Top Four Ways to Stay in Brazil Legally Without Getting a Job

Today, we’ve got a special guest post by Addison Sears-Collins.

There is a lot of focus and attention on getting work visas in Brazil these days. And it’s easy to imagine why as it gives you both the security of an income and a visa all in one.

Truth be told, that a work visa is one of the hardest and complicated ways to get into Brazil – so what if you would just like to get to Brazil and either live off your saving or figure out a job after you get there?

In comes Addison from visahunter.com, he has been so kind as to give us an overview over the 4 ways that you can stay in Brazil without it being illegal (think: no overstaying a tourist visa).

Addison lives in Rio de Janeiro and he has a dream of making countries borderless by decoding their visas into a simple, easy to use website.

Let’s give Addison a warm welcome here on Live in Brazil

So, you have fallen in love with Brazil, or maybe have you have fallen in love with a person from Brazil. Whatever your motive, you want to stay in Brazil without actually working. Fortunately, there are a handful of ways to achieve this possibility, of which expats and travelers are regularly taking advantage of.

1) Student Visa

If you have enough money saved up, you can enroll in an academic program or Portuguese course at a school in Brazil which is recognized by the Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação). With confirmation of your enrollment in hand (most schools call this the “Declaração de Matrícula”), you can then go to the embassy or consulate in your country of residence in order to apply for a Brazil Student Visa. For a list of institutions recognized by the Ministry of Education, go to their official website here.

Since you are not allowed to work in Brazil on a student visa, you will need to prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself for the duration of your course. As long as you have all the proper documents in place, you should not face any issues.

2) Getting Married

If you have fallen in love with someone and are fed up of doing 6 months (or 3 months depending on your nationality) in Brazil and 6 months (3 months) outside of Brazil because of the limitations imposed by your tourist visa, consider making your relationship official by getting married. In Brazil, as in most countries, getting married will allow you to live as a permanent resident (although not necessarily as a citizen right off the bat). Expect to be asked to prove an ability to support yourself financially and to get your marriage certificates translated to Portuguese and notarized.

3) Start a Family

An alternative option if you have fallen in love with a local, but are not enthralled by the idea of tying the knot, is to have a child. Admittedly, if you do have a child you will most probably have to work at some point to support your offspring; however, if you are filthy rich or at least financially self-sufficient, then this is a viable option. For Brazil, as is the case with other countries in this region such as Argentina, the parent of any child born in the country is entitled to permanent residency.

4) Volunteer Visa

The final option if you like Brazil but do not want to work is to apply for a Volunteer Visa and offer your services to a non-profit organization. This option is particularly common not just in Brazil, but also in Africa, Southeast Asia and both Central and South America. Obtaining this type of visa is often as simple as getting a letter from an NGO as proof that you will undertake non-paid activities. In Brazil, subject to requirements, a Volunteer Visa can be issued for a period of up to 12-months.

These are just a selection of some of the ways to stay in Brazil without working.

Once again, a big thank you to Addison and make sure you go and check his website our for up-to-date information on visa requirements for every country in the world: