Digital nomad visa w/ income from Fiverr, Upwork and Private clients

Basically it is all about how you can bring  benefit to Brazil. You must have a contract of employment  from outside Brazil to qualify...

@Peter Itamaraca thanks for your reply, but that doesn't give me clarity on my question as Upwork and Fiverr are contract based websites. Is it not possible to use my income from these sources in obtaining a DN visa?

@Traveler2140

Others may advise differently, but my understanding is that you must have guaranteed income from abroad, (ie a contract), or you will not receive the nomad visa. I know one guy who owned his own company, but was refused a nomad visa for exactly this reason. You must understand it is up to you to comply with the rules, not for the rules to be flexible to suit your needs...

    Hello,
I'm preparing to apply for my digital nomad visa and am a bit confused about the wording. It says that a contract is needed to prove employment. How do I send proof for the consulate?   

    -@Traveler2140

Good morning.  Please see the instructions from the Brazilian Consulate General in Chicago below.  The instructions from the consulate responsible for your region should be similar:

https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/consulado- … -vitem-xiv

The pertinent part says, "Contract or other document proving the relationship with the foreign employer".  A contract would certainly be ideal, but "other document" provides a degree of latitude.  It could be an Engagement Letter, a notarized letter documenting a professional connection, perhaps even a record of ongoing payments from the same entity.  The important consideration is ability to document steady income from sources outside Brazil and paying in foreign currency that can be expected to continue during your stay in Brazil.   

@Peter Itamaraca

Are you sure? That doesn’t make sense to me. My previous position had a contracting paradigm when it came to hiring, but they also hired full time employees. Their contracts were consistent but not guaranteed, but they still had W2 employees.

I’ve had a business license since Feb or March. I cannot pay myself as an employee of my own business under a w2 or other way?

@abthree

Hello and thanks for your reply, upwork has a certificate of earnings and statement of earnings. Would that suffice? I also have paypal and bank records for this.

    @Peter Itamaraca
Are you sure? That doesn’t make sense to me. My previous position had a contracting paradigm when it came to hiring, but they also hired full time employees. Their contracts were consistent but not guaranteed, but they still had W2 employees.
I’ve had a business license since Feb or March. I cannot pay myself as an employee of my own business under a w2 or other way?
   

    -@Traveler2140

I am only quoting the Brazil digital visa requirements, and speaking from personal experience. As @abthree stated above, it is up you to prove that you will receive income from abroad for the duration of the visa. A contract is the easiest way, but maybe a year's worth of bank statements might suffice, or a certificate of earnings for a similar period?

If you have doubts, perhaps your best bet might be to retain a Brazilian immigration attorney, but the company owner I quoted previously DID do his application this way, and was refused....

@Peter Itamaraca

Okay, I will get in contact with one and get some feedback. Thanks for the information.

12/26/23   @abthree
Hello and thanks for your reply, upwork has a certificate of earnings and statement of earnings. Would that suffice? I also have paypal and bank records for this.
   

    -@Traveler2140

Are you applying through a Consulate abroad, or are you already in Brazil applying through the Federal Police?

@abthree

Applying to a consulate in the US

12/26/23    @abthree
Applying to a consulate in the US
   

    -@Traveler2140

That's good.  Consulates are more flexible about documentation than the FP.  They're much more familiar with the host country's, documentation standards, and are able to deal with host country documents in the original language without requiring apostilles and Sworn Translations. 

This article has some good ideas for how self-employed people can show proof of income.  After a contract or contract-like document, 1099s are almost certainly the best.  I would not recommend generating homemade pay stubs.  The others may be worth considering:

https://www.stilt.com/blog/2022/02/how- … -employed/

    Hello,
I'm preparing to apply for my digital nomad visa and am a bit confused about the wording. It says that a contract is needed to prove employment. How do I send proof for the consulate?
   

    -@Traveler2140

Gig work is not contractual work or formal employment.  That being said, you need employment sponsorship.  Just as in the US you would have a  H1B Visa.

That being said, most computer jocks in Brazil are under a services contract, featuring their own tax id ( CNPJ).

Gig work is not contractual work or formal employment.  That being said, you need employment sponsorship.  Just as in the US you would have a  H1B Visa.

That being said, most computer jocks in Brazil are under a services contract, featuring their own tax id ( CNPJ).
   

    -@sprealestatebroker

Employment sponsorship is not required for the Digital Nomad visa.  In fact. one of the conditions of residence is that NONE of the Digital Nomad's income can have a Brazilian source.

@abthree So I have statement of earnings from fiverr themselves stating "Source of earnings: Services provided to third-party buyers via the Fiverr platform"

And another from Upwork, then I also got my private clients proof of income from my wave app. Should any of these be notarized? Also, I should provide bank statements for 3 months as well? I've made well over the requirement for the past 3 months

01/18/24   @abthree So I have statement of earnings from fiverr themselves stating "Source of earnings: Services provided to third-party buyers via the Fiverr platform"
And another from Upwork, then I also got my private clients proof of income from my wave app. Should any of these be notarized? Also, I should provide bank statements for 3 months as well? I've made well over the requirement for the past 3 months
   

    -@Traveler2140

Check the website of the Consulate where you're going to apply.  If they don't specify that notarization is required, then I wouldn't bother.  Same thing with bank statements.  If the docs that you mention prove satisfactory income, I'd try going with them:  if the Consulate wants more, they'll let you know.

@abthree Thanks for clearing it up! I read through several consulates and it contradicts what the user said above.

    01/19/24 @abthree Thanks for clearing it up! I read through several consulates and it contradicts what the user said above.
   

    -@Traveler2140

The Consulates have wide discretion with respect to what they'll accept.  By now this visa is no longer new so they may be more apt to accept informative, official-looking documents.  They're the final authorities, but if they have issues, they'll let you know.