on permanent residence, and none of the official pages we checked says the route leads to it. Treat it as temporary.
  • It comes with no official tax guidance. No VITEM XIV page and nothing in Resolution 45 says anything about tax. Before you move, take advice from a tax adviser in Brazil and in the country you are leaving.

If you want a European base, compare the Spain digital nomad visa and the Malta Nomad Residence Permit, or see every residency route we support.

Common mistakes the official pages warn about

  • A name that does not match the passport. Doha states that the online form must use your full name exactly as it appears in your passport, and that mismatches mean the application will not be approved.
  • A police certificate that is more than three months old, or missing a country you lived in during the last 12 months.
  • Documents not legalised in the right order. From the UAE this means the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs first, then the Brazilian Embassy. Other countries may use an apostille instead.
  • Treating the visa as the finish line and missing the Federal Police registration.
  • Incomplete or inaccurate information. Article 7 says that omitting relevant information or making a false declaration, at any time, starts cancellation of the residence authorisation, without prejudice to civil and criminal liability.

Questions people ask

Do I need both the income and the savings? No. Article 5 asks for US$1,500 a month in foreign-source income or US$18,000 in available bank funds. One is enough.

Can I freelance for clients outside Brazil? The resolution accepts a service contract or other proof of a link with a foreign contracting party, so freelancers with foreign clients can fit. Brazilian clients cannot be the basis, and some posts treat business owners differently.

How long does it take? The Abu Dhabi page gives no processing time, and no time is published for the in-country route. Individual posts publish their own figures, which apply only to those posts.

Does it lead to permanent residence? Resolution 45 says nothing about permanent residence, and we will not suggest otherwise.

Can Vizabolt help with my application? We are a private consultancy, not a law firm, and not affiliated with any government. We prepare and organise your file, check it against your consulate’s current page, and plan the arrival steps. The decision always rests with the Brazilian authorities. Our Brazil Digital Nomad Visa service explains how we work.

Official sources (checked 16 October 2026)

Services related to this guide

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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