Includes license requirements for key professional services that are open to U.S. service providers.
Last Published: 9/5/2019

Many professions in Brazil are regulated or inspected by councils. Councils are public authorities that regulate, supervise, direct, and discipline certain professional categories. Certain workers are obliged to be registered at corresponding councils in order to exercise their profession. Anyone that works without a registration is subject to penalties according to Brazilian law.

The basic requirement to be licensed by a professional council is to own a valid graduation certificate in the chosen area. Since there are several different professional councils, registration requirements may vary. The most common procedure is to visit a regional council or send the necessary documents. This registration has an expiration date, and needs to be renewed periodically, according to the council’s rules.

The registration of a foreigner in a Brazilian professional council varies according to each profession. Some, like the Council of Psychology and the Council of Administration, allow foreigners to be registered. The main conditions for this are the revalidation of the foreign diploma and a proficiency test in the Portuguese language. Other councils have stricter rules, allowing foreigners to register only in exceptional cases, like a lack of registered professionals, or only providing temporary permits for the realization of a specific project in Brazil. This is the case in the Council of Engineering and Agronomy.

CS Brazil hosts a Standards Attaché in São Paulo who can answer an additional questions. Please contact: Sarah.Cook@trade.gov for more information.
 

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