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Foreign Investment in Brazil: 2018 | A StartBrazil Research Report
158 investors, one pathway: 2018 was the company-route year.
2018 is where the dataset begins — the first full year of approvals under RN 13/2017. Brazil published 158 investor-residency approvals, and virtually all of them came through a single door: the R$500,000 company route. This report analyzes every one of them — who invested, from where, and what it set up for the years that followed.
Published: July 15th, 2026
Research: Daniel Atz & Suzana Vilela Caetano Castro
Part of the yearly Foreign Investment in Brazil series — all editions & the 2018–2026 dashboard →Written By: Daniel Atz & Lauren Lowell
25
countries of origin
158
investor residency approvals in 2018
1
startup visa approval — the route's first
The Three Pathways
Three pathways existed on paper. In 2018, only one was used.
Brazilian law offers foreign nationals three routes to residency by investment. They share an underlying legal framework but diverge sharply on cost, outcome — and who actually uses them.
Real Estate Investor
(RN 36/2018)
USD 190,000
≈BRL 1,000,000
Buy qualifying property in Brazil. Receive a 4-year temporary residency, then convert to permanent afterwords if you continue to meet the criteria.
0 approvals in 2018 — RN 36/2018 was published in November 2018; its first approvals came in 2019.
Company Investor
(RN 13/2017)
USD 95,000
≈BRL 500,000
Invest in a Brazilian company. Receive permanent residency immediately, provided capital stays active for three years.
157 approvals in 2018. 99% of the year — led by Italian and Chinese capital
Startup Investor
(RN 13/2017 ART 3)
USD 29,000
≈BRL 150,000
Invest in an innovative Brazilian startup. Receive permanent residency immediately — the same outcome as the BRL 500,000 company pathway, at less than a third the cost.
1 approval in 2018 — the route's first.
The hidden opportunityThe Startup Gap
The best deal in Brazilian investor immigration has gone nearly unused for five years.
68% of startup investors founded their Brazilian company within 18 months of their application. You don't need a pre-existing business. You need a qualifying investment and the right structure — which is exactly what StartBrazil helps you build.
19
verified startup investor approvals from 2021- Feb 2026
Over the past five years, fewer than 20 people worldwide have obtained Brazilian permanent residency through the startup pathway.
Nationalities - All 3 Pathways
158 total investors. Two countries account for almost half.
Italy and China together represent 45% of all approvals. Italian capital spread across coastal ventures and small enterprises; Chinese investment concentrated in São Paulo commerce.
Europeans make up 58% of all approvals overall. The US accounts for 3%. China represents 21% — the origin pattern that defined the company route's early years.
Italy
38 investors
China
33
France
16
Spain
13
Portugal
10
Germany
7
United States
5
+ 18 other countries
The Startup Pathway, Up Close
19 investors. 9 countries.
A program almost entirely overlooked.
The Startup Investor pathway requires a minimum investment of BRL 150,000 — roughly $29,000 USD — in an innovative Brazilian company. Additional criteria apply: the company needs to qualify as innovative, through incubator participation or endorsement by a recognized innovation entity. The payoff is direct permanent residency, the same outcome you'd get from a BRL 500,000 company investment.
The investors who have used the startup pathway skew heavily toward tech and software. 42% of startup-linked companies operate in Information Technology and Digital Services. Custom software development is the single most common activity
Primary business sector of startup investor companies · 2021–2026 (%)
STARTUP INVESTOR - WHO USES IT
American and European founders, mostly.
The United States leads with 32% of startup investors, followed by Italy and Portugal at 16% each. This profile is almost the inverse of the Company Investor pathway, where China dominates. Startup Investors tend to be internationally mobile Western professionals — founders, tech executives, and entrepreneurs looking for a low-cost permanent residency option with genuine economic substance.
Primary business sector of startup investor companies · 2021–2026 (%)
The Startup Pathway, Up Close
Daniel Atz got his Brazilian permanent residency through the Startup Investor pathway. We can help you get yours.
StartBrazil guides investors through every step of the startup visa process — from identifying a qualifying company structure to navigating the application. We specialize in a pathway that most immigration services have never even heard of.
The window is open. Fewer than 20 people have walked through it in five years.
Learn More
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