How to Buy Property in Brazil

We frequently receive questions about buying real estate in Brazil. What’s the process? What documents do I need? So we thought we’d give you a step-by-step guide to get you started.

First, keep in mind that the process can be lengthy. It doesn’t matter if you’re buying a condo overlooking the ocean or an investment property in São Paulo. Buying property in Brazil takes time.

After you find the property you plan to buy, your first step - assuming you’re a foreigner - is getting a CPF or CNPJ. You’ll need a CPF if the buyer is an individual, and you’ll need a CNPJ if the buyer is a company.

Next, it’s time to do some due diligence on the property and the owners. This step is crucial to ensuring that any potential issues, such as seller debts or liens on the property, are identified before signing a purchase agreement.

While you can complete these steps without legal counsel, hiring a law firm will be a big help to you. Besides obtaining your CPF or CNPJ and running diligence searches, a lawyer can advise on potential risks. They can also act as power of attorney and sign documents on your behalf.

Once you have your documents in order, it’s time to sign a purchase agreement. Again, having legal counsel involved in this step is highly recommended. Then, after the agreement is signed, both the buyer and seller need to sign a public deed (escritura) at a local notary office (tabelião) and then update the transfer history (matrícula) with the Cartório de Imóveis.

Don’t forget – any documents issued abroad must be notarized, translated, and apostilled. So give yourself plenty of time.