Includes steps involved in establishing a local office.
Last Published: 9/5/2019

Investment options in Brazil include setting up a company or acquiring an existing entity in country. Based on the World Bank Doing Business Project’s measurements, starting a business in 2017 will take 79 days, down from 120 days in 2012.

Setting up a new company is increasingly easier, partly because the Brazilian government implemented an online portal for business licenses. The time required to open a company correlates to the type of business as well as the targeted city selected by a company. For example, a SIMPLES (simple) category refers to a company that does not require environmental and other licenses. A SIMPLES company can be opened in approximately 40 days or within five days in the city of Sao Paulo, if the company does not require any additional licenses.

The Central Bank of Brazil closely monitors acquisitions of existing companies. Corporations (sociedades anônimas) and limited liability companies (limitadas) are relatively easy to establish. Brazilian law requires that foreign capital be registered with the Central Bank. Failure to comply may cause serious foreign exchange losses, as well as problems with capital repatriation or profit remittance. More information for potential investors can be found on the website for Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations.

Web Resources
Agência Brasileira de Desenvolvimento Industrial (ABDI)
Agência Brasileira de Promoção de Exportações e Investimentos (Apex-Brasil)
Brasil Global Net
Portal Brasileiro de Comércio Exterior
Formerly Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC). Today, MDIC is part of the Brazilian Ministry of Economy
Brazilian Investment Information Network (Renai)
Trade and Investment Guide – Brazil Export
American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Brazil
 

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