The biggest hurdle to establish a new business is the requirement for a foreign owner to obtain a permanent resident visa, necessary if he or she plans on running the business from rio or Brazil as compared to just incorporating it.

generally, businesses created in rio by foreigners are set up with a small percentage ownership given to a native Brazilian, positioned as the local manager or to hold power of attorney, to satisfy the legal requirements.

importantly, the foreign owner must show an investment of at least R$150,000 to qualify for the investor's visa - with this figure being variable depending on many factors.