Brazil grants an average of 1 visa per day to digital nomads

The Brazilian government has granted at least 300 visas to foreigners who want to live as digital nomads in Brazil since January. On average, there was almost one approval per day.

The visa was created by resolution 45 of the CNIG (National Immigration Council) in September 2021, and regulated in January of this year.

The request can be made in two ways: at Brazilian consulates abroad or at representations of the Ministry of Justice within the country. As of October 20, the Itamaraty had approved 225 requests, according to a survey carried out by the ministry at the request of the Sheet.

The countries where there were more requests for a Brazilian visa were the United States, England, France and Germany.

Among the requests made in Brazil, there were 75 more approved by the end of September. The states with the most requests were São Paulo (28), Rio de Janeiro (19) and Santa Catarina (10).

The document gives the right to stay in Brazil for one year, a period that can be renewed. To obtain the visa, the foreigner must prove that he/she has a working relationship with an employer abroad that allows remote work and generates a monthly income of at least US$ 1,500 (R$ 7,550). Another option is to prove a bank balance of US$ 18,000 (R$ 90,640).

The required amount is one of the attractions of Brazil, point out immigration experts.

“The average income of professionals who are digital nomads is US$ 4,000 (R$ 20,140) per month, and 40% of them earn more than US$ 6,000 (R$ 30,200) per month”, says Diana Quintas, partner of the immigration consultancy Fragomen.

“It really demystifies the figure of the digital nomad as a backpacker, an adventurer.”

Since 2019, with the advancement of remote work, more than 30 countries have created facilities to attract employees who do not need to go to the office. The idea is that these professionals help stimulate local economies by bringing their money to spend on housing, food and leisure.

“Studies show that there are around 35 million digital nomads in the world, of which 17 million are from the United States”, points out Fernando Guerreiro, director of business development at Golden Gate Global, which also works as an immigration advisor.

“The average profile of a digital nomad is that of a single, white, 33-year-old man with at least a university degree, who works with software and earns US$ 85,000 (R$ 428,000) a year. average eight months a year outside their country of origin”, explains Guerreiro.

Thus, there is a dispute between countries to attract this audience. Aruba and Australia, for example, have already approved about 14,000 nomads each. Barbados, also in the Caribbean, attracted 5,000 of them, according to Fragomen data.

The Brazilian visa review process takes around a month. There are countries that process the request in less time, such as Mauritius (48 hours), Sri Lanka, Bahamas and Bermuda (five days).

In this dispute, Brazil wins points for the hot weather and for being in a time zone close to that of the United States, which makes it easier for Americans to participate in meetings at a distance. On the other hand, the feeling of insecurity and internet connection failures in smaller cities take points away from the country.

“The advancement of 5G internet will greatly help people to work without relying on good wi-fi”, Guerreiro says.

To attract more nomads, some countries such as Panama, Uruguay and Croatia offer tax exemptions. The Brazilian resolution does not address the issue.

As a rule, foreigners who stay in the country for more than 180 days must declare Income Tax, unless there is an agreement between Brazil and their country of origin to avoid double taxation.

Specialists point out that Brazil was agile in being one of the first countries in the world to provide this type of visa, but that it now needs to expand its dissemination abroad, as several countries in the Caribbean and Europe are doing.