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Work residence for employees hired in Brazil (CLT contract)

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Changing

A foreign national hired by a Brazilian employer under a CLT contract needs a work residence authorization from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, filed by the employer on MigranteWeb, before the consulate issues the temporary work visa. The employer must prove the hire's qualification and experience against one of six profiles (for example a degree plus 2 years of experience), and the residence lasts up to 2 years, renewable for up to 2 more or convertible to indefinite. The law requires a decision within 60 days, and the October 2025 regulation now lets the worker change workplace within the group by notice and change employer with approval.

USD figures use the Banco Central do Brasil PTAX selling rate of R$5.3346 per US dollar for 27 October 2026. The rate moved sharply in late October 2026 (R$5.0377 on 23 October, R$5.5007 on 26 October), so treat conversions as orientation only.

Key facts

Initial work residence for an employee (RN 2)	2 yearsRN CNIg nº 2/2017 art. 3 § 2, as of 2017-12-01 · in force
Legal deadline to decide a work residence application	60 daysLei nº 13.445/2017 art. 31 § 1, as of 2017-05-24 · in force
Experience required with a higher education degree	2 yearsRN CNIg nº 2/2017 art. 2 § 1, III, as of 2017-12-01 · in force
Experience required with technical level training	3 yearsRN CNIg nº 2/2017 art. 2 § 1, IV, as of 2017-12-01 · in force
Experience required with 12 years of schooling	4 yearsRN CNIg nº 2/2017 art. 2 § 1, V, as of 2017-12-01 · in force
Minimum postgraduate course hours (with 1 year of experience)	360 hoursRN CNIg nº 2/2017 art. 2 § 1, II, as of 2017-12-01 · in force
Fee for processing a residence authorization application	168.13 BRLSTN revenue code 140066, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Period to cure missing documents before rejection	30 daysRN CNIg nº 1/2017 art. 2, as of 2025-03-14 · in force
Deadline to appeal a residence denial	10 daysRN CNIg nº 1/2017 art. 3 § 1, as of 2017-12-01 · in force
Decision deadline for renewal or indefinite conversion	30 daysRN CNIg nº 30/2018 art. 1 § 1, as of 2018-06-12 · in force

The rule

1. A foreigner who comes to work in Brazil, with or without an employment relationship, may obtain a temporary work visa or a work residence authorization; the rule is a formal job offer from a legal entity operating in Brazil. Residence for work must be decided within 60 days of the application.Lei nº 13.445 of 24 May 2017, Lei nº 13.445 arts. 14, I, e and § 5; art. 30, I, e; art. 31 § 1, 2017-05-24 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. For employees, residence is granted to an immigrant with an employment relationship in Brazil. The employer must prove that qualification and experience fit the job through one of these profiles: a master's, doctorate or compatible higher degree; a postgraduate course of at least 360 hours plus 1 year of experience in the field; a higher education degree plus 2 years of professional experience counted from graduation; technical level training plus 3 years of experience; 12 years of schooling plus 4 years of experience in an occupation that needs no technical or higher education; or 3 years in an artistic or cultural profession that needs no formal schooling. Exceptionally, 5 years of experience may replace the other profiles.Resolução Normativa CNIg nº 2 of 1 December 2017 (DOU of 8 December 2017), RN nº 2 arts. 1 and 2 §§ 1 and 4, 2017-12-01 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. Prior residence for the temporary work visa requires a fixed term employment contract with the minimum clauses in Annex I and compliant with the CLT, plus the general documents. Annex I requires the contract to start within 30 days of entry, state the monthly salary in reais, oblige the employer to pay repatriation at the end of the contract and tell the Ministry within 15 days, and bar the worker from working for another employer. The initial residence is up to 2 years. Service with a foreign company of the same group can count as experience, by declaration of a manager of the Brazilian company.
Cost to do it: Processing fee R$168.13 (about US$31.52) per application, plus sworn translation, apostille and adviser costs.Resolução Normativa CNIg nº 2 of 1 December 2017, RN nº 2 arts. 2 §§ 2 and 3 and 3; Annex I, 2017-12-01 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. A foreigner already in Brazil may get work residence on a fixed or indefinite term CLT contract (Annex I or III), with a statement justifying continued work if the employer is the same; the residence is again up to 2 years.Resolução Normativa CNIg nº 2 of 1 December 2017, RN nº 2 art. 4, 2017-12-01 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. Applications are filed on MigranteWeb with the form, travel document, parentage document legalized and translated by a sworn translator, the employer's registered articles and appointment of its legal representative, CNPJ or CPF, power of attorney, the paid processing fee slip, the specific documents, criminal record certificates from every place of residence in the last 5 years and a no conviction declaration. For prior residence (applicant abroad) the parentage document and criminal records are waived. Missing documents suspend the case for 30 days to cure, under penalty of rejection; a denial can be appealed within 10 days, with a new fee slip. Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalized and translated by a sworn translator in Brazil. The Ministry analyses labor residence requests in chronological order.
Cost to do it: Processing fee R$168.13 (about US$31.52).Resolução Normativa CNIg nº 1 of 1 December 2017, as amended by Resolução CNIG/MJSP nº 51 of 14 March 2025, RN nº 1 arts. 1 and § 1 and § 4, 2, 3 §§ 1 and 4, and 5, 2025-03-14 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Resolução CNIG/MJSP nº 51 of 14 March 2025 moved filing to MigranteWeb under the Ministry of Justice, waived parentage and criminal record documents for prior residence, and added chronological order of analysis.

6. Under the October 2025 regulation the worker may change workplace within the same company or group by simple notice to the Ministry of Justice, but working for a different employer during a fixed term residence requires prior authorization on a reasoned request with the new employment contract; the Ministry then tells the Federal Police. The regulation also allows a joint ministerial act to waive the job offer for strategic professional capacities on proof of a degree, and to set simplified conditions for shortage areas.Decreto nº 9.199 of 20 November 2017, as worded by Decreto nº 12.657 of 7 October 2025, Decreto nº 9.199 art. 38 §§ 5 to 9; art. 147 §§ 4 to 9, 2025-10-07 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Decreto nº 12.657 of 7 October 2025 added free change of workplace within the group, a formal change of employer procedure, and powers for joint ordinances on strategic skills and shortage occupations; no such ordinance on strategic skills was found as of 27 October 2026.

7. A foreign graduate who completed an undergraduate or stricto sensu postgraduate degree in Brazil at an accredited institution, and is in Brazil, may obtain work residence at any time on an employment contract whose duties connect with the course, for up to 2 years, convertible to indefinite.Resolução CNIG/MJSP nº 50 of 27 June 2024, Res. nº 50 arts. 1, 2, 5, 6 § 1 and § 2 and 7, 2024-06-27 official text · verified 2026-10-27

8. Renewal for up to 2 more years needs a new fixed term contract, the full work card and the previous contract; conversion to an indefinite term needs a new indefinite term contract, the work card, the prior contract and the processing fee. The Ministry decides within 30 days of a complete file, extendable once with reasons.Resolução Normativa CNIg nº 30 of 12 June 2018 (DOU of 25 July 2018); Decreto nº 9.199 art. 142 § 3, RN nº 30 art. 1 § 1; Annexes II and III, 2018-06-12 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Profile	Education	Experience
I	Master's, doctorate or compatible higher degree	None set
II	Postgraduate course of at least 360 hours	1 year in the field
III	Higher education degree	2 years from graduation
IV	Technical level training	3 years
V	12 years of schooling	4 years
VI	None (artistic or cultural)	3 years
Exception	Other proof of fit	5 years

Qualification profiles accepted for employee work residence. Source: RN CNIg nº 2/2017 art. 2 §§ 1 and 4.

Worked example

A Brazilian subsidiary hires a Spanish data engineer with a degree and 4 years of experience (profile III) at R$25,000 a month on a 2 year fixed term contract. Government cost: R$168.13 processing (about US$31.52) plus R$204.77 for the migration card after arrival (about US$38.39), R$372.90 in total (about US$69.90), before the consular visa fee, sworn translations and apostilles. The Ministry must decide within 60 days; the engineer then gets the visa, enters, and registers with the Federal Police within 90 days.

Step by step

1. Check the profile: degree and experience letters showing one of the RN 2 art. 2 profiles.
2. Draft the fixed term CLT contract with the Annex I clauses (start within 30 days of entry, salary in reais, repatriation, exclusivity).
3. Pay the R$168.13 processing fee and file on MigranteWeb with the RN 1 documents; answer any request within 30 days.
4. Once approved (published in the DOU or shown in MigranteWeb), the worker applies for the temporary work visa at the consulate.
5. After entry, register with the Federal Police within 90 days and obtain the CRNM (see the registration page).
6. Report transfers within the group, role changes and terminations within 30 days, and plan renewal or indefinite conversion before the 2 years end (RN 1 arts. 4 and 6-A; RN 30).

Common traps

Starting work before the visa. Paid work on a visit is forbidden; wait for residence (Lei nº 13.445 art. 13 § 1).
Weak experience proof. Letters must cover the full period required by the chosen profile; group service counts only with a manager's declaration and proof of the prior relationship (RN 2 art. 2 §§ 2 and 3).
Changing employer without approval. A new employer during a fixed term residence needs prior authorization (Decreto nº 9.199 art. 147 § 7).
Letting the residence lapse. Applying after expiry triggers the overstay sanction (Lei nº 13.445 art. 31 § 3).
Forgetting the two thirds rule. Hiring foreigners does not exempt the company from the CLT nationality proportion (see the labor expatriates page).

Sources

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