Opening a Bank Account in Brazil as a Foreigner, and Getting Pix

The short version

Question	What the rules say	Source
Is residency required?	No. Banks authorized for foreign exchange may open accounts for non-residents on the same terms as for residents	Resolução BCB 277/2022, art. 67
What is required?	Identity verification and "qualification" (risk profile, financial capacity)	Resolução CMN 4.753/2019, art. 2
Online?	Allowed, by any channel the bank offers except voice phone	Resolução CMN 4.753/2019, art. 3
CPF?	Required to hold an account	Receita Federal
Pix?	After the account opening is complete, with a CPF in regular status	Resolução BCB 1/2020, art. 57, §4
US reporting?	FBAR above US$10,000 in aggregate	FinCEN

The Central Bank texts were read on November 3, 2026 through the Banco Central's normative search. They set the floor; each bank decides what else it asks for. For where the bank account sits in a move, see the hub: Moving to Brazil from the US.

What the Central Bank rules require

Non-residents may hold accounts

Resolução BCB 277/2022, the foreign exchange regulation, says institutions authorized to operate in the foreign exchange market "podem abrir, manter e encerrar contas de depósito e contas de pagamento em reais tituladas por não residentes nas mesmas condições" as accounts held by residents (art. 67). In other words, residency is not a legal precondition for an account in reais, at least at a bank that is authorized for foreign exchange. One limit applies to prepaid payment accounts in reais held by non-residents: each movement is capped at R$100,000, except when it is the counterpart of a currency purchase or sale (art. 67, sole paragraph).

What every bank must check

Resolução CMN 4.753/2019 sets the requirements for opening deposit accounts:

• The bank must verify and validate the identity and the qualification of the account holder, and the authenticity of the information given, including by checking public and private databases (art. 2).
• "Qualification" means the information the bank needs to assess the client's risk profile and economic and financial capacity (art. 2, §1).
• A simplified qualification process is allowed if the account has suitable limits on balance and deposits (art. 2, §2).
• Accounts can be opened and closed through any channel the bank offers, including electronic ones, but not by voice telephone (art. 3).

These are the legal requirements. They do not list documents. Each bank decides which documents satisfy them, which is why two banks can give a foreigner two different answers.

What banks add in practice

Forum threads and bank websites commonly describe banks asking foreigners for a Brazilian migration card (RNM/CRNM), proof of a Brazilian address, or a specific "non-resident account" product. We did not verify any individual bank's policy, and it is not in the rules. If one bank refuses, that is its policy, not the law.

Step 1: the CPF

The Receita Federal says people living abroad, Brazilian or foreign, must have a CPF if they hold assets subject to public registration in Brazil, including bank accounts. There are two ways to get one.

• From the US. At a Brazilian consulate, in person, booked through its e-consular system, with the FCPF form filled in online, an identity document and a birth or marriage certificate. The gov.br page says there is no fee.
• In Brazil. The gov.br CPF page (last modified October 8, 2026) covers Brazilians and foreigners, residents and non-residents. It lists an online form for foreigners, Receita Federal offices, and partner offices (civil registry offices, Banco do Brasil, Caixa and the post office). Enrolment is at no charge, except at partner offices, which charge R$7.00. You need an official photo ID, plus a birth or marriage certificate (or the foreign equivalent) if the ID does not show your place of birth, parents and date of birth.

Enrolment produces no card. Your proof is the "Comprovante de Inscrição e de Situação Cadastral no CPF", printed from the Receita site, and it shows the CPF's status. That status matters for Pix. More on the CPF and the Federal Police number in CPF and RNM.

Step 2: Pix

Pix is the instant payment arrangement run under Central Bank rules. It works on top of a bank or payment account, so the account comes first. The rules are in Resolução BCB 1/2020, the Pix regulation.

Keys

A Pix key is an alias that points to your account. The regulation allows five types (art. 45): a mobile phone number, an email address, a CPF, a CNPJ (company number) and a random key generated by the system.

When you can register a key

Under art. 57, the bank must validate that the key is yours, under the Central Bank's operating manual, and get your consent. Since July 2025 it must also check your name against the CPF register. And it may register a key only (§4):

• after the account opening is complete, including identity verification; and
• for a person whose CPF is in "regular" status.

No rule we found requires residency or an RNM for Pix. If a Pix key fails, check your CPF status on the comprovante first.

Fees

The regulation requires each Pix participant to publish its fees and any fee waivers for sending and receiving a Pix for individuals and companies, at least on its website (art. 87). Check your bank's own page.

The US side of a Brazilian account

• FBAR. A US person whose foreign financial accounts exceed US$10,000 in aggregate at any time during the year must file FinCEN Form 114, generally due April 15. A Brazilian checking or savings account counts.
• FATCA. The US Treasury lists a FATCA intergovernmental agreement with Brazil, Model 1, in force since June 26, 2015. These agreements govern how financial institutions report accounts held by US persons.
• Once you are a Brazilian tax resident. Your US accounts become "assets abroad" from Brazil's point of view, and residents file an annual CBE declaration with the Banco Central when their assets abroad total US$1 million or more on December 31. See The US-Brazil Tax Treaty for how the two tax systems meet.

Myths checked against the rules

• "You need residency to open a bank account." The Central Bank rules allow accounts for non-residents on the same terms. Individual banks may still require more.
• "Pix is only for Brazilians." Pix keys need a completed account and a CPF in regular status, not citizenship or residency.
• "You must open the account in person." The rules allow electronic account opening; whether a given bank offers it to foreigners is the bank's choice.

Where to go from here

• Your first two Brazilian numbers: CPF and RNM.
• Paying for a property from your account: Buying Property in Brazil as a Foreigner.
• How your Brazilian and US accounts are taxed and reported: The US-Brazil Tax Treaty.
• For the FBAR and CBE thresholds, a residency-start worksheet and a list of questions for your tax professional, see the US-Brazil Tax Basics for Movers: Workbook. It computes no one's tax.