One million reais, wired in from abroad through a bank, is what it takes today to apply for a four-year residence permit in Brazil. The market nickname for this route is "Golden Visa Brazil". Its official name is autorização de residência por investimento imobiliário, known by the acronym VIPER. It is governed by CNIg Normative Resolution 36/2018, amended by RN 46 in August 2022. For anyone weighing a move to Florianópolis from Russia, it is the most direct residence path: it depends on neither an employer nor a Brazilian family tie.
What the rule requires, and who regulates it
CNIg is the Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública body that sets the criteria for Brazil's migratory residence permits. RN 36/2018 created a dedicated route for foreigners who invest in urban real estate using their own funds of foreign origin. RN 46/2022 adjusted those rules four years later. Neither text uses the term "Golden Visa": that label is a market shorthand, borrowed from similar programs in Portugal or Spain. Brazil's mechanism has its own conditions, worth not confusing with those models.
The minimum amount: R$ 1.000.000, no discount in Florianópolis
The investment floor is R$ 1.000.000 in urban real estate. The rule allows a reduction of up to 30%, down to R$ 700.000, but only for property in Brazil's North or Northeast regions. Santa Catarina sits in the South region. A purchase in Florianópolis, in Jurerê Internacional, or in any neighborhood on the island is always calculated against the full million, with no discount. This is a point where inaccurate information circulates: the reduced figure that shows up on some "Golden Visa Brazil" blogs does not apply to the Santa Catarina coast.
At the exchange rate on September 8, 2026, USD 1 traded at roughly R$ 5.13 — a market figure, not a fixed rate. R$ 1.000.000 therefore converts to approximately USD 195,000. That figure moves with the exchange rate, so recalculate it at signing, not at reading.
The money has to arrive from abroad, through a bank
The law requires that the funds used to buy the property have a lawful origin abroad. They must be transferred into Brazil through a licensed financial institution, registered with the Banco Central via the RDE-IED (Registro Declaratório Eletrônico – Investimento Externo Direto). Cash carried in by hand, transfers between accounts already based in Brazil, or cryptocurrency do not satisfy the requirement. The process asks for the bank statement proving the funds entered from outside the country. For a Russian buyer, that means planning the wire ahead of signing, since it has to originate from an account that handles international transfers into Brazil.
One property or several, finished or off-plan
The one million reais does not have to sit in a single property. The rule allows combining the value of several properties under the same investor's name until the minimum is reached. It also accepts off-plan purchases (na planta): a duly registered purchase-and-sale promise contract, together with the construction permit (alvará), counts as proof of the investment. The building does not yet need its occupancy certificate (habite-se). That widens the options in Florianópolis, where much of the investment-grade supply in neighborhoods like Jurerê or Canasvieiras sells off-plan, with staged handovers.
What it grants, and for how long
The initial authorization grants four years of residence, counted from registration with the Polícia Federal. During that period, the investor must keep the property and stay in Brazil for at least fourteen days — consecutive or not — every two years. The rule does not require day-to-day presence, which matters for anyone still active in Russia or elsewhere. After the four years, if the investment still stands, the investor can apply to convert to indefinite residence.
Spouses and dependent children can apply for their own residence authorization tied to the principal investor's, without each having to match the investment amount.
What VIPER does not speed up
A common myth circulates on "Golden Visa" forums: the idea that investing more than USD 200,000 cuts ordinary naturalization from four years to three. We did not find that reduction in the Lei de Migração (Law 13.445/2017) or in RN 36/RN 46. The path to citizenship follows the ordinary process: four years of residence. That clock only starts once residence converts to indefinite status, not from the initial four-year investment authorization. In practice, more than eight years can pass between the first authorization and naturalization.
The process, in practical terms
Gathering the documentation, buying the property, and obtaining the Ministério da Justiça's ruling all take time. Firms that handle this visa estimate three to six months of administrative review, plus thirty to sixty typical days to close the property deal. The file includes a valid passport, a CPF number, the public deed registered at the cartório de imóveis, and bank proof of the international transfer. It also needs a criminal background certificate and apostilled translations of documents issued in Russia.
On that last point: Russia has been party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 1992. The 2022 sanctions did not remove it from that treaty, so an apostilled Russian document is accepted in Brazil without additional consular legalization. This guide covers only the immigration process; the full document checklist for buying as a foreigner is covered in a separate article on this blog.
Why it is worth weighing before signing
VIPER is not the only residence route into Florianópolis: retirement income, family reunification, and remote work all exist as options. It is, however, the one that depends on no one else. Approval is decided by the amount invested and the origin of the money, not by an employer or a Brazilian relative. For a Russian buyer already weighing a R$ 1.000.000-plus unit on the island, the difference is concrete. The deed grants access to the property. VIPER, on top of that, grants access to living there with paperwork in order from day one.
Sources
- Conselho Nacional de Imigração (CNIg) — Resolução Normativa No. 36, October 9, 2018 (full text via LegisWeb).
- Resolução CNIg/MJSP No. 46, 2022 (amends RN 36/2018) — published in the Diário Oficial da União, August 8, 2022.
- Migalhas — "Autorização de residência por investimento imobiliário: Requisitos" (migalhas.com.br).
- Alves Jacob Advocacia — "Visto de Investimento Imobiliário e Naturalização Brasileira" (alvesjacob.com).
- Ribeiro Cavalcante Advocacia — "Visto de Investidor Imobiliário no Brasil 2026" (ribeirocavalcante.com.br).
- Law No. 13.445/2017 (Lei de Migração).
- Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) — status table of Apostille Convention member states.
- Reference USD/BRL exchange rate, September 8, 2026 (currency market).