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Working in Brazil
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Before leaving.
It is advisable to learn or improve your level of
Portuguese.
Entry
formalities. You can enter Brazil with only
a passport and a tourist visa, there are no other
particular formalities to be completed if you are
staying less than three months. You can renew this
visa once.
But if you are going to
prospect or study the market it would be better to
apply for a work visa before going. This will make
it easier for you to deal with local companies.
When you negotiate a contract you will not have to
ask for a visa and will gain time.
If you should find a job with
a local company your employer will deal with all
the administrative formalities concerning your stay
and get a resident's permit from the authorities
which will allow you to work locally.
If you are employed by a
French or international company you don't have to
worry about the administrative formalities, usually
the administrative services deal with all the
formalities concerning the expatriate staff.
If you should be the only representative of your
company in the country (commercial or liaising
agent etc...), then you will have to deal with all
the formalities yourself.
Before leaving France,
remember to get certain administrative papers which
could be necessary once you are in Brazil :
- a medical certificate (from your medical
centre)
- a copy of your police record
- a copy of your birth certificate
- your family record book or a certified
copy.
Preparing for your
departure and looking for a job.
You could start looking for
information by writing to French associations which
are set up in Brazil, to trade commissions, to the
commercial services of Brazilian banks in France or
French banks in Brazil.
Most of the French consulates
abroad have a service dealing with jobs and
training and can put you in touch with local
companies wishing to engage French personnel. (see
in our Practical Guide for the
Expatriate).
The French-Brazilian Chamber
of Commerce in Sao Paulo also offers information
about the job market and the most dynamic sectors
of the economy. They also publish 'Flash', which is
a bulletin printed for French companies and
Brazilian members. You could publish a job
application in it.
The Trade Commission in Rio
de Janeiro or the CFCE in Paris can give you a list
of French companies established in
Brazil.
Local employment agencies
have job offers, but the level of qualifications
seldom corresponds to expatriate needs (see a
listing in 'Useful Addresses').
Interim bureaus can often
give you information and contacts that could be
useful.
You can find all the
documentation you need about the country at the
Brazilian Embassy in Paris in the cultural
service.
You can also take more direct
steps and make a personal appointment with the
Latin American Chamber of Commerce to complete your
information and to obtain professional
advice.
We advise you to avoid
companies specializing in immigration.
While you are looking for
information you could also contact companies
directly and send your application proposing your
services.
In several countries the job
market is highly protected, problems of
unemployment and economic recession in the country
discourage a policy of employing immigrants. Local
authorities oblige companies to widely diffuse
their job offers within the country before looking
abroad. The company is obliged to pass its job
offer in the local employment agencies and take all
the necessary steps to find someone locally for the
post. Only if there is no one corresponding to the
profile can the company accept a foreign
candidate.
Where to look for job
offers :
In the French press (Le
Monde, Le France Soir, Figaro, Moniteur du
Batiment, Expat magazine..) for French companies
sending people abroad.
In the local press (O GLOBO
daily 266,000 copies, Rua Irineu Marinho, n°
35 Rio de Janeiro, and A FOLHA DE SAO PAULO daily
378,000 copies, Rua Barao de Limeira, 425 Sao
Paulo).
Recruiting and our
advice.
Your cv must be clearly set
out and detailled and accompanied by a handwritten
covering letter. The curriculum vitae is different
in Brazil : it must be very detailled, particularly
concerning schooling and training, the recruitment
officer wants all the information about your
studies (primary onwards) as well as your past
professional history - all your activities
including training courses, your sport and cultural
activities and interests. The pages should be typed
and you should send copies of your diplomas,
reports from training courses etc.
If you get an interview be
well dressed and punctual.
The atmosphere is usually
fairly relaxed and even friendly.
Be very careful not to appear
pretentious about your know-how and don't
exaggerate your professional competence. Stress
rather your real competence, your ease of adaption,
your mobility, your ability to work in a team and
your willingness to bring in the experience you
have gained. It never hurts to be modest and may
put you on good terms with your
interviewer.
Working
conditions.
The legal working time is 48
hours a week, with similar hours to Europe.
Working relations tend to be pleasant.
Wages :
Local salaries are very low,
but are negociable. The minimum monthly salary is
the lowest of all the Latin American countries.
Basic living needs cost more in Brazil than a
minimum salary, the legal minimum for a worker is
136 reais per month (540 FF). An executive earns
about 10,000 reais per month.
8% of the monthly wage is retained for a special
account, the F.G.T.S. (a guarantee fund relating to
the length of service in the company).
Dismissal :
The law is quite flexible and
dismissal can happen at any time. When a company
lays off an employee he can apply for compensation
in the form of a reimbursement of his F.G.T.S. If
there has been a case of misconduct there is a 30
day notice. The employer has to pay a supplementary
compensation equivalent to 40% of the total
F.G.T.S. There is a special jurisdiction at the
conciliation board.
Working and investing in
Brazil :
Foreign investors who wish to
create a company dealing with commercial
activities, or in the sectors of foodstuffs,
industry, computor science and various other
activities can do so with no problem.
Brazilian law encourages the
creation of limited companies (LTDA), (similar to
Ltd in UK or SA or SARL in France). If you want to
work for the administration or create a company you
are not obliged to be or to hire a Brazilian, it is
sufficient to be a resident.
The French-Brazilian Chamber
of Commerce and the Trade Commission in Sao Paulo
have combined to create a service to help small and
medium size companies to study the Brazilian
market. This service does marketing studies for the
companies, offers a selection of operators, on-site
missions and a follow up of 3 to 6
months.
Information on steps to
follow and the necessary documents can be delivered
by the authorities of the Brazilian Federal
Police.
There is no legal minimum
investment for a foreign investor, however if you
do invest or are head of a company you will need
about a million francs to get your resident's
status.
Any investor leaving Brazil,
whatever the reason, can repatriate his funds (the
profits made).
NB Foreign capital must be
registered with an organisme called FIRCE which is
linked to the central bank of Brazil. No bank
credit is given to small projects.
Some advice :
If you are setting up your own company in Brazil
(which is a huge market, bureaucratically complex),
here is some advice :
-it is very important to do a good market study
before you leave for Brazil
-take all possible precautions at the legal
level
-be very careful choosing your local partner
-work legislation in Brazil is fairly similar to
Europe's
-the building works for your company could take
from 6 months to 2 years from the date of the
purchase of the land
-you must choose your location very carefully,
taking into account distances, transport costs and
delivery delays. Fiscal advantages are offered by
some municipalities.
-you will have less administrative hassle if you
set up your company in a free trade zone, but the
costs are higher and the building time is
longer
-to minimalize the problems of starting up a
company (procedure, fiscal policies etc) it is
better to create a limited company than to open a
branch
-if you need financing, don't hope to find it in
Brazil, the rates are prohibitive (between 20 and
25% and from 40 to 50% for personal bank loans!).
If you are setting up a company you will need
enough funds to last out for at least a year.
-the bureaucracy is so complex that a new
profession has been created : the despachante,
who is an intermediary who takes charge of all
the administrative formalities for a company. Even
if it seems an extra charge, this is an
indispensable service.
-the market is very competitive, so use modern
technologies.
Formalities
to be completed
Non-professional
travelling
French nationals need a visa.
In order to get one you will need :
a passport valid for more than 6 months, a return
ticket or a ticket with a continuation to another
country (which can be replaced by a certificate
from the travel agent), a filled in and signed visa
form which you get from the consulate, an identity
photo. The visa is not free and allows you to stay
in the country for 90 days. You can get it extended
once you are in the country, the local authorities
will decide whether or not the extension can be
accorded, the demand has to be made 15 days before
the first visa expires.
A professional trip
You need a visa.
If it is a business trip, a tourist visa is
sufficient.
If you are going for a temporary job with a
Brazilian company you will need a temporary work
visa. This visa is accorded for a 2 year maximum
stay, and can eventually be renewed for the same
amount of time.
An employee of a foreign company who is detached to
a branch of his firm in Brazil must absolutely have
a permanent work permit. His post must appear in
the statutes of the Brazilian company.
A temporary work permit can be changed into a
permanent work permit, the demand must be made to
the Justice Ministry in Brazil.
Health
Health
and welfare
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