Opening a company in Brazil: locals, foreigners, freelancers and digital nomads

At a glance: Ltda. with no minimum capital, filed online through Redesim in 1 to 10 days for about 50 to 115 euros in fees, 34 percent combined corporate tax (Simples Nacional up to BRL 4.8 million), IBS and CBS replacing ICMS, ISS and PIS/COFINS from 2026, digital nomad visa yes (VITEM XIV). Legal forms. Sole trader (empresário individual) with unlimited liability, usually as a micro-entrepreneur (MEI). Limited company (Sociedade Limitada, Ltda.): one or more partners, no minimum capital, administrator may live abroad since 2021 with a resident proxy. Stock corporation (Sociedade Anônima, S.A.): no legal minimum, 10 percent paid in on subscription. Registration. Articles (contrato social) signed with a digital certificate and filed with the state commercial registry (Junta Comercial) via Redesim, which also issues the federal tax number (CNPJ), state and municipal registrations and the municipal licence (alvará); no notary. Junta fee about BRL 300 to 700 (about 50 to 115 euros), accountant BRL 1,000 to 3,000 for set-up. One to ten business days; total excluding capital about BRL 1,500 to 5,000 (about 250 to 800 euros). Taxes 2026. Corporate income tax 15 percent plus 10 percent on annual profit above BRL 240,000 and 9 percent social contribution (CSLL), 34 percent combined; smaller companies may elect deemed profit (lucro presumido). From January 2026 dividends carry 10 percent withholding above BRL 50,000 a month for resident individuals and on all payments to non-residents. State ICMS 17 to 20 percent, municipal ISS 2 to 5, no threshold; CBS (0.9 percent) and IBS (0.1 percent) pilot in 2026 and replace PIS/COFINS, ICMS and ISS by 2033 at about 26 to 28 percent combined. Personal income tax up to 27.5 percent above BRL 4,664 a month, up to BRL 5,000 a month effectively exempt from 2026; worldwide income for residents. Freelancers and the self-employed. MEI for listed activities with revenue up to BRL 81,000 a year (about 13,000 euros) and one employee: registered online at the Portal do Empreendedor, a fixed monthly payment of about BRL 80 to 90 covering pension; regulated professions excluded. Above that, Simples Nacional up to BRL 4.8 million (about 775,000 euros) of revenue charges one monthly rate of about 4 to 33 percent by annex. Autônomos pay monthly income tax (carnê-leão) and INSS of 20 percent of earnings, about BRL 325 a month (52 euros) at the minimum. Foreigners. 100 percent foreign ownership except media (30 percent cap), rural and border land, nuclear and parts of health and air services. A foreign partner needs a Brazilian tax number (CPF or CNPJ), apostilled and sworn-translated documents and a resident attorney-in-fact (procurador) for service of process. Investor residence (VITEM IX): BRL 500,000 (about 80,000 euros) invested in a company with a business plan, two years renewable. Incorporation works from abroad; a business account needs the CNPJ and usually a resident administrator with a CPF in person, two to eight weeks. Branch of a foreign company. A branch (filial de sociedade estrangeira) needs federal authorisation from the business registry department (DREI): apostilled and translated articles, resolution and balance sheet, allocated capital and a resident legal representative, then Junta Comercial and CNPJ registration; three to six months. Taxed like a resident company at 34 percent; remitted profits count as dividends (10 percent from 2026). Almost everyone forms a Ltda. subsidiary instead. Digital nomads. Yes: the temporary visa for digital nomads (VITEM XIV, Normative Resolution 45 of 2021) for remote workers paid by foreign companies: monthly income of at least 1,500 dollars (about 1,300 euros) or 18,000 dollars of available funds, health insurance, clean record; one year, renewable once; consular fee about 100 dollars. Tax residence starts at 184 days of presence in any 12 months. Changed recently. Law 15,270 (January 2026): 10 percent dividend withholding, exemption up to BRL 5,000 a month and a minimum tax of up to 10 percent above BRL 600,000 a year; IBS and CBS created by Complementary Law 214 (January 2025), pilot year 2026; presumed-profit percentages raised above BRL 5 million of revenue (Complementary Law 224, from 2026); alphanumeric CNPJ numbers from July 2026. Figures checked October 2026 from the Receita Federal, Redesim and the Junta Comercial de São Paulo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa pages, PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries and Brazilian accounting and law-firm 2026 pages; thresholds and fees change yearly. Confirm with a licensed adviser in Brazil before you file.