Most people who visit Brazil return again and again.  The reasons are many and varied.

• the friendly and hospitable people
• the beautiful country
• the lovely beaches
• the perfect weather and climate, in the North East you have warm sunny weather all year round
• the exceptional value for money for shopping, eating out and low cost of living
• Excellent investment opportunity
• the strong performance of the economy, with robust growth and a trade surplus
• the great nightlife
• the choice of food
• sports
• exceptional customer service
• the relaxed pace of life.

Brazil is on the cusp of becoming a major investment 'hot spot' The reasons for this are detailed below...

Foreigners Owning Land/Property – There are no restrictions for foreigners to buy and sell residential or commercial property and the Brazilian authorities encourage foreign investment.  There are some limitations or fees applicable for specific areas such as marine land, islands, agriculture land and areas near Brazils International border

Land Registry – Property is registered in Brazil via private notary publics, under justice control.  Each property can only be registered at one registry which stores the entire transaction history and physical identification of each property.  This information can be viewed by the public and so many Brazilians buy and sell property without the assistance of a lawyer however it is recommended for a foreigner buying Brazilian property to get legal assistance.

Taxes – IVA (VAT) in Brazil is 10% on a new property or 20% on a “luxury” property.  You also have notary fees of approximately 2%, property transfer taxes of 4-5%, 1% import tax on funds and 0.6% annual property tax.

Legal Assistance – As ever, we recommend that all people considering purchasing a property overseas get legal advice.

Visas/Passport – Passports should be valid for at least three months after the date of your arrival in Brazil. If it will expire within three months of your departure from Brazil you will need to get a new one before travelling.  If your passport states that you are a British citizen you do not need a visa as a tourist whose stay will be less than three months. 

Money Transfers – It is imperative when buying property in Brazil that the funds are sent directly from the buyer’s bank to the sellers account in Brazil, this is sent via the Central Bank of Brazil who act as an official receipt of funds into the country.  The seller has to present their contract to the bank in order to release the funds.  Any developers who do not use this official route should be approached with extreme caution.  Bank transfers take approximately 5 days to reach Brazil from a UK account.

Tourism in the North-East of Brazil increased by just over 26% between 1995 and 2000, with 2.5million Brazilian and international holiday-makers visiting the area last year. In fact Brazilians make up over 90% of the tourist market. The international tourist market is relatively small compared to other destinations however it is growing fast. It is generally better known among Portugueuse, Spanish, Italian and other South American Tourists.

It is only now opening up to the potential of international tourism. The country’s bright tourism future has also been boosted by the influx of major tour operators into Brazil, such as the Marriot & Renaissance  chain, French operators Sofitel, Mercure and Ibis, Spain’s Iberostar, and other big names like Club Med, and Breezes SuperClubs. Charter flights have begun to serve several new destinations including Salvador, Fortaleza and Natal. A combination of the sunny climate, extremely low cost of living and high-quality property available, has already attracted not only overseas investors, but a growing communities of European residents.