Immigration lawyers, Digital Nomad Visa & residency
The Brazilian legal market is mature and English-language service is increasingly common. Below are firms with publicly documented experience handling VITEM XIV applications and foreign-resident cases. Most offer a 30-minute initial consult, use it to judge fit and get a fee quote. If you're still mapping out the process, start with our Digital Nomad Visa guide or compare longer-term paths on the residency page.
Luana Ribeiro · Advocacia Estratégica
Location: Florianópolis, Santa Catarina.
What you’ll find here: End-to-end handling of the Brazilian Digital Nomad Visa (VITEM XIV), eligibility review, document checklist, sworn translations coordination, e-Consular submission, and post-arrival CRNM registration with the Polícia Federal. Once you’re on the ground she also handles the “everything-else” you’ll need: lease and real-estate contracts, LGPD compliance for your remote-work setup, family and civil matters (marriage, divorce, guardianship, estate planning), and business formation if you shift from freelance to a Brazilian PJ. 11+ years of Brazilian legal practice.
Languages: Portuguese & English · Contact: advocacialuanaribeiro@gmail.com or WhatsApp +55 48 99217-7116
Editorial picks
GetBrazilVisa
Lead attorney: Camila Araujo Mota, OAB-licensed and focused on the Digital Nomad Visa. The firm states 50+ Digital Nomad Visa applications processed and a 95%+ approval rate.
Why it's on the list: One of the few practices that publicly specializes in VITEM XIV rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Alves Jacob Advogados
Brazilian firm with a dedicated Digital Nomad Visa practice. Markets directly to remote workers and entrepreneurs and provides English-language consultations.
Why it's on the list: Clear pricing pages, defined service tiers, and English-language client communication.
Oliveira Lawyers
Cross-border immigration practice with offices in São Paulo and outreach to foreign clients. Handles Digital Nomad Visa, family reunion, and investor visa applications.
Why it's on the list: Broader practice means they can handle conversion paths (e.g., Digital Nomad Visa → VIPER) without referrals.
Fragomen, Brazil practice
Fragomen is one of the largest immigration law firms in the world. Their Brazil practice handles corporate transfers, executives, and high-net-worth investors.
Why it's on the list: If you're a corporate-transferred executive or want a global firm with Brazil expertise, Fragomen is the safe choice. Pricier than boutique firms.
Botinha & Cabral Int'l Law Assistance
Brazilian boutique firm focused on the intersection of Brazilian law and international mobility, visas, residency, and tax.
Why it's on the list: They explicitly operate in English and write about practical handling differences between consular and Federal Police processes.
Nomads Embassy
A nomad-focused service that pre-vets local immigration lawyers in destination countries (including Brazil) and offers a "done-for-you" Digital Nomad Visa package.
Why it's on the list: Useful if you'd rather pay a fixed concierge fee than coordinate with a Brazilian firm directly. Premium pricing.
How to vet any Brazilian lawyer
- Check their OAB number on the website of the state Bar Association (e.g., OAB-SP, OAB-RJ). Every practicing Brazilian lawyer has one and is listed publicly.
- Ask how many Digital Nomad Visa / VIPER cases they handled in the last year. Specifics. A specialist will know.
- Get the fee in writing. Ask: government fees vs. lawyer fees, what's included, what triggers extra cost (resubmissions, dependent applications, translation).
- Ask for client references in your home country, ideally with similar profiles.
- Avoid anyone who guarantees approval. No reputable lawyer can guarantee a specific outcome.
- Beware of "consultores" who aren't lawyers. Brazilian law allows non-lawyers to assist with paperwork, but only OAB-licensed lawyers can represent you in legal matters.
Real estate agencies, buying property as a foreigner
Brazil welcomes foreign property buyers, including for the VIPER residency program. The agencies below either have a documented track record with international clients or operate at a national scale that makes them safer first stops.
Brasil Brokers
One of the largest real estate networks in Brazil with a presence in major cities. Full-service: buying, renting, property management.
Why it's on the list: Sheer footprint and inventory. Useful when you don't yet know which city you'll buy in. Note: management fees skew higher than boutique competitors.
Lopes
Established São Paulo–based brokerage known for the premium and high-end residential segment, also operating across other major Brazilian cities.
Why it's on the list: Strong choice for the BRL 1M+ segment that hits VIPER thresholds and is comfortable with foreign buyers and corporate relocation.
Shopimóveis (São Paulo)
São Paulo agency with 35+ years serving multinational corporations, consulates, and international investors. Consultants reportedly speak English, Japanese, German, and French.
Why it's on the list: Multilingual team that understands cross-border tax and remittance issues most local agencies don't.
RioExclusive (Rio de Janeiro)
Founded in 2007 specifically to serve foreign buyers in Rio's Zona Sul (Ipanema, Leblon, Copacabana). Published a public guide to buying in Brazil.
Why it's on the list: Foreigner-first model rather than an afterthought. Strong inventory in nomad-popular neighborhoods.
Latin Exclusive
International brokerage representing exceptional Brazilian properties, Trancoso, Búzios, São Paulo, Rio. Tailored, discreet acquisition support for international buyers.
Why it's on the list: Best for high-end coastal property where local agents may have thin track records with foreign currency transactions.
QuintoAndar
End-to-end online platform that connects estate agents, sellers, and buyers. Strong for browsing inventory and price discovery before you've picked an agent.
Why it's on the list: Even if you don't transact through them, their listings and pricing data are the best free way to research the market.
How to vet any Brazilian real estate agency
- Demand their CRECI number. Every licensed agent and brokerage has one. Verify it on the relevant CRECI regional council site (each state has its own).
- Use a separate independent lawyer for the closing. Don't rely on the agency's recommended attorney, they have a closing-incentive conflict of interest.
- Insist on the matrícula atualizada (updated property registry) within the last 30 days. This shows ownership, encumbrances, mortgages, and any pending lawsuits against the property.
- Pay through the regulated FX channel using a Brazilian bank with proper Banco Central registration (RDE-IED). Never wire funds directly to an agent's personal account.
- Get a property inspection before closing, engineering, plumbing, electric. The Brazilian "as is" tradition can hide expensive surprises.
- Don't sign anything you can't read. Always have contracts reviewed in Portuguese (with a sworn translation if needed).
Tax accountants & bookkeepers
If you'll cross 183 days in Brazil within any 12-month window, you become a Brazilian tax resident. Worldwide income becomes potentially taxable in Brazil, with treaty credits often available depending on your home country. Talk to a contador or tax lawyer before that threshold, Brazilian tax filing is annual (DIRPF) and the rules around foreign assets, foreign-held bank accounts, and investments are nuanced.
Drummond Advisors
Cross-border accounting and tax firm with offices in São Paulo, Rio, Boston, and Miami. Strongest fit for US citizens needing both IRS (FBAR, FATCA, Form 8938) and Receita Federal compliance handled together.
Brasil Tax (brasiltax.com)
Boutique practice focused specifically on expats and foreign-resident tax filing in Brazil. English-language consults, transparent pricing, strong treaty-analysis content on their blog.
Forvis Mazars Brasil
Global accounting network with a substantive Brazilian practice (formerly Mazars Brasil). Handles personal, corporate, and expatriate tax for international clients. Best for higher-complexity cases, multi-jurisdiction earnings, equity comp, real estate.
Grant Thornton Brasil
Another global mid-tier firm with a published expatriate-tax practice in Brazil. Good for executives and corporate-transferred employees who need fiscal-residence tracking and DIRPF filing.
Oliveira Lawyers, Tax Filing
The same firm listed under immigration above also runs a foreign-resident tax filing practice. Useful one-stop if you'd like the same firm handling both your residency status and your annual return.
Pontes Vieira Advogados
Brazilian law firm with a dedicated expat tax-filing practice. Frequently publishes on Brazilian tax-law changes affecting foreign residents (including the 2025–26 income tax reforms).
Many Brazilian immigration law firms also have referral relationships with accountants and can introduce you. When you hire a contador, ask: (1) whether they handle DIRPF filing for non-Brazilian-citizen residents, (2) whether they can advise on foreign-asset disclosure (Declaração de Capitais Brasileiros no Exterior / DCBE if you're a Brazilian resident), and (3) their fee for a clean expat return (typically R$1,500–4,500).
Full disclosure
How this list works. "Editorial picks" are firms selected from publicly available information with no commercial relationship. "Featured Listings" are clearly labeled paid placements. Neither is an endorsement.
Not advice. Nothing here is legal, immigration, tax, or financial advice. Rules and fees change and vary by consulate. Verify with the Brazilian consulate for your jurisdiction and consult a licensed professional before deciding anything.
Verify before paying. Confirm every lawyer's OAB number at the state Bar Association and every agent's CRECI number at COFECI/CRECI. Get fees in writing.
Liability. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Nômade Brasil accepts no liability for your engagement with any firm listed here. Your relationship with any third party is between you and them.
Corrections or removal. Email info@nomademedia.travel. Removals honoured within 7 days, no questions asked.
Last updated: 2026. See also our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.