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Brazil
A world-class community already waiting,
and a coastal lifestyle that feels like belonging.
Boca Raton and Delray Beach offer something rare: an established community where you will not have to start from scratch. There are Portuguese-speaking professionals, restaurants, and cultural touchstones that make arriving here feel more like a homecoming than a departure into the unknown. Beyond the lifestyle — the warmth, the ocean, the genuine quality of life — you may also value the opportunity to hold stable, dollar-denominated assets outside of Brazil. Whatever your motivation, the purchase process is more accessible than you might imagine, and I am here to guide you at every step, in English and in Portuguese.
I know that transferring funds from Brazil to the United States can feel complex — the Banco Central documentation, the declaration of Brazilian capital held abroad. I can connect you with specialists who navigate this path regularly and make the process far smoother than it appears at first glance.
Currency & Exchange
Your purchase will be in US dollars (USD). International transfers from Brazil require documentation from the Banco Central — specifically the declaration of Brazilian capital held abroad (CBE). I can refer you to specialists who handle this regularly.
Entering the US
As a Brazilian citizen, you will need a B-1/B-2 visa to enter the United States (Brazil does not participate in the Visa Waiver Program). This visa allows stays of up to 6 months and is routinely granted to property buyers.
Tax Treaty
There is no comprehensive tax treaty between Brazil and the United States. As a US non-resident, your US-based assets are subject to US estate tax above $60,000. For this reason, many buyers choose to structure their purchase through an LLC — worth discussing with a cross-border tax specialist.
Financing Your Purchase
You may purchase in cash or finance through a US lender. Foreign national mortgage programs are available, typically requiring 30–40% down. Cash purchases simplify the process considerably.
When You Sell
Under FIRPTA, 15% of your gross sale price will be withheld at closing against potential capital gains. There is no US-Brazil bilateral treaty to reduce this amount — your tax specialist can help you plan for this in advance.
GETTING HERE — FLIGHT TIMES TO SOUTH FLORIDA
São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) → Miami (MIA) ~8.5 hrs
Rio de Janeiro Galeão (GIG) → Miami (MIA) ~8.5 hrs
Brasília (BSB) → Miami (MIA) ~8 hrs
A Personal Note from Maureen
Boca Raton has become a genuine home base for Brazilian entrepreneurs and families — and the infrastructure reflects it. The Brazilian Business Group (BBG) hosts high-level monthly networking events and an annual Summit that draws the South Florida Brazilian business community together in a way that few organizations elsewhere manage. For dining, Adega Gaucha brings the full churrasco experience to the area with the quality that São Paulo or Rio would recognise immediately. And there is a Rotary Club chapter in West Boca Raton where Portuguese is the primary language of every single meeting — one of many signals that when you arrive here, you are not arriving somewhere new. You are arriving somewhere that has been quietly shaped, in part, by people who made exactly the same journey you are now considering.
Your Complete Brazilian Buyer's Guide Is Available in English and Portuguese
- Transfers from Brazil
- Ownership structures
- Step-by-step purchase process
