Buying property in Rio de Janeiro: the steps for buyers

Your Brazilian taxpayer number

Every buyer needs a CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas), issued by the Receita Federal; foreigners can apply through a Brazilian consulate or in Brazil (gov.br/receitafederal).

Check the registration

Before you sign, have your own lawyer check the property’s registration certificate (the matrícula) at the Registro de Imóveis, and the seller’s certificates.

The escritura and the registry

The sale is made by a public deed (escritura pública) at a notary’s office (tabelionato de notas), and becomes final only once the deed is registered at the Registro de Imóveis.

ITBI and IPTU

The buyer pays the city’s property transfer tax (ITBI); owners pay the annual municipal property tax (IPTU). The Prefeitura do Rio sets both.

Living in Brazil

Buying a home does not by itself give the right to live in Brazil. Check the current rules with the Brazilian foreign ministry (gov.br/mre) and the Polícia Federal (gov.br/pf).

Where people live

See our property guide for Ipanema and Leblon, the Lagoa, Jardim Botânico and Gávea, Santa Teresa and Barra da Tijuca. We don’t publish prices or yields.

Questions and answers