How to open a bank checking account in Brazil

 A checking account is a day-to-day account, in which you can deposit or withdraw money. Every bank in Brazil has its own specific procedures for opening an account, but here are some basic steps which serve for all of them. To have an account it is necessary to actually go to a Brazilian bank. It’s not possible to open a checking account in Brazil at distance and it’s necessary to present documentation like:

• CPF (Cadastro de Pessoa Física, or Brazilian Individual Taxpayer Registry), which is a card that contains people’s name and a number that will identify them and is mandatory for people living abroad who own properties in Brazil
• Proof of income
• Proof of residence, which is a document confirming your address: recent (maximum of 90 days) electricity, water, telephone or gas bills
• Foreigner national register (RNE or Registro Nacional de Estrangeiro), which is the ID card for foreigners living in Brazil
• A form stating that the provided RNE is valid
• Passport.

The documentation should provide these information:

• Petitioner’s name
• Name of petitioner’s parents (birth or marriage certificates are accepted)
• Date of birth of the petitioner
• Nationality
• Country of origin
• Document number
• State of dispatch
• Date when the document of dispatch was issued
• Petitioner’s picture
• Signature of the petitioner
• Signature of the state of dispatch’s representative.

All the documents presented must be translated to Portuguese by a certified translator. It’s indispensable to present a document containing the name of the petitioner’s parents It’s necessary to present a valid residential visa, which can be temporary or permanent (for the minimum duration of 12 months) The tourist visa is not accepted to open a checking account in Brazil.