Foreign Buyer Document Checklist for Brazil

A foreign buyer should organize documents by the decision each record supports. A CPF identifies the buyer; it does not prove title, clear the seller’s debts or establish immigration eligibility. Confirm scope and freshness with the lawyer, notary, registry and payment provider handling the transaction.

File	Documents to identify	What it resolves	What it does not prove
Buyer	Passport, CPF, civil status, marital regime and representation	Identity, capacity and signing authority	Eligibility for every property category
Seller	Identity/company records, authority, civil status and relevant certificates	Who can sell and issues needing investigation	A universally risk-free sale
Property	Current matrícula, encumbrances, title chain and cadastral records	Registered ownership and recorded restrictions	Physical boundaries, building condition or every unrecorded dispute
Local authority	IPTU, land-use/building records and ITBI procedure	Municipal obligations and permitted use	Automatic permission for a proposed development
Payment	Source-of-funds evidence, exchange/remittance instructions and closing terms	Traceability and release conditions	A guarantee of title or automatic visa qualification

Before signing or paying a deposit

Ask who holds the funds, what happens if due diligence fails, whether the offer is binding and which conditions must be satisfied before release. The purchase contract, notarial instrument and registration have different functions. Ownership transfer generally requires registration of the transfer instrument, not merely payment or signature.

Remote and foreign documents

Agree the power-of-attorney wording with the receiving notary before execution. Check apostille or consular legalization, sworn translation and any document-recognition exemptions. A consulate, bank and property registry may require different evidence; one acceptance does not bind the others.

Questions for the first conversation

State the municipality, whether the property is urban or rural, the proposed price and signing deadline, financing, buyer nationality and marital status, and whether any deposit is already paid. Send a short summary first; arrange a secure channel before sharing identity or banking records.

Sources: Civil Code arts. 108, 427 and 1.245; Foreign rural-land Law 5.709/1971; STJ Tema 1113 on ITBI.

Property-purchase assistance · Step-by-step purchase process.

Prepared as a practical document aid on 3 October 2026. This is not a recorded individual legal review. Editorial policy.