A job offer from a Brazilian company is exciting, but the paperwork can feel like two processes at once: one in Brazil, one in India. The Brazil work visa for Indians, called VITEM V, only works when both halves line up, and translation sits right in the middle.
This guide walks through how the process works according to official Brazilian government pages, which documents are involved, and where apostille and Portuguese translation come in. It is guidance, not legal or immigration advice. Always check the current official pages before you file.
Work visa or business visa? Get this right first
If you are travelling for meetings, fairs or contract signing, you are probably looking at a business visit, which we cover in Brazil business visa from India: documents and translation. The VITEM V is for people going to work in Brazil. Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) handles work residence authorization, and the most common route for a hired employee is the one for work with an employment contract in Brazil (CNIg Normative Resolution 02/2017).
Step 1: The Brazilian employer files first
According to the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi, the process starts in Brazil. The sponsoring company submits the application and supporting documents to the Ministry of Justice, and the Embassy only issues visas that the Ministry has already pre-approved. Once granted, the Ministry’s authorization is valid for 6 months.
The MJSP work-immigration portal explains that requests are filed electronically on MigranteWeb, follow the general rules of RN 01/2017 plus the specific resolution (RN 02/2017 for a contract with a Brazilian employer), and are analysed by the Ministry’s labour-immigration department (CGIL/DEMIG/MJSP). The portal also notes RN 50/2024 as a separate path for certain graduates who studied in Brazil — this post focuses on the hired-employee route under RN 02/2017.
What the employer’s file usually contains
Under RN 01/2017 (as amended, including RN 51/2025), the MigranteWeb file includes items such as the residence authorization form, your valid passport (or other travel/identity document), the company’s registered articles and its legal representative’s appointment, its CNPJ, the fee payment slip (GRU) and the documents required by the specific resolution.
RN 02/2017 adds two things that matter to you as the candidate:
- A fixed-term employment contract with the minimum clauses set out in its Annex I, following Brazil’s labour law (CLT). For prior residence authorization, the residence period is up to 2 years (the Embassy’s VITEM V page likewise states a granted period of up to 2 years, depending on the type of work).
- Proof that your qualifications and experience fit the role, shown through diplomas, certificates or declarations from previous employers. RN 02/2017 article 2 lists several options — for example a master’s or doctorate compatible with the role, a degree plus at least 2 years of experience, technical training plus at least 3 years, or at least 12 years of schooling plus 4 years of experience. Read the full list in the resolution for your case.
If the file is incomplete, RN 01/2017 article 2 gives 30 days (counted from electronic notice) to meet the Ministry’s requirements before the request can be refused, so getting documents right the first time really helps.
Step 2: The translation and apostille rule
Article 5 of RN 01/2017 is the line every Indian applicant should know: documents produced outside Brazil must be apostilled under the Hague Apostille Convention and translated by a sworn public translator (tradutor público juramentado) in Brazil.
For an Indian candidate, that typically means your degree certificates, mark sheets or experience letters. The apostille itself is issued in India; we explain the steps in Apostille in India for Brazil. Sworn translation for Brazil is covered in Sworn translation for Brazil: Indian documents.
RN 01/2017 also lists a document proving your parents’ names, legalised and sworn-translated, unless your passport already shows them, plus criminal-record certificates for the last five years. For prior residence authorization — the step before a temporary visa like VITEM V — those three items (filiation and the two criminal-record items) can be waived, though the Ministry may ask for them exceptionally.
Step 3: Apply for the visa in India
Once approval is published, you apply at the Brazilian post named in it. The New Delhi Embassy asks you to check that the approval was issued for New Delhi. If it says Mumbai, you apply at the Consulate General in Mumbai, or the employer asks the Ministry for a location transfer first.
The Embassy’s VITEM V checklist lists:
- Online visa application form (RER)
- Passport, with the ID page uploaded
- Police clearance certificate from every place you lived in the last 12 months, valid for up to 90 days from issue
- Approval from the Brazilian Ministry of Justice
- A personal cover letter signed by you
- An original letter from your current employer, with a notarised signature
- An original letter from the inviting company in Brazil, with a notarised signature
- Flight tickets
As an alternative noted on the same Embassy page, inviting-company or sponsor documents may be signed digitally and sent by email instead of original notarised hard copies.
The Embassy’s fee page lists the regular temporary-visa fee (which covers VITEM V among VITEM I, III, IV, V, VII and XI) as INR 12,000 at the time of writing. Check it again before you pay. The Embassy also states that the visa stamp itself has a validity of 1 year — you must use it within one year from the date of issue.
Step 4: After you land
The Embassy states that VITEM V holders must register with the Federal Police within 90 days of entering Brazil, bringing a copy of the visa application form. From there, everyday life brings more Portuguese paperwork, starting with your tax ID; see CPF in Brazil for foreigners.
Interactive check
Which visa or document fits me?
Guidance only — not legal or immigration advice. Confirm with the Embassy or Consulate.
A practical document checklist for candidates
- Confirm with your employer which route and resolution they are filing under.
- List every document that was issued in India and will go into the Ministry file.
- Get those documents apostilled in India before they are translated.
- Ask early which documents need sworn translation in Brazil and which only need a clear working translation for your own understanding.
- Read the Portuguese employment contract carefully, ideally with a faithful English translation side by side.
- Check that your name is spelled the same way on your passport, degree and letters.
- Keep the 6-month validity of the Ministry approval, the 90-day police-clearance window, and the 1-year visa-stamp validity in mind when planning dates.
How our team helps
Native Portuguese is a team of native Brazilian translators, led by Layla Correa Mishra, Lead Native Brazilian Portuguese Translator. For people moving to Brazil for work, and for the companies hiring them, we translate Portuguese employment contracts and offer letters into clear English so you know exactly what you are signing, and we prepare natural Brazilian Portuguese versions of cover letters, CVs, experience letters and relocation documents. See Portuguese document translation, Portuguese legal translation and Portuguese translation services in India. Quotes vary by document, volume and deadline, and we have no fixed rates.
An honest note on what we do: we are translators, not immigration lawyers, and we do not file MigranteWeb applications. We do not claim any Brazilian tradutor juramentado accreditation we do not hold. When the Ministry needs a sworn translation done in Brazil, we say so upfront and confirm scope before you pay.
Disclaimer
General guidance based on official pages checked on 9 November 2026 (Asia/Calcutta): the Embassy of Brazil in New Delhi VITEM V and visa fees pages, the MJSP work-with-contract portal, and CNIg RN 01/2017 and RN 02/2017. Consular checklists, fees and resolutions change. Confirm with the live official pages and your counsel before you file. Not legal or immigration advice.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for a Brazil work visa myself from India?
Not on its own. The Embassy in New Delhi says the process starts in Brazil, with the sponsoring company filing with the Ministry of Justice. The Embassy only issues visas that have been pre-approved.
How long is the Ministry of Justice approval valid?
The Embassy in New Delhi states it is valid for 6 months after it is granted.
Do my Indian documents need translation into Portuguese?
For the Ministry file, RN 01/2017 says documents produced abroad must be apostilled and translated by a sworn public translator in Brazil.
What is the Brazil work visa fee for Indian citizens?
The New Delhi Embassy lists INR 12,000 as the regular temporary-visa fee, which covers VITEM V, at the time of writing. Fees can change, so check the official page.
What do I need to do after arriving in Brazil?
Register with the Federal Police within 90 days of entry, as the Embassy states.
Is a business visa enough to work for a Brazilian company?
No. A business visit is for activities like meetings and fairs. Paid work for a Brazilian employer needs work residence authorization and a VITEM V.
Do you file MigranteWeb applications or claim juramentado status?
No. We are translators, not immigration lawyers. We do not file MigranteWeb applications and we do not claim tradutor juramentado accreditation we do not hold.
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