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Hi!
Brazil will not give you a work visa in order to work remotely for a US company.  All work visas need to be approved by the Labor Ministry, and need to be sponsored by a Brazilian employer.  The one possible exception is if your company has a physical presence in Brazil, and is willing to formally sponsor you.  So please, don't disrupt your life in the US until your visa situation is determined.
As for your cats, Brazil does permit bringing pets into the country, and doesn't usually require quarantine, which is good.  The rules will be intricate,  and need to be followed to the letter, for the cats to be admitted without delay or danger.  The Brazilian Consulate General in Houston will be able to tell you everything you need to do, and the documents you'll need.
Good luck!

Thank you!! This is really helpful. I have an American friend who moved to Mexico and has a visa there to work remotely...apparently it is not the same in other countries.

Unfortunately, true.  Mexico and a number of Caribbean countries are quite friendly to "digital nomads".  Brazil, if anything is moving in the opposite direction:   it used to offer permanent residency to foreign retirees as those countries do, but that was eliminated for new applicants by the overhaul of the immigration laws in 2017.

Howdy Miah and welcome,
abthree has given you great information. Being a fellow Texan I worked for a company which had an office in Rio. No issues coming and going, but when I needed t stay longer than 90 days my company had to sponsor me and this was way before the new laws.
I came here many times and traveled various parts of Brazil. Rio did not entice me but other parts of Brasil did. Now I have lived here for several years. (How is your Portuguese?)
It is a big switch. A lot of thought needs to been done. There is a student visa, but must be accepted and attend to maintain the visa.
CPF is the easy part of the loads of paperwork to live in brasil. The Houston Consulate helped a lot. Being from Houston I would drop by and ask questions because even our employees in Brazil did not know what is really needed.
Rent can be expensive and care is needed when able to move to Brasil. Think and plan as to how you would get money from the US to BR, it is a very different situation and you must be permanent resident (in majority of the case) to open a bank account in Brazil.
Good luck an we are here to help if we can.

So, since I can't obtain a work visa under the current circumstances, I am investigating the possibility of applying for a student visa. Many of the language schools I have spoken to state that they also offer internships.
Has anyone gone through the student/intern visa process?

Hi Texanbrazil.
I stayed in Salvador for a month in April, and I did not have any trouble using my U.S. bank while I was there. Most people had credit card machines, and if not I could go to the Banco do Brasil and take out cash. I don't anticipate it will be a problem.
Also, so far I have seen that the rent in Salvador is extremely INexpensive compared to the U.S. For example, I pay $1250 for a one bedroom apartment here, whereas most of the people I've met in Salvador and surrounding areas pay more around $300-500 per month. (During my previous visit, I paid $440 a month for a one bedroom apartment).

I did have to live off debit and credit card while waiting on my permanent resident card. I could not open a bank account until I received  my RNE,. I could only withdraw $R300 per day (24 hrs) and some Saturdays the 24 hour period fell after bank closed. Many trips to the bank ATM and I had cards which did not charge FTF. Mercado's and shops allowed CC purchases.
Some schools have relationships with banks and help having a bank account, but I am not sure.
I wish you the best.
As to the pets, if all have currant vaccinations, they are allowed. Check with a vet as to another vaccine which affects pets and can be passed to humans. (Cannot remember the name, but when I went to vet for the annual vaccinations, she highly recommend such in Brasil. I needed to wait for 30 days before having the pet vaccinated and will go next week and get the name)

I always fly with Delta.  They let you bring two suitcases.

Two free checked bags are a Brazilian requirement for airlines flying into the country:  they all do it.

You can work remotely in Brazil, for as long as you have it through the US.
No need for sponsorship. All you need is an extended visa, or keep on renewing it.
Several American Males do so, more of as a lifestyle with guaranteed US income.

Now, finding employment here, without previous sponsorship arrangements , well, fat luck.

sprealestatebroker wrote:

You can work remotely in Brazil, for as long as you have it through the US.
No need for sponsorship. All you need is an extended visa, or keep on renewing it.
Several American Males do so, more of as a lifestyle with guaranteed US income.

Now, finding employment here, without previous sponsorship arrangements , well, fat luck.

If you believe that this advice is true, please provide the legal reference that will permit  "an extended visa, or keep renewing it."  I'm very familiar with the immigration laws, and I'm not aware of any provision to do what you're suggesting that doesn't involve either an employment relationship with a company in Brazil, a personal relationship with a Brazilian citizen, or leaving Brazil for six months in every twelve.

I maintain it.  If you have US based remote work, which many here  do, you do not need a Work Permit. 

This implies, you work remotely for a US employer, draw your paycheck in an US Banking account, and do not have to seek out employment in Brazil. 

Webmasters, developers, code jocks  do this all the time.

Anyone who overstays a tourist visa on the basis of this advice needs to be aware that they will be liable for an overstay fine of up to R$10,000, penalties for failing to register with the Federal Police after 90 days' residence, and possible delays and difficulties in returning to Brazil when they finally do leave.  The problems will certainly start when a foreigner in this situation tries to leave the country, but they can start sooner, if the Federal Police become aware in any way of the foreigner's illegal presence.

We're talking getting a gig, work. VISA is another department entirely.  None of my business.

sprealestatebroker wrote:

We're talking getting a gig, work. VISA is another department entirely.  None of my business.

The original post that started this discussion included an expectation that it would be possible to live in Brazil indefinitely as a remote worker.  It's true that the Federal Police don't care about tourists' legal income from non-Brazilian sources, as long as they don't violate the terms of their visa. There's no legal way to parlay that into permanent residency, however, and I think it's important not to leave any confusion on that.

abthree wrote:

sprealestatebroker wrote:

We're talking getting a gig, work. VISA is another department entirely.  None of my business.

The original post that started this discussion included an expectation that it would be possible to live in Brazil indefinitely as a remote worker.  It's true that the Federal Police don't care about tourists' legal income from non-Brazilian sources, as long as they don't violate the terms of their visa. There's no legal way to parlay that into permanent residency, however, and I think it's important not to leave any confusion on that.

Hi abthree,

I am going to be marrying a Brazilian woman.  She is sponsored to be in the US by a US company and will be returning back to Brazil next summer. 

I want to go with her.  I work for the same company but I have a remote working job that I can do globally.  I am working to have this formally approved by my employer.

You mentioned the Brazilian relationship as a reason to stay, could you help me understand my options?

Thanks!

HV1045

As the spouse of a Brazilian citizen, you should have no problem:  your wife will have the right to bring you  to Brazil, and to sponsor you for permanent residency.

Pittsburgh falls within the jurisdiction of the Brazilian Consulate General in New York City, so you should follow the instructions on their website and process your requests there.  After you're married, register your Pennsylvania Marriage Certificate there.   They'll issue you a Certidão Consular de Casamento that will allow you to register your marriage in Brazil with minimal bureaucratic headaches.  You can apply for your VITEM XI visa for family reunion at the same time.  You and your wife should go there together,  and to the Polícia Federal once you arrive in Brazil to process your  residency request,  which will require some of the same documents as the visa.

Hi, you seem very informed about this situation. How would I go about renewing my visa after 90-day tourist visa? What is the earliest I need to do so? Thank you!

rnw93 wrote:

Hi, you seem very informed about this situation. How would I go about renewing my visa after 90-day tourist visa? What is the earliest I need to do so? Thank you!

As an Ecuadoran citizen, you were probably  permitted to enter Brazil on your National ID card only, and can spend up to 180 days in every 365 days in Brazil.  It would probably be a good idea to check at the Federal Police office in the city where you're staying about 30 days before your first 90 days are up, and ask how to renew your permission to stay. 

In many parts of the country, the PF stopped counting visa times of foreign visitors while they were shut down for the pandemic, so you may find that you have more time than you expected, depending on what their policy was where you are.

I'll be traveling to Brazil in November for a 3-week "scouting" trip (anticipating an actual move next April), to confirm housing, meet with a local lawyer, generally "clearing the way" for the April move. I'll be entering on my tourist visa in November. I have chosen not even to begin the formal application for the retiree visa (although I've been collecting documents and info re health insurance and pet movers). I'm flying with Azul. I plan to check THREE pieces of baggage this fall, obviously paying extra for the third bag. I plan to bring some of my personal used "household goods" with me to leave behind until I return in April, e.g., a couple of cookbooks, some stainless flatware, a pan or two -- things to get me started when I actually move. I'm also going to be carrying some sports equipment (pickleball paddles and balls and a net) that will be donated to a school and a local sports club.  Should I anticipate problems at Brazilian customs since at this time my entry is as a tourist?

Viajanete,

None of the things you mentioned should set off any alarms.  Have a great trip! 

Thank you, abthree!  I always appreciate your responses.

In a previous post, now several years old, someone recommended bringing a Magic Jack to faciliate calls between Brazil and landlines in the U.S.  Is that still advisable, or are there other recommendations now that we're nearing the end of year 2020?

I didn't know that they were still selling MagicJack, but apparently they are -- live and learn! 

But you're right, telecommuncations has come a long way from the MagicJack days, and you can do better.  To work, MagicJack always has to be plugged into your computer, and your computer always has to be on.  OK for outgoing calls, I suppose, but tough for incoming.

By far, the easiest and cheapest way to call cell-to-cell between Brazil and the US -- or just about anywhere -- is WhatsApp's voice and video call functionality.  The connections are pretty good to very good, as long as you have a good cell signal, or a good Internet signal, and free.  No good for landlines, though.

I ported my US landline number over to Vonage before I came, and have been using it for over three years now.  it's VOIP, so no Internet, no phone, but that's seldom a problem.  For family and friends calling me, it's like I never left the US, and the same for me dialing them.  It's also good for overseas calling (like to the Social Security office in Lisbon!), and for calls to banks and credit card companies in the US -- you can use 800 numbers, and being on hold isn't a worry.  Voicemail is good, including Visual Voicemail via email, and so is their Android app.  It can be set up to screen out most marketing calls.  $42/month after all the introductory discounts may be more than you want to spend, however.

Most broadband packages I've seen in Brazil include a Brazilian landline number (VOIP), at minimal or no extra charge, and that can be useful.  They may not even tell you.  Just buy a simple Brazilian phone (they're really cheap!) and plug it into the phone jack on your router.  If you have a dialtone, you have a line.  Call your cell from the landline, and you'll see what your number is.  You now have a backup number that family and friends can use to reach you.