Brazil Entrepreneur / Individual Investor Visa in 2026

Brazil's RN 13/2017 individual-investor residence authorization is the principal business-immigration route for a foreign individual who invests their own foreign-origin capital into a Brazilian legal entity in a project capable of generating employment or income.

The route is often described in English as a Brazil entrepreneur visa or Brazil investor visa, but the legal basis is an authorization of residence for an individual investor under the National Immigration Council rules.

Standard investment: at least R$500,000 in qualifying foreign capital. A project focused on innovation, basic/applied research, scientific or technological activity can be considered with at least R$150,000 and below R$500,000 when the substantive RN 13 criteria are satisfied.

Who can qualify?

The route is designed for an individual who:

  • invests personal foreign-origin resources in a Brazilian legal entity;
  • presents an investment/business plan showing the economic project and its potential to create employment or income;
  • registers and evidences the foreign capital through the required Brazilian financial/corporate channels;
  • demonstrates the source and transfer of qualifying funds;
  • satisfies the personal and corporate documentation requirements; and
  • intends to maintain and execute the approved investment project.

This is different from the corporate-executive route under RN 11, where a company/group makes the qualifying foreign investment and calls a manager/director/executive to Brazil.

Standard R$500,000 investment

RN 13's ordinary threshold is at least R$500,000 in qualifying foreign investment into a Brazilian legal entity.

The application is not merely a bank-balance exercise. The immigration authority expects the foreign-capital evidence together with an investment/business plan and corporate documentation showing how the project will operate in Brazil.

Reduced R$150,000 innovation pathway

RN 13 allows the authority to consider an investment of at least R$150,000 and less than R$500,000 when the enterprise is focused on innovation, basic or applied research, scientific or technological activity and satisfies the regulation's substantive indicators.

Relevant indicators can include participation in recognized innovation programs, technology parks, incubators, accelerators or other evidence of originality and strategic relevance under the rule.

This is not an automatic “startup visa for R$150,000.” The applicant must prove that the business fits the innovation conditions and remains economically credible.

Business plan and evidence

A strong RN 13 case typically includes:

  • applicant passport and civil-status documents;
  • Brazilian company formation/registration documents;
  • proof of the applicant's ownership/investment relationship;
  • evidence of foreign-origin capital and its registration/transfer;
  • an investment/business plan covering at least the required implementation period;
  • projected economic activity, employment and income effects;
  • innovation evidence where relying on the reduced threshold;
  • corporate tax/registry evidence requested by MigranteWeb; and
  • criminal-record and other personal documents required by the residence procedure.

Current RN 13 materials reflect the 2024 foreign-exchange-law updates, so applicants should follow the current MigranteWeb checklist rather than an old pre-2024 documentary list.

Application process

  1. Establish or identify the Brazilian legal entity receiving the investment.
  2. Prepare the business/investment plan and corporate structure.
  3. Arrange and document qualifying foreign-origin capital under the applicable Brazilian registration rules.
  4. Submit the residence-authorization application electronically through MigranteWeb with the required personal, company and investment evidence.
  5. Respond to any Ministry request for additional documents.
  6. After approval, complete the applicable consular/entry and Federal Police registration steps depending on the applicant's location and procedural channel.
  7. Obtain the CRNM and maintain the approved investment/activity.

Fees and processing

Under the general residence service structure, official government pages currently list R$168.13 for processing/evaluation of a residence-authorization request and R$204.77 for the CRNM when those charges apply.

The Ministry's general residence-authorization service currently gives an estimated 130 to 180 calendar days. This is not a guaranteed RN 13 end-to-end timeline; investment evidence review, MigranteWeb requests, visa issuance where relevant and Federal Police registration are separate stages.

Residence period

The current Ministry of Justice RN 13 page lists the residence period as indefinite.

That is a major distinction from Brazil's one-year Digital Nomad route and four-year real-estate investor authorization. “Indefinite” does not mean the investment conditions can be ignored: the immigrant must maintain lawful status and comply with the business/investment obligations that supported the authorization.

Can the investor work in the Brazilian company?

RN 13 is built around the foreign individual's investment and entrepreneurial involvement in the Brazilian legal entity. The approved immigration and corporate structure should match the person's actual role.

Professional licensing, labor, tax and corporate-governance rules can still apply. Residence authorization should not be described as waiving regulated-profession or company-law requirements.

Family

Eligible family members can use Brazil's separate family-reunification framework when the legal relationship and documentary conditions are met. The principal applicant's investment approval does not automatically replace the family residence process.

Family documentation can involve marriage/partnership or birth records, dependency evidence for certain relatives, apostille/legalization and translation requirements.

Tax and corporate compliance

An RN 13 approval is an immigration authorization, not a tax incentive.

The founder/investor should separately model:

  • Brazilian individual tax residence;
  • Brazilian company taxation;
  • foreign-capital registration;
  • distributions/dividends and cross-border remittances;
  • payroll and social-security obligations where the company employs people; and
  • transfer-pricing/permanent-establishment issues where an overseas business remains involved.

Indefinite residence and naturalization

Because the current RN 13 guidance describes the residence authorization as indefinite, it is potentially relevant to Brazil's ordinary-naturalization residence clock sooner than a temporary route.

The Ministry of Justice's ordinary-naturalization guidance generally requires four years of residence for an indefinite period, Portuguese communication ability and the applicable criminal-record conditions. Defined reductions exist, including one-year scenarios for a Brazilian spouse/partner or Brazilian child and for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries.

Naturalization is a separate application and is not guaranteed by investment approval.

RN 13 vs RN 11 corporate executive

Choose the legal basis based on who is making the investment and what role the immigrant has.

RN 13: the foreign individual invests their own foreign-origin capital in the Brazilian company.

RN 11: a company/group/conglomerate makes qualifying foreign investment and appoints an administrator, manager, director or executive with management powers.

Read the Brazil Company Executive Visa guide for the R$600,000 / R$150,000-plus-jobs framework.

Pros and limitations

Advantages

  • clear founder/investor legal basis;
  • current official guidance lists indefinite residence;
  • innovation projects can qualify below the standard R$500,000 threshold; and
  • business activity in Brazil is the core purpose rather than a prohibited side activity.

Limitations

  • substantial foreign capital is required;
  • lower R$150,000 band requires genuine innovation/science/technology conditions;
  • detailed corporate and foreign-capital evidence is required; and
  • the project must be executed and maintained, not merely funded on paper.

Alternatives

Remote professionals with foreign-linked work should compare the Brazil Digital Nomad Visa.

Corporate executives sponsored by an investing company should compare RN 11 Company Executive Residence.

Property-focused investors should compare Brazil Real-Estate Investor Residence.

Return to the Brazil immigration hub.

Frequently asked questions

What is the standard Brazil entrepreneur/investor threshold?

At least R$500,000 in qualifying foreign investment under RN 13.

Can a startup founder qualify with R$150,000?

Potentially, but only if the project fits RN 13's innovation, research, scientific or technological conditions. The reduced threshold is not automatic.

Is the residence temporary?

The current official RN 13 page describes the residence period as indefinite.

Do I need a business plan?

Yes. The investment/business plan is central to the route and should explain project execution and economic effects.

Is simply opening a Brazilian company enough?

No. Company registration does not itself confer immigration status. The applicant must qualify under the residence rules and document the investment.

Does investment guarantee Brazilian citizenship?

No. Naturalization is a separate legal process with residence, Portuguese-language and other conditions.

Official sources

Last verified: 15 September 2026.

Official and supporting sources

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