Do we need to move to Brazil to start?

No. Most of the preparation, including CPFs, apostilles, translations and finding a home, can be done while you are still in Europe.

How long does it take to have a Plan B ready?

Paperwork and home setup typically take 1–3 months. Residency processing depends on the route and on the authorities' workload.

Can the whole family be included?

Most residency routes allow a spouse or partner and dependent children to be included, subject to the route's requirements, such as additional income per dependent.

Is Curitiba a good place for children?

Many families choose Curitiba for its parks, organised city life and bilingual and international schools. We help with school placement as part of the arrival plan.

Brazil as a Plan B for European Families: Why Curitiba

With security worries growing across Europe, more families are quietly preparing a Plan B. Here is why Curitiba, in southern Brazil, deserves a serious look, and how to prepare a home, residency and paperwork in advance without uprooting your life today.

Why more European families are preparing a Plan B

Most families who build a Plan B are not planning to leave. They are planning to be able to leave. The war in Ukraine and the tension between Russia and Europe have turned contingency planning from a niche idea into an ordinary family conversation: if things got worse, where could we live, legally and comfortably, with our children in school?

A good Plan B is deliberately boring. It is prepared quietly and in advance, so that if you ever use it, the move is a matter of logistics rather than panic. That means documents in order, a residency route identified and, ideally, a home that is ready to live in.

Why Brazil

Brazil is geographically far from Europe's conflict zones, with a large, diverse economy and a well-established migration framework that offers several residency routes for foreigners. It is also a country built by immigrants, where newcomers from Europe have settled for well over a century.

Distance: an ocean away from Europe's conflict zones
Several residency routes: remote work, retirement, investment and family ties
Visa-free short stays for many European passport holders (check the current rules for your nationality)
A lower cost of living than much of Western Europe in areas such as housing and services

Why Curitiba in particular

Curitiba, the capital of Paraná in southern Brazil, is known for its urban planning, green parks and one of the world's pioneering bus rapid transit systems. It has good private hospitals, bilingual and international schools, and a milder, more temperate climate than most of Brazil, which many Europeans find easier to live with.

It also feels familiar. Paraná is home to Brazil's largest Ukrainian-descended community, as well as large Polish, German and Italian communities, with churches, festivals and memorials across the region, including the Ukrainian Memorial and the Polish Immigration Memorial in Curitiba itself.

An honest note on safety: Brazil has real crime challenges, and no city is risk-free. Curitiba is among the better-organised large Brazilian cities, and choosing the right neighborhood, or a gated community (condomínio fechado) with 24-hour security, makes a significant difference.

The building blocks of a Plan B in Curitiba

A complete Plan B has a handful of parts, and most of them can be prepared from abroad, before you ever board a plane.

A residency route that fits your situation, with the application prepared in advance
CPF tax IDs for every family member, needed for renting, banking and almost everything else
Apostilled documents with sworn translations: birth and marriage certificates and records
A Brazilian bank account
A home, rented or bought, in a well-chosen neighborhood
Someone on the ground to keep the home ready: utilities, bills and maintenance
An arrival plan: airport pickup, SIM cards, school places and health insurance

Residency routes Europeans commonly use

The right route depends on your income, assets and family. Figures and requirements change, and residency is always decided by Brazilian authorities, so treat the following as orientation and confirm the current rules before applying.

Digital nomad visa (VITEM XIV): for remote work for employers or clients abroad, generally with proof of about USD 1,500 a month in income, or around USD 18,000 in funds
Retirement visa: for retirees with a stable pension above a minimum monthly threshold, plus an additional amount per dependent
Investor residency: through a qualifying investment in a Brazilian company (generally around BRL 500,000) or in real estate, which has its own minimums
Family ties: for example, a Brazilian spouse or child

Rent or buy?

Renting keeps you flexible and is the fastest way to have a home ready. Long-term leases for foreigners usually require a guarantee, such as a deposit, a guarantor or rental insurance, which we help arrange.

Buying gives you a permanent base and can support an investor residency route. Foreigners can own urban property in Brazil, while rural and agricultural land is subject to restrictions under Law 5.709/71. A purchase should always include due diligence on the property and the seller, and registration at the cartório.

How we can help

Our Plan B Safe Haven service brings all of this together: the residency route, your documents, a vetted home in Curitiba through our CRECI-licensed broker, standby home care while you are away, and an arrival plan on call. Legal steps are handled alongside licensed Brazilian attorneys (OAB).

You do not have to decide to move. You only have to decide that, if you ever need to, you want to be ready. Book a consultation and we will map out what a Plan B would look like for your family.