What is the VITEM XIV?
Brazil created the digital nomad visa in early 2022, ahead of most peer countries. It is granted to remote workers whose income comes from outside Brazil, foreign employers, foreign clients, or both.
Once granted, you get legal residency status (RNM card) for the duration. That puts you on a different footing than a tourist: you can sign leases, register utilities, open a domestic bank account if you want one, and stay continuously without 90-day visa runs.
Summary of steps
Seven steps, start to finish:
Step 1: Confirm you qualify - income, passport validity, and a clean record.
Step 2: Gather your documents - income proof, contracts, background check, insurance.
Step 3: Decide where to apply - a consulate abroad or in-country via MigranteWeb.
Step 4: Submit your application and pay the fee.
Step 5: Wait for a decision, then enter Brazil.
Step 6: Register with the Federal Police for your RNM.
Step 7: Sort your CPF - a separate task from the RNM.
How to get the VITEM XIV, step by step
Here is each step in full.
Step 1: Confirm you qualify
You need three things before you start: proof of foreign-sourced income (at least $1,500 USD/month, or $18,000 USD in available savings as a lump-sum alternative), a passport valid for at least six months from your planned arrival, and a clean criminal record you can get checked in your home country. The income has to come from outside Brazil, a foreign employer, foreign clients, or your own company registered abroad. Taking on a Brazilian employer disqualifies you from this visa category entirely, that requires a different work permit.
Step 2: Gather your documents
Beyond the visa application form itself, you will need: proof of income (your last 3 months of pay stubs, or 6 months of bank statements showing the $1,500/month threshold, or a single statement showing $18,000+ in savings); an employment letter or signed service contracts confirming remote, foreign-sourced work; a signed declaration that you will work remotely via information and communication technologies while in Brazil; a criminal background check from your country of residence, apostilled under the Hague Convention and translated into Portuguese by a sworn translator; proof of health insurance valid in Brazil for your full stay; and proof of address. Document lists shift slightly by consulate, so confirm the exact list with wherever you are applying before you start collecting paperwork.
Step 3: Decide where to apply
You have two routes. The first is applying at a Brazilian consulate in your home country before you fly, the standard route, with a clearer paper trail and more predictable processing. The second is converting in-country: if you enter Brazil visa-free or on an e-Visa, you can apply for VITEM XIV from inside the country through MigranteWeb (the Federal Police’s online system), as long as you file within 30 days of arrival. Converting in-country skips a trip to a consulate, but processing still takes 15 to 30 business days, and the 30-day filing clock starts the moment you land. Taking that route? This guide covers every document and the MigranteWeb filing.
Step 4: Submit your application and pay the fee
For the consulate route: create an account on the relevant e-consular portal, upload your documents, pay the consular fee, and book an in-person appointment (some consulates also want the physical documents mailed in after you submit online). Fees vary by nationality and consulate, expect somewhere around $100 USD for most passports, though US citizens have historically paid more (around $290 at some posts) under reciprocity pricing. The in-country MigranteWeb route is cheaper, roughly R$370 (about $75 USD) in government fees. Neither route accepts payment upfront; you are billed once your documents are checked.
Step 5: Wait for a decision, then enter Brazil
Processing time is not standardised, it depends on the consulate or, for in-country conversions, MigranteWeb’s own queue (typically 15 to 30 business days). Once approved, a consulate-issued visa gives you up to 90 days to enter Brazil; an in-country conversion grants your residence authorization directly, with no re-entry needed.
Step 6: Register with the Federal Police for your RNM
This is the step people forget. Within 90 days of entering Brazil, you must book an appointment with the Polícia Federal to register as an immigrant holding a temporary visa and receive your RNM (Registro Nacional Migratório) and the physical CRNM card, the ID that actually lets you sign leases, open accounts, and live like a resident. Bring every document from your original application. The card itself typically takes 30 to 60 days to arrive after your appointment, and you can collect it without booking again once you get the notification. Miss the 90-day window and you risk fines or complications with the visa itself.
Step 7: Sort your CPF - a separate task from the RNM
Your CPF, Brazil’s individual taxpayer number, is a separate document from the RNM and is not issued automatically with either, and it is not a requirement for the visa application or the Federal Police registration above, the two are entirely parallel processes. Some consulates can process a CPF alongside your visa application, ask when you apply. If yours does not, you apply for it yourself, either online via Receita Federal before you fly or in person once you land. Get it early anyway: it is the natural next step once the visa itself is sorted, and it is what actually lets you open a Brazilian bank account, sign a lease, buy a local SIM, and pay via Pix.
Two clocks run the whole time: 30 days to convert in-country if you took that route, and 90 days to register with the Federal Police once you have entered. The CPF has no deadline of its own and does not gate anything above, but it is the practical next move once your visa is in hand.
How long can you stay?
The visa is granted for 1 year initially. It can be renewed once for another year through Polícia Federal’s MigranteWeb portal (apply 30–90 days before expiry), for a total of 2 years.
After two years, you cannot extend further on VITEM XIV, but you may qualify for a different residency category by then (family-based, work-based, investor, or a reciprocity agreement if applicable).
Weighing Brazil against other options? The Mexico Temporary Resident Visa is the closest equivalent for that country, with a different income threshold and its own renewal path.
What does it actually unlock?
Compared to staying on a tourist visa, the VITEM XIV gives you everyday-life access.
- Continuous stay, no 90-day exit cycles
- RNM ID, Brazil’s residency card, recognised for leases, mobile contracts, banks
- Easier to open a domestic bank account (most banks still require RNM or CPF)
- Access to private healthcare networks at resident rates
- A clearer paper trail if you later want a long-term residency route
For most people, the RNM and lease access are the things that change daily life, especially in digital-nomad hubs like Florianópolis, where landlords for 6–12 month leases nearly always want an RNM or CPF. Tourist visa holders can technically rent on short-term platforms instead, but at a real cost premium.
What it doesn’t do
A few things worth flagging:
- You cannot take a job with a Brazilian employer on this visa; your income must come from abroad.
- It does not, by itself, change your tax residency. After 183 days in any 12-month period, Brazilian tax residency triggers regardless of which visa you hold.
- US citizens still owe US taxes worldwide. FEIE ($132,900 USD in 2026) and foreign tax credits exist, but you keep filing Form 1040 and FBAR (FinCEN 114) if you have foreign accounts over $10,000 USD.
What to set up before you arrive
The visa is paperwork. The harder problem is operating in BRL from day one.
You will be earning in USD, GBP, or EUR; spending in BRL; and paying for things via Pix the moment you land: airport SIM, Uber, your first lease deposit. Most foreigners spend their first two weeks fighting card declines, SWIFT delays, and 3–6% FX markups.
- A CPF (apply at a Brazilian consulate or online via Receita Federal before you fly)
- A wallet that holds USD/EUR/GBP and pays BRL via Pix natively
- A SIM or eSIM that activates on arrival (Vivo, Claro, and TIM all support eSIM; TIM sells on passport alone)
- A first month of accommodation arranged remotely, paid via Pix, landlords overwhelmingly prefer it
Liminal gives you the multi-currency wallet and Pix capability before you fly, so the financial side is done while you are still apostilling documents.