Setting Up a Business in Brazil

An in-depth guide for foreign entrepreneurs and companies looking to enter the Brazilian market — Latin America’s largest economy, capturing roughly a third of the region’s foreign direct investment, ideal for companies ready to navigate genuine administrative complexity in exchange for a vast market.
This guide covers legal structures, business taxation — including a corrected account of Brazil’s ongoing consumption-tax reform (which replaces PIS/COFINS/ICMS/ISS with CBS/IBS but leaves the roughly 34% IRPJ+CSLL corporate tax rate untouched), no withholding tax on dividends paid abroad, and real employer social costs running 60-80% above gross salary — company formation, with state-by-state variation in registration timelines, and immigration routes for executives, investors, and entrepreneurs. Includes a dedicated chapter on Brazil’s scale as an investment magnet, São Paulo’s tech capital status, its fintech, agrotech, and infrastructure sectors, and an honest account of “Custo Brasil” — the genuine cost of admission to this market. An operational checklist and useful contacts round out the guide.
Available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.