The Number You Need to Do Business in Brazil

Whether you’re buying real estate, getting married, or forming a company, there’s one thing you’ll need in Brazil - a local taxpayer ID number. It’s required for all individuals and legal entities that plan on doing any business there.

For individuals, the taxpayer ID number is the CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas). Getting your CPF from the Receita Federal is fairly straightforward. Gone are the days of needing notarized and apostilled documents with certified translations to Portuguese. Now, it's common just to provide a copy of your passport, birth certificate, and sometimes a selfie.

Foreign companies, on the other hand, need a CNPJ (Cadastro Nacional de Pessoas Jurídicas). While a CNPJ can be obtained from the Receita Federal as well, the procedure is more involved. Besides appointing a resident of Brazil as its legal representative, the company must provide apostilled copies of its corporate documents. And then, these documents must be translated to Portuguese by a certified translator and registered with a notary office in Brazil.

These taxpayer ID numbers are the Brazilian equivalent of a social security number and EIN in the US. But in Brazil, they’re used for virtually everything, not just for filing taxes. You can pretty much expect that any document with your name on it will also have your CPF, even a hotel guest registration form.

If you’re planning on doing business in Brazil anytime soon, get your CPF or CNPJ right away. If you need help, ask your lawyer or accountant. You’ll need it sooner rather than later.