BrazilWork residence permit

Work residence permit in Brazil

The permit gives a foreign national the right to work as an employee or to carry on investment activity in Brazil. It is arranged either by the immigrant or by the Brazilian employer wishing to hire the specialist. Everything is filed remotely through the ministry's electronic system; attendance in person is needed after approval, in order to register with the Federal Police and receive the migration card. Where there are shortcomings the applicant is given time to put them right, and where the application is refused, to request a review.

Threshold

The examination fee is R$ 168.13, paid through a Guia de Recolhimento da União (GRU).

Work

The permit is issued specifically for employment and investment activity.

Source: Portal Gov.br — Obter autorização de residência para fins laborais a imigrantes

Who files the documents, and how

The procedure is one and the same — all that differs is the moment of filing: before moving to Brazil or while already in the country.

Still abroad: the prior authorisation

The application is filed by the Brazilian employer or by the institution inviting the foreign national
The document is needed in order then to obtain a temporary work visa at a Brazilian consulate
Once approved, the decision is published in the official government gazette

Already in Brazil: the residence permit

The application is filed by the employing company or by the immigrant already in the country
The document is arranged through the same MigranteWeb portal, but without leaving for abroad
Once approved, an appointment must be booked and attended at the Federal Police for registration and issue of the CRNM card

When this programme is not suitable

A residence permit is needed for study, medical treatment or family reunification rather than for work or investment

A separate category of residence permit is arranged — education, medical treatment, family reunification and others — through the same official portal on the types of residence permit

You want your spouse or children to receive the same status automatically along with you

Family members file their own application under the separate «family reunification» category — the work permit does not extend to them automatically

You simply need to enter and stay in Brazil as a tourist, with no right to work

Tourist status gives no right to work — this authorisation has to be arranged before employment or investment activity begins

What it costs

Fee for examination of the application in MigranteWebPaid through a Guia de Recolhimento da União (GRU) at the stage of filing the application	168,13 BRL
Fee for issue of the CRNM card by the Federal PoliceA separate charge for the service of issuing the residence permit and the migration registration card (gov.br/pt-br/servicos/obter-autorizacao-de-residencia-e-carteira-de-registro-migratorio), paid after approval, before attending in person for the card	204,77 BRL
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table.	372,9 BRL

Documents to gather

The exact list depends on the type of activity and is determined by Resolução Normativa nº 01/2017, but the basic set for registration and filing comprises:

A CPF (for an applicant in Brazil) or a CNPJ (for an employing company)
A travel document (passport) or a CRNM card — for those already in Brazil
Full name, a valid email address and telephone number for registering the personal account
The set of documents for the specific basis under Resolução Normativa nº 01/2017
The receipt for the Guia de Recolhimento da União (GRU) fee
A gov.br account at no lower than «bronze» level, with a digital signature, for filing through MigranteWeb
Document files in PDF format, each no larger than 10 MB

How the process runs

The application goes through several stages — from registering the personal account to receiving the physical card from the Federal Police.

1
Registering a personal account in MigranteWeb
about 10 minutes
The applicant sets up an account in the system, giving the CPF or CNPJ, full name, travel document or CRNM card, and a valid email address and telephone number.
2
Filing the set of documents and paying the fee
The documents required by Resolução Normativa nº 01/2017 (in PDF format, each file no larger than 10 MB) and the receipt for the GRU fee are attached to the application.
3
Technical examination of the application
up to 30 calendar days, extendable to 60 days
The Coordination for Labour Migration checks the documents. If shortcomings are found, the application moves to «corrections required» status — the applicant is given further time to upload documents, after which it is checked again.
4
The decision on the application
The application is approved or refused. For a prior authorisation (filed from abroad) the decision is published in the official government gazette. If it is refused, a request for review may be filed within 30 days through the «Fale Conosco» section of the portal, or the process may be started again.
5
Registration with the Federal Police and issue of the CRNM card
on average about 30 working days after approval
After approval (for those already in Brazil) an appointment must be booked through the online system and attended at a Federal Police unit at the appointed time (with a wait of up to 30 minutes) to complete registration and receive the Registro Nacional Migratório card.

Who you can bring with you

The work permit does not include family members automatically, but they have a route of their own through the same portal:

Spouse, children, parents and people in the applicant's care

File a separate application under the «family reunification» category on the portal covering the types of residence permit — the status is tied to the holder of the work permit but is not issued together with their application automatically

Renewal and the grace period

The page on the work permit specifically does not describe renewal separately. The portal's general section on the types of residence permit in Brazil states that every category — including the work category — allows for renewal on confirmation that the grounds still hold (a valid employment contract or continuing investment activity, for example) and on submission of an updated set of documents; the renewal application is filed through the same portal.

Frequently asked questions about Work residence permit

Who may file an application for a work residence permit?

If the applicant is still abroad, the prior authorisation may be requested by the employing institution or by the immigrant themselves. If the applicant is already in Brazil, the residence permit may be arranged by the employing company or by the migrant themselves.

In what format must the documents be filed, and how is the application tracked?

The application and documents are filed through MigranteWeb using a digital signature/gov.br account; the files must be in PDF format, each no larger than 10 MB. The status of the application is tracked in the system's personal account itself.

What happens if the application is refused?

A request for review of the decision may be filed within 30 days through the «Fale Conosco» section of the portal, pointing out the error in the decision, or the filing process may be started again.

What happens immediately after the application is approved?

For a prior authorisation (filed from abroad) the decision is published in the official government gazette, after which the visa may be obtained at a consulate. Those already in Brazil have to approach the Federal Police for registration.

Is there a separate state fee for the CRNM card itself, on top of the fee for examining the application?

Yes. Examination of the application is paid for by a fee of 168.13 reais, while issue of the CRNM card itself by the Federal Police attracts a separate charge of 204.77 reais — this is a separate gov.br service for issuing the residence permit and the migration registration card.

Other ways to move to Brazil

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Brazil.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.