madrac
American expat in Brazil
Forum posts
43
About me
American
Registration: 04 October 2022
What is the most efficient way to buy a home in Brazil? by john8670
I'm looking to move to Santa Catarina with my wife no later than August 2023.I want to avoid renting from someone in Brazil like the plague I've heard bad stories about it. I also don't like the idea of "paying for the landlords property taxes" When ...
Same here, I have an excellent attorney in Rio (who does work throughout Brazil) for foreigners buying property. He also speaks fluent English. I can provide his contact info if you PM me. Read More
Income taxes for expats by metroliner
Hello guys, I am a US citizen considering relocation to Brazil since my present "namorada" is brasilian.I will be retiring soon, with a check from Social security. However I am just surprised to read that Brazil has the expectation of collecting ...
Not living in Brazil permanently at the moment but am a permanent resident. All my income is still earned in the US. I've moved a lot of money to Brazil over the past two years (land purchase, remodeling, care, bills, etc). We file taxes every ... Read More
Spending your BRL abroad & repatriation by RioRoamer
Hi Everyone, I'm new to the forum here, I had a quick search and couldn't find the answer so decided to post.I'm in the middle of a work relocation to Brazil but one area i'm unclear on is when I have some BRL built up in a Brazilian bank ...
I'd probably transfer the Reals to Euros from your Brazilian bank account to your Irish bank account for either 1. or 2. in your post. I use Wise to send USD to Brazil. Haven't done it in reverse but of all the online services (e.g Wise, Xoom, ... Read More
Sending Money from USA to Brazil by roy_usa_2023
Hello,1) For folks from USA citizens, if you are sending money to a significant other in Brazil as an American citizen in a large amount over 20,000 USD is there a suggested way to send this money - by Wize or bank transfer or Western Union or ...
Wise works well, as well. But I would do it in chunks under 10K each on consecutive days, otherwise they'll ask for a lot of documentation. Alternately, I have an American friend who's been living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for some 20 odd years. ... Read More
Simple Question - Are US Social Security funds taxed in Brazil? by bepmoht
I searched the forum for this but only found a post which was discussing pension disbursements. I鈥檇 like to know only about my monthly social security deposit I get from Uncle Sam.聽 Are these monies taxable or not in Brazil?Thanks in ...
I believe SSN deposits aren't taxable as they are already taxed in the US. Read More
RNE due to expire in October - Citizenship still possible? by AfroPrince
Hi all,I have a permanent visa based on marriage which has since ended and divorce finalised a few years ago. I still visit Brazil a few times a year with my overall goal naturalising (I have my reasons).When I was married, I did attempt to to ...
I have a very good lawyer in Rio (Niteroi, actually). I used him to purchase property there, assist with Brazil income tax, appointment with Federal Police for my permanent resident card, and several other things. He was recommended by a friend of ... Read More
Family Reunion Visa by Phil Mode
I'm a dual citizen of Brazil and the US, and my wife is American. My wife and I got married in 2019 in the state of Oregon while we were living there. We have been in Rio for the last 2 weeks, and she's on a 90-day tourist visa.We are looking into ...
I got my Family Reunion visa last year at the Brazilian consulate in Houston. Simple. Didn't need anything translated, didn't need an FBI background check (as have lived at same address for sufficient time), nothing apostilled. On first entry ... Read More
WiFi and POE Equipment Suggestions For Brazil by headshot
Greetings all.I know a lot about networking (digital) but when it comes to understanding power I am a child. I need to install a WiFi AP or bridge in my apartment to extend the signal and I do not want to use one that requires a power plug but ...
as to mercado livre, that's a good suggestion but don't know if it's cheaper than the US (as electronics in Brazil tend to be expensive). However, I'm not sure if ones in the US would work in Brazil...most electronics do, but I don't know about ... Read More
Farewell to Texanbrazil, Brazil Advisor by abthree
It is my deep sorrow to inform you that our colleague and friend here on the site, and my good friend in Real Life, Texanbrazil, passed away this morning after a long illness.聽Tex joined Expat in February of 2018, and enjoyed helping ...
My condolences to his family and friends. His contributions here were much appreciated. Read More
Apostille: When, Where & How! by roddiesho
Got the Brazilian marriage certificate, FBI Background check and I believe the last item for my Permanent Residency by Spouse is the Apostille, When Where and How.Also, according to my passport my deadline is 4/4/2023. On to Florida for ...
Have you gotten the vitem xi visa or still working on that? For my vitem xi, I didn鈥檛 need any documents apostilled. Nor did I need anything new for the federal police when I registered after my first entry to Brazil Read More
Moving personal items to Brazil by madrac
I recently got my permanent resident card based on Vitem XI (family reunion). I know I have 180 days to bring my possessions to Brazil to avoid customs duty. I do have a couple of questions:Can I make multiple trips in/out of Brazil to bring items ...
Thanks, everyone. I did go to the consulate today but the person who handles it was out sick. The fill-in wasn't familiar with my questions so suggested I go tomorrow as they expected her back. Read More
Moving personal items to Brazil by madrac
I recently got my permanent resident card based on Vitem XI (family reunion). I know I have 180 days to bring my possessions to Brazil to avoid customs duty. I do have a couple of questions:Can I make multiple trips in/out of Brazil to bring items ...
Thanks, abthree.I'm going to go to the Brazilian consulate today to confirm. As to the air shipment, it is planned to be checked baggage with us as we go down (so, need to check if I need to file paperwork or just go through the declare line and ... Read More
Moving personal items to Brazil by madrac
I recently got my permanent resident card based on Vitem XI (family reunion). I know I have 180 days to bring my possessions to Brazil to avoid customs duty. I do have a couple of questions:Can I make multiple trips in/out of Brazil to bring items ...
@sprealestatebroker @abthreeThanks for the replies. We are most likely going to store alot of stuff here in the US. At most, we'd bring a 20 foot container although I am pricing 1-2 liftvans. We do have an address in Brazil, so that's not an ... Read More
Moving personal items to Brazil
I recently got my permanent resident card based on Vitem XI (family reunion). I know I have 180 days to bring my possessions to Brazil to avoid customs duty. I do have a couple of questions:Can I make multiple trips in/out of Brazil to bring items ... Read More
Home Loan from US Bank by KellyMarieD
Hello,Does anyone know if it is possible to get a Home loan from a bank in the US to buy a property in Brazil? Is this even possible?
As others have noted, no US bank will write a mortgage on a Brazilian property. I asked several as well as some international banks that have presence in Brazil. someone mentioned a cash out refi. I did that a year or so again to cover a big ... Read More
Flights from NY or Miami to Rio by Sharky114
I have been fliying to Rio since 2005 and cant believe the prices now. Does anyone know a decent agent or site? There are no longer direct flights from ny to rio and the prices range around 1,500 plus your bags. Thought i would drive to miami ...
Avoid azul as connection ig do via SP鈥攈orrible connection as need to take a bus from arrival terminal to connecting terminal that is quite the distance.you could also try united NY to Houston IAH to Rio direct. Read More
General Political Climate in Brazil by 56tbourne
Now that the elections are over, was wondering what the general political tone in Brazil is now that Lula was elected. Will it have an effect on expats or laws? I know that Brazil is divided like it is in the US. It has always been a very ...
As to abthree's question on Vitem XI/PF, I just went through this. The PF didn't ask for anything else that the consulate didn't want, aside from my wife's Brazilian cell phone bill as I recall. I didn't need anything translated, nor a apostilled ... Read More
Income for retirement visa by ltoby955
Hi all of the 2000 dollars that should be sent to Brazil every month for the qualification of the retirement visa can money then be transferred back to cover certain bills in a country where you have property? I assume they keep an eye on your bank ...
I'm not exactly sure how the taxation will be handled on different sources of "income". With some countries there are treaties in-place to avoid duplicate taxation. The US (and a couple of others) there is not an official treaty but apparently ... Read More
Best way to transfer funds from Brazil to Canada by NBoer
Hi. I am selling properties I own in Northeast Brazil (Peroba, Maragogi, AL - Caribbean of Brazil). I am trying to find the best way for Brazilians to send funds to me in Canada. Any advice and insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I agree with you, abthree, on the legal transfer. IMO, all depends on how the receiving bank handles, particularly what exchange rate they use and fees. I know the SWIFT transfer I did to her bank, the exchange rate was significantly below the ... Read More
Income for retirement visa by ltoby955
Hi all of the 2000 dollars that should be sent to Brazil every month for the qualification of the retirement visa can money then be transferred back to cover certain bills in a country where you have property? I assume they keep an eye on your bank ...
I wasn't asked for health insurance either by the consulate in Houston or the PF in Niteroi with my Vitem XI. My retiree health insurance here in the US is good internationally, although I'm considering dropping it, getting insurance in Brazil, and ... Read More
Best way to transfer funds from Brazil to Canada by NBoer
Hi. I am selling properties I own in Northeast Brazil (Peroba, Maragogi, AL - Caribbean of Brazil). I am trying to find the best way for Brazilians to send funds to me in Canada. Any advice and insights would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I agree...check with a lawyer.聽If you need one in Brazil, I have one that I am using.聽He is located in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.聽Speaks great English.聽If so, PM me and I'll send his contact info.We have been sending money from US ... Read More
Registering with the PF w/o a local address by acpr
Might anyone know how to register with the Federal Police without a local address where I live? It seems nonsensical to be required to have a local address when you've just arrived and don't have the required documents to get a local address, yet ...
Can you not just use the AirBnB address with copy of rental agreement or some sort of letter from landlord? I would think this might be acceptable considering you are on a digital nomad visa.For what it's worth, I used my wife's sister's address ... Read More
New members of the Brazil forum, introduce yourselves here - 2022 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Brazil forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on ...
Went to the PF in Niteroi today to get my Protocol for my VitemXI (family reunion). Didn鈥檛 have an appointment (couldn鈥檛 make one on-line). Didn鈥檛 need any documents translated nor an FBI apostilled criminal report (the local ... Read More
Problems with paying in stores with international cards by ltoby955
Has anyone managed to resolve the problem with debit and credit card machines in stores and restaurants here? The machine doesn't recognise the cards and yet they atm's do. My partner is worried about me carrying cash and she ends up using her card ...
@itoby955 That's a bummer that you have issues with your cards. The only time I remember having an issue was in Germany (I think) with American Express....although the establishment said they took it, they didn't want to (probably because of the ... Read More
Building a house in Brazil (Arma莽茫o dos B煤zios, RJ) by fred2brazil
Fellow member, I've always found this forum helpful so far. Maybe some of you can help me along further in regards to some questions I have about building a house in Brazil. Maybe some of you have experience in building a house and have gone ...
Looking really good! Read More
Problems with paying in stores with international cards by ltoby955
Has anyone managed to resolve the problem with debit and credit card machines in stores and restaurants here? The machine doesn't recognise the cards and yet they atm's do. My partner is worried about me carrying cash and she ends up using her card ...
I'm with TexanBrazil - no debit cards in foreign locations (unless absolutely necessary for some unseen reason). I don't even use a debit card here in the US. No need for others to have direct access to my checking account plus credit cards ... Read More
ATM withdraw fees/best exchange rates by jasonlovesdogs
Hello,I searched the forum and couldn't find an answer to this question. Does anyone know the best Brazilian banks that have the least ATM withdraw fees and exchange rates? I recently went to a Carefour here in Brasilia and felt like I got robbed in ...
One thing to watch, at least at Bradesco according to a friend of mine who lives in Rio, is to watch the exchange rate. They'll initially offer a pretty poor exchange rate but you can decline the "Bradesco" rate and then they'll give you closer to ... Read More
New members of the Brazil forum, introduce yourselves here - 2022 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Brazil forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on ...
@Texanbrazil Thanks, Texanbrazil. I went ahead and did the FBI background check just in case (it was quick and easy here - used a channeler, set up an appointment, went to UPS store for fingerprinting, and had the background check later that ... Read More
New members of the Brazil forum, introduce yourselves here - 2022 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Brazil forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on ...
Thanks, TexanbrazilI have all the documents I used for the Visa, although all in English (except the marriage certificate which we've registered with the Houston consulate and have a Segunda Via to file with the Cartorio in Brazil). I will take my ... Read More
Money transfer for purchasing a property[B]Op requested thread to be removed by GuestPoster5716
Hello, I am about to buy a house for the value of 350k R$What is the best way to transfer the money to Brazil (property owner's account ) from my UK HSBC account? I do not have Brazilian bank account as I am on tourist Visa. I do have CPF.Will I be ...
thanks, Inubia. A quick internet search shows dependent on state and value, but not exceeding 8%. Will see what the accountant has to say next March. Read More
New members of the Brazil forum, introduce yourselves here - 2022 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Brazil forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on ...
Hi,New member here - currently in Texas, recently retired, and planning to move to Brazil in the next few months. Wife is Brazilian and I have my Vitem XI. We have also purchased 12 acres in Rio de Janeiro, near Marica. So a bit further out from ... Read More
Money transfer for purchasing a property[B]Op requested thread to be removed by GuestPoster5716
Hello, I am about to buy a house for the value of 350k R$What is the best way to transfer the money to Brazil (property owner's account ) from my UK HSBC account? I do not have Brazilian bank account as I am on tourist Visa. I do have CPF.Will I be ...
I am going through this process at the moment - we just closed on 12 acres outside of Rio de Janeiro, in Marica. Final registration is in progress (as it is rural land, there are some additional documents the government needed).As others have ... Read More