The 8-step foreign buyer's process, top to bottom
Brazil treats foreign and domestic buyers identically on residential real estate. The process below is the same whether you're in Boston, Berlin, or Buenos Aires — and it can be done almost entirely remotely if you set up the right authorizations early. Here's how a real transaction runs.
Step 1 — Get a CPF
The CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas) is the Brazilian tax ID, and it's the first thing every other step depends on. You cannot wire money, sign a contract, or register an escritura without it. The good news: it's free, takes 30 minutes to apply for, and you can do it online from a Brazilian consulate without ever leaving your home country.
Full walkthrough: How foreigners get a CPF.
Step 2 — Engage a Brazilian real estate attorney (advogado imobiliário)
Hire your attorney before you make an offer, not after. In Brazil, the attorney runs due diligence (title search, debt certificates, court certificates on the seller, IPTU clearance), drafts the purchase contract, and represents you at the cartório for closing. Expect to pay 1–1.5% of the purchase price. Pay this happily — a good advogado will catch the one-in-twenty deals that have title defects, undisclosed liens, or inheritance disputes.
An advogado who knows foreign-buyer transactions will charge more than a generalist. They're worth it. The savings on a single missed lien dwarfs the fee delta.
Step 3 — Find the property (the actual easy part)
Most foreign buyers find properties through three channels:
- QuintoAndar, Imovelweb, Loft, ZAP Imóveis — Brazil's MLS-equivalent portals. Best for getting a feel for inventory and pricing.
- Local brokers (corretores) — Best for actually closing a deal. A good corretor will show you 6–8 properties that match your brief, not 60. Foreign-buyer-experienced corretores are worth their commission, paid by the seller.
- Off-market — In high-end markets (Trancoso, Jardins, Leblon, Jurerê), the best inventory never hits the public portals. This is what a vetted broker network gets you.
Step 4 — Make the offer (proposta) and sign the preliminary contract (contrato preliminar / compromisso de compra e venda)
Offers in Brazil are written, not verbal. Your corretor (or attorney) drafts a proposta de compra. Once the seller accepts, you sign a contrato preliminar — typically a 10% earnest deposit (sinal) — which binds both parties to close at a specified price by a specified date.
The sinal is binding.
Walk away after signing the preliminary contract and you forfeit the 10% deposit. If the seller walks, they owe you double the sinal back. Don't sign until your attorney has cleared the title search.
Step 5 — Due diligence (the part that protects your money)
Your attorney pulls and reviews:
- Certidão de Matrícula — the property's title record at the cartório. Must be clean: no liens, no encumbrances, no disputed inheritance entries.
- Certidão Negativa de Débitos (CND) — confirms IPTU, condo fees, and water/utilities are paid up to date.
- Certidões do vendedor — court and tax certificates on the seller, federal and state, looking for judgments that could attach to the property.
- Habite-se / regularization — for new construction or recent renovations, confirms the property is legally constructed and recorded.
Step 6 — Bring the money in (registered FX operation, Banco Central Resolução 4.373)
This is the step foreigners most often get wrong. You cannot wire dollars into a personal Brazilian account and use them to buy property. Your inbound funds must come through a registered FX operation — a câmbio handled by a Brazilian bank or licensed FX dealer, which generates a contract registered with Banco Central.
Why this matters: when you sell, Banco Central will only let you repatriate funds up to the originally registered amount, plus declared capital gains. If your initial money came in off-the-books, you can't get it out. Don't skip this step to save 0.5% on the FX spread. We've seen seven-figure problems caused by it.
Step 7 — Pay ITBI and sign the escritura at the cartório
ITBI (Imposto sobre Transmissão de Bens Imóveis) is the municipal property transfer tax, typically 2–3% of the higher of purchase price or assessed value. You pay it before signing. Then you and the seller (or your attorneys via procuração) meet at the cartório de notas to sign the escritura pública — the public deed.
Full ITBI math by city: Brazil property taxes guide.
Step 8 — Register the escritura at the cartório de registro de imóveis
Signing the escritura doesn't transfer ownership in Brazil. Registering it does. Your attorney takes the signed escritura to the property's designated cartório de registro de imóveis, pays the registration fee (1–2%), and gets the escritura recorded on the property's matrícula. At that moment, you own the property.
What it actually costs — a real example
Worked example: a $500,000 apartment in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro.
| Line item | USD | % of price |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | $500,000 | 100% |
| ITBI (Rio: 3%) | $15,000 | 3.0% |
| Cartório registration | $7,500 | 1.5% |
| Attorney (1.2%) | $6,000 | 1.2% |
| FX spread (registered operation) | $3,000 | 0.6% |
| Total transaction cost | $31,500 | 6.3% |
Budget 5–7% on top of the purchase price for most transactions. Below $200K, percentages tilt higher because fixed fees don't scale; above $1M they tilt lower for the same reason.
Mistakes foreign buyers actually make
1. Wiring money before the title certificate is clean
Earnest money should follow due diligence, not precede it. If a seller pressures you to wire the sinal before the certidões come back, walk away. The pressure is the signal.
2. Skipping the registered FX operation
Don't bring money in informally. The 0.5–1% you "save" on the FX is the ticket that keeps your equity stuck in Brazil when you sell.
3. Using the seller's attorney as their "lawyer too"
Brazilian custom in some markets is for the seller's advogado to also handle the buyer's paperwork. Don't. Engage your own attorney. The cost is trivial; the conflict of interest is not.
4. Assuming the buying agent works for you
In most Brazilian transactions the corretor is technically representing the seller (whose commission they're paid out of). A good corretor still acts in your interest because their reputation depends on repeat buyers — but the legal framework is different from a US buyer's agent. Your attorney is your fiduciary; the corretor is not.
5. Ignoring the home-country tax side
US persons need to file FBAR if total foreign accounts exceed $10K at any point in the year, and Form 8938 above $50K. The property itself isn't reported, but the bank account you use to pay condo fees is. Talk to a cross-border CPA before, not after.
Frequently asked questions
Can foreigners buy property in Brazil?
Yes. Brazil allows non-resident foreigners to buy residential and most commercial real estate on the same terms as Brazilian citizens. The one exception: rural land near international borders is restricted under Lei 5.709/71.
Do I need to be in Brazil to buy?
No. Most foreign buyers close remotely using a power of attorney (procuração) granted at any Brazilian consulate. Your attorney signs the escritura on your behalf.
How long does it take to close?
Typically 30–60 days from accepted offer to recorded escritura. São Paulo and Florianópolis are usually faster; Salvador, Recife, and smaller-market cartórios can take 6–10 weeks.
How much do I budget for closing costs?
Plan for 5–7% on top of the purchase price: ITBI (2–3%), cartório registration (1–2%), attorney (1–1.5%), FX spread (0.5–1%).
Can I finance the purchase?
Brazilian banks rarely lend to non-residents. Most foreign buyers pay cash, finance via a HELOC from their home country, or use developer financing for new construction. See financing options.
Need a broker to handle this end-to-end?
We match foreign buyers with vetted Brazilian brokers and attorneys in 15 city markets. English-speaking, foreign-buyer experienced, no upcharge to you.