Practice Area

Buy Brazilian property like someone who knows the registry.

Foreigners can own property in Brazil outright — same title as a Brazilian. The risk isn't ownership; it's buying from the wrong seller, with the wrong checks, on the wrong documents. That's what we prevent.

Brazilian property law is genuinely friendly to foreign buyers: full freehold ownership with nothing more than a passport and a CPF number, no residency requirement, no special permits for ordinary urban property. What it is not friendly to is carelessness. Title in Brazil lives at the property registry (cartório de registro de imóveis), and what the registry says — not what the listing says, not what the broker says — is what you own.

Our core product is due diligence the Brazilian way: the registry chain (matrícula), the seller's personal and tax certificates, lawsuits that could claw the sale back (a seller's pending labor judgment can do exactly that), condominium debts that follow the unit, and municipal taxes that follow the deed. We do this before you sign anything binding — including the promessa de compra e venda that many buyers sign thinking it's "just a reservation."

Most of our buyers never set foot in Brazil for the closing. A power of attorney, properly drafted and apostilled, lets us sign the deed, pay the taxes, and register title in your name while you watch from home — with the funds flowing through the official exchange channel so the money is documented for the day you sell.

What We Handle

Inside this practice area.

01 Pre-contract due diligence Matrícula chain, seller certificates, litigation and lien searches, condo and tax debt checks.
02 Contract review & negotiation Promessa and deed terms, payment schedules, penalty clauses, off-plan (na planta) developer contracts.
03 Remote closing by POA Power of attorney drafting, deed signing, ITBI payment, and title registration without your presence.
04 Foreign exchange & remittance Bringing purchase funds in through the documented exchange channel — critical for repatriating proceeds later.
05 Rural & coastal property The special regimes: rural land limits for foreigners, border-zone restrictions, navy land (terreno de marinha) leaseholds.
06 Sales & exit Capital gains analysis, documented repatriation of proceeds, and clean handover to the buyer's side.
Process

How a typical engagement runs.

1

Offer-stage review

Before you sign anything — including reservations — we review the draft and flag what binds you.

48 hours
2

Full due diligence

Registry, seller, debt, and litigation checks, delivered as a written go / no-go report in English.

1-2 weeks
3

Closing

Funds through the exchange channel, deed at the notary, ITBI paid, title registered in your name.

2-6 weeks depending on cartório
4

Post-closing

Registered matrícula in your name delivered with utilities, condo, and municipal registrations transferred.

Final handover
Common Questions

Real Estate questions we hear most.

Can foreigners really own property in Brazil with no restrictions?
Urban property, yes — full freehold, same as a Brazilian citizen, with just a passport and CPF. The exceptions are rural land (area limits and approvals for foreigners), the 150 km border strip, and certain coastal navy-land leaseholds. We check which regime applies before you commit.
What's the biggest mistake foreign buyers make?
Signing the promessa de compra e venda before due diligence. It feels like a reservation; legally it's a binding purchase commitment, often with a 10-20% penalty to exit. The second biggest: sending purchase funds outside the official exchange channel, which creates problems when you eventually sell and want to take the money home.
Do I need to be in Brazil to close?
No. A power of attorney signed at a Brazilian consulate or apostilled locally lets us execute the entire closing. It's routine — a large share of our closings happen with the buyer abroad.

Close your purchase safely.

Describe your situation in plain English. A lawyer replies within one business day with a written scope and flat fee — no obligation, no hourly meter.

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