Selling your Rio apartment from abroad.
The honest, step-by-step version for a foreign owner: the documents, the sale itself, the tax on your gain, and — the part that worries people most — how to get the money out of Brazil cleanly.
Owner guide
POAA power of attorney lets you sell without flying in
BuyerPays the ITBI transfer tax, not you
CâmbioThe FX registration is what gets your money home
15%+Capital-gains tax on the gain — see the tax guide
01 · The papers
Get the file straight before you list.
A Rio sale runs on a small stack of documents, and having them ready is what keeps a deal from stalling. The central one is the matrícula — the property's title record at the Registro de Imóveis, which names the owner and shows any mortgage or lien. You'll also want the original escritura (deed), the IPTU (municipal property tax) and condomínio fees paid up to date, and a set of clearance certificates (certidões negativas) on both the property and you personally. Your CPF — the Brazilian tax number — must be active; if it's gone dormant while you've been away, it's reactivated at a consulate.
You don't assemble this alone. We tell you exactly what's needed for your building and pull what we can, and your lawyer orders the certidões. The point of doing it first is simple: a buyer's lawyer will ask for all of it before signing, and a clean file is the difference between a four-week close and a four-month one.
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Find your original câmbio registration now
If you're a foreign owner, dig out the record of how the money came in when you bought — the
contrato de câmbio and the Central Bank (RDE-IED) registration. It is the single most
important piece of paper for getting your sale proceeds home later, and it's far easier to locate
now than at the closing table. More on why in section 05.
02 · Price and mandate
Price to real closings, not to hope.
The most expensive mistake a Rio seller makes is over-asking. Handing the keys to several agencies at different prices, or anchoring to what a neighbour wants, leaves an apartment ageing on the portals until it has to be cut — which reads as a problem property. Price instead to what has actually closed near you in the last twelve months. We value against verified sales, show you the comparables, and are candid when a number is above what the market supports.
The mandate is the agreement that authorises the sale and sets the commission. You choose exclusive (one broker, one coordinated campaign, usually a keener result) or open (several agencies at once). We explain the trade-off honestly — the full mechanics are in the sales-mandate guide, and what our own mandate includes is on the list-with-us page.
03 · The sale
How a Rio sale actually closes.
Once you accept an offer, a Brazilian sale moves through a familiar sequence. First a promessa de compra e venda — the binding sale-and-purchase agreement — is signed, usually with a deposit (the sinal) from the buyer that commits both sides. Your lawyer and the buyer's confirm the certidões are clean. Then the deed itself, the escritura pública, is drawn and signed before a tabelião at a notary office (cartório de notas).
Two taxes sit around that moment, and it's worth knowing who pays which. The ITBI, the municipal property-transfer tax, is the buyer's cost, paid to register the transfer — not yours. Your tax is the capital gain on the sale, which is a separate filing (section 04). Finally the escritura is taken to the Registro de Imóveis and registered against the matrícula, which is the moment ownership legally passes. We coordinate the notary and the registration alongside your lawyer so the steps land in the right order.
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The deposit protects the deal
Le sinal is more than a gesture: under Brazilian law, if the buyer walks they typically
forfeit it, and if the seller walks they can owe it back doubled. It's what turns an accepted
offer into a commitment — which matters when you're managing the sale from another time zone.
04 · The gain
Tax on what you made, not on the whole price.
Brazil taxes the gain — broadly, the sale price less your acquisition cost — not the headline sale figure. For individuals the rate is progressive, starting at 15% and rising in bands for very large gains. There are exemptions worth knowing (a modest sole-residence sale; reinvesting the proceeds in another Brazilian home within 180 days), though these are written mainly for residents, so a foreign seller should confirm which, if any, apply. And a crucial mechanical point for non-residents: on your sale the acquéreur is generally required to withhold the tax at source and remit it — a quirk that catches people out.
Whatever you pay in Brazil then meets your home-country tax through the relevant double-taxation treaty (or, where there's none, a unilateral credit). This is genuinely case-specific, so we hand it to a Brazilian accountant rather than guess. The full picture — the bands, the exemptions, the withholding, the treaty side — is in the capital-gains guide.
05 · The money home
Getting your proceeds out cleanly.
This is the part that keeps foreign owners up at night, and it comes down to one thing: whether the money was registered when it came in. Every dollar or euro that bought the apartment should have entered Brazil through a registered contrato de câmbio at a licensed bank and been logged with the Central Bank on the RDE-IED register in your name. That registration is precisely what lets you send the proceeds back out — at the official exchange rate, through the banking system, without a fight — when you sell.
If it was done properly, repatriation is a paperwork exercise your bank and accountant run: the registered capital comes out at the official rate, and any gain above it is handled per the tax rules. If the money arrived undocumented years ago, it's not hopeless, but it's harder and slower, and it's exactly why we tell every buyer to register at the start. We coordinate the wire-out with your bank so it lands correctly.
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Never move it around the system
Getting proceeds home is a legitimate, registered banking process — not something to route through
informal channels to save on the spread. The official path is what keeps you clean with both the
Central Bank and your tax authority at home. Your accountant runs it; we make the introductions.
06 · From abroad
Sign once, from where you are.
You do not need to be in Rio to sell. A Brazilian power of attorney (procuração) authorises a trusted person — your lawyer, or us working with your lawyer — to sign the escritura and handle the notary and registration on your behalf. It's executed at a Brazilian consulate near you, or made abroad and apostilled, then registered in Brazil. Once it's in place, the whole close can run while you stay put; you sign the mandate and the POA, and follow the rest by email.
That's the whole reason a boutique broker earns its keep for an overseas owner: one accountable point of contact who runs the file — pricing, presentation, the lawyer, the notary, the tax, the money home — in your language, on your clock. When you're ready, the valuation intake reaches the broker directly, or pick your neighbourhood from the list-with-us page.
Questions fréquentes
What foreign sellers nous demandent.
Can I sell my Rio apartment without travelling to Brazil?
Yes. A Brazilian power of attorney (procuração) lets your lawyer, or us working with your lawyer, sign the deed and handle the notary and registration for you. You execute it at a consulate or have it apostilled abroad. Most of our overseas sellers never fly in for the sale.
Who pays the ITBI transfer tax — me or the buyer?
The buyer. The ITBI is the municipal transfer tax paid to register the property into the new owner's name, and it's the purchaser's cost. Your tax as the seller is the capital gain on the sale, which is a separate filing.
How do I get the sale money out of Brazil?
Through the banking system, at the official rate, on the strength of the foreign-exchange registration made when you bought — the contrato de câmbio and the Central Bank RDE-IED record. If that was done properly, repatriation is a paperwork exercise your bank and accountant run. If the money came in undocumented, it's harder — talk to an accountant early.
How much tax will I pay on the gain?
Brazil taxes the gain (sale price less acquisition cost), not the whole price, at progressive rates from 15%. Some exemptions exist but are aimed at residents, and for non-residents the buyer usually withholds the tax at source. It then meets your home-country tax through the applicable treaty. See the capital-gains guide and take accountant's advice — this one is genuinely case-specific.
How long does a sale take once I accept an offer?
With a clean document file, commonly a few weeks to a couple of months from signed promessa to registered escritura, depending on the buyer's financing and the certidões. Having the papers ready before you list is the single biggest thing that keeps it short.
Should I sell, or let it and hold?
It depends on your apartment and your alternatives. Because we both sell and manage rentals, we can model the two on your real numbers and tell you honestly which wins — the same ROI sheet we use internally. That's the sell-or-let question, answered without a default to the sale.
Owners' library
Keep reading.
Owner guide
Capital-gains tax on the sale →
The bands, the exemptions, the non-resident withholding and how it meets your tax at home.
Owner guide
What a sales mandate includes →
Exclusive versus open, the procuração, duration and commission — what you actually sign.
Confiez-nous votre bien
The mandate, and management →
What a mandate with Art de Vivre includes, and the option to let it while it sells.