Brasília relocation guide
Finding work in Brasília
Check work permission before relying on a local job search.
On this page
The short answer
Brasília has an official worker-matching route through DF agencies, the Digital Work Card and Emprega Brasil. It can connect a suitable profile to an employer's selection process, rather than guarantee a job. For a foreign applicant, permission to work is a separate question from creating a CPF or digital account. Settle that status, prepare the records you can show and use the official route for the actual vacancy.
- SEDET publishes a free matching service through agencies, the Digital Work Card and Emprega Brasil.
- A referral letter starts an employer's selection process, rather than confirming employment.
- The foreign remote-work route does not automatically authorize ordinary local employment.
Use the official matching service
SEDET's service charter, updated June 11, 2025, directs workers to an agency, the Digital Work Card app or Emprega Brasil. Registration and profile matching are free. If a compatible vacancy exists, the worker receives a referral letter with the employer's selection instructions.2
Its registration list includes identification or birth certificate and CPF. It also allows evidence of experience not already recorded. The charter says the Work Card is not mandatory for this registration, although it helps document experience. Ask how the service accepts your foreign identification.2
Separate permission from the digital account
The Ministry of Labor's migrant guidance says formal local employment requires a visa or residence authorization that permits the work, plus CPF. The ordinary visitor category does not authorize local paid employment. A digital Work Card does not replace that permission.1
The same guidance says the Digital Work Card uses CPF and a gov.br account. It is not a prerequisite for the employer's eSocial contract registration. Keep the actual contract and permission question separate from whether the app is already working on your phone.1
Keep the foreign-work route distinct
CNIg Resolution 45/2021 addresses qualifying remote activity for a foreign employer. Its definition excludes work for an employer in Brazil under that route. It also has a specific provision for qualifying remote activity as a visitor, subject to nationality, visa and stay rules. Do not substitute that provision for ordinary local employment permission.1,
Use the remote-work guide for its evidence and financial requirements. No current local vacancy count, salary average or placement guarantee is quoted here.
Prepare for the actual selection
- Describe the role, experience and language you can use at work accurately.
- Keep the permission, CPF and experience documents available for the official service and employer.
- Follow the place, date and instructions on a referral letter, then confirm the actual offer and contract.
Once the work address is known, use the housing areas and the journey rules before signing a lease.
Questions people ask
Does the official matching service charge a fee?
SEDET's charter says the worker-matching service is free. It provides agencies, the Digital Work Card and Emprega Brasil as routes to register and look for compatible vacancies.
Does a referral letter mean I have a job?
No. It gives the employer's selection instructions for a compatible vacancy. The employer's selection and actual offer remain separate.
Does a CPF authorize local employment?
No. The Ministry of Labor's migrant guidance separates CPF from the visa or residence authorization that permits the work. The digital account does not replace permission.
Can I use the remote-work route for a Brazilian employer?
CNIg Resolution 45/2021 defines its route around foreign work and excludes work for an employer in Brazil. Check the appropriate authorization for the actual local role.
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Sources and how we check them
Sources and how we check them4 sources
Every figure on this page comes from the official or primary source listed here. We checked them in . Rules and prices change, so confirm anything important with the source before you act on it.
- Ministry of Labor, migrant worker questions (opens in a new tab)
- SEDET, worker-matching service charter (opens in a new tab)
- Receita Federal national CPF enrollment service for Brazilian and foreign applicants (opens in a new tab)
- Ministry of Justice CNIg Normative Resolution 45 of 2021 (opens in a new tab)