Are you spending time in Brazil as a non-resident, and you keep getting asked for a CPF everywhere for online purchases and sign-ups?
Do you want to buy real estate, open a company or a bank account in Brazil, and they require you to show a CPF?
If so, then you’re at the right place!
In cooperation with a team of Brazilian lawyers and jurists, we are offering a remote Brazilian CPF request service.
What is the CPF?
The Individual Taxpayer Registry (CPF) is a database managed by the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (RFB), which stores information about taxpayers who are obliged to register with the CPF, or about citizens who have registered voluntarily.
The Steps of the CPF Request Process
- Registering and filling out forms, with the applicant’s data, with the Brazilian IRS.
- Saving the generated registration form.
- Forwarding of the mandatory documents to the competent authorities, with a request for the foreigner’s enrollment in the Individual Taxpayer Registry
- Wait for the approval or denial by the Federal Revenue Service of the registration request
With a Brazilian CPF, you can invest, bank and do business and Brazil. Nomading and travelling also becomes much more seamless, as most online services ask for a CPF.
Who needs a CPF?
Individuals, Brazilians or foreigners, non-residents in Brazil or residents in Brazil who own assets and rights subject to public registration in Brazil, are obliged to enroll in the CPF:
- Real Estate;
- Vehicles;
- Vessels;
- Aircraft;
- Bank accounts;
- Financial market applications;
- Capital market applications.
Any individual, even if not obligated, Brazilian or foreign, not residing in Brazil or residing abroad, can request a CPF enrollment.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- How long does the CPF request take? On average, from 90 to 120 days.
- What documents are required? For a foreign citizen, only the passport and a “Selfie” holding ID document open, close to the face, for identity proof purposes.
- Does the CPF expire? Do you have to do anything to make it active? The CPF does not expire, it will only be canceled in the hypotheses of finding multiple registrations for the same person or in the case of death.
- There are three situations in which the inscription in the CPF is irregular:
- “Pending Regularization”, when the individual fails to deliver a declaration which was obligatory in the last tax year;
- “Suspended” when there is an omission in the delivery of the declaration in the last two fiscal years;
- “Cancelled” in case of death of the registered individual and when a multiplicity of registrations is verified for the same individual.
- Is there any tax consequence of getting a CPF? There is no immediate tax consequence, the obligation to file income tax returns in Brazil and other tax obligations are not tied to the application for enrollment in the Individual Taxpayer Registry of the Federal Revenue Service. So NO, a CPF does not make you a tax resident or liable to pay taxes.
- Is there any negative aspect to having a CPF? There is no disadvantage in having a CPF.
Is it possible to open companies and bank accounts in Brazil with just a CPF?
The CPF alone is not enough for a non-resident to open a bank account or a company in Brazil, but it is an indispensable document to carry out these procedures, as well as the other hypotheses already mentioned, like investing locally.Looking at the largest Brazilian banking institutions (traditional banks), the documents usually required are:
- CRNM (National Migratory Registration Card)
- Valid Passport
- CPF
- Proof of address
- Proof of income
Fintechs and digital banks may ask for less – CPF, a Brazilian address and a local phone number, for example.As for businesses: The foreigner can constitute companies without having residence in the country.
However, they must be registered with the Federal Revenue (have a CPF) and with the Central Bank of Brazil (Bacen), through the Electronic Declaratory Registry (RDE), appoint an attorney-in-fact residing in the country, with powers to receive summons, in addition to other documents required by the commercial registries and government authorities, depending on the area in which the company operates.
Summing up: A CPF is a necessary step, but not the only step to opening a bank account or company in Brazil as a non-resident.
Do I have to go to Brazil to request the CPF?
No. The process can be done remotely, from Brazil or abroad.
Order your CPF
- Order your Brazilian CPF now.
- Remote CPF request, from Brazil or abroad
- Full support of our lawyers through the process, who can later also help with bank account openings and immigration to Brazil