Are you allowed to work in Brazil? Work Permits explained.
Generally work permits and work visas will only be granted to individuals who are working for Brazilian companies. To obtain a work visa and work permit application need to be sent to the local Ministry of Labour and Employment by the company wishing to employ the foreign worker. Once the application is approved it will be sent to the Foreign Ministry to commence the process of the work visa. There are several types of work visa, but below are the most common:
Permanent Visa - A five-year visa is granted to someone who is directly responsible for final decisions regarding the running of the company and the signing of documents.
Permanent Visa for Investors – If you are intending on investing 150,000 US Dollars into a Brazilian company you may be eligible for this type of Visa.
Temporary Visa with Company Tie – as with many countries this allows an individual with specific skills to live and work in Brazil. It must be proved that the work cannot be carried out by a suitable Brazilian citizen and this will be rigorously checked by the employment ministry. This type of visa is usually given to temporary workers of foreign-based companies. It lasts for 2 years, can then be extended for 2 years and at the end of 4 years it is possible to apply for a permanent visa.
Temporary Visa without Company Tie – strangely this does require a company to apply for it on behalf of the individual, it is designed for companies to contract hire foreign workers for roles that cannot be filled by a Brazilian worker. The worker will not however be tied to that company and is effectively independent in Brazil and the presence in the country is due to a specific need during, for example, a particular stage of a project.
Once one of the above types of work visa has been granted the company contracting the foreigner will start the work permit application process with the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Brazil.