Overview

Many foreigners go to Brazil in order to perform the activities that they performed in their country of origin, especially since Brazil has been receiving attention and investments from abroad. There are over 500.000 accountants in the country, 140.000 only in the city of São Paulo, who are, for the most part, involved in the areas of capital goods, civil construction, oil and gas.

However, although Brazil lacks qualified workforces in many sectors, it also has restrictions regarding foreign workers in specific areas.

Just like foreign lawyers, foreign accountants are not allowed to perform their regular activities in Brazil, but are only permitted to work as consultants from the accountant laws of the country of origin. However, they need special authorizations for this.

Restrictions

The restrictive rules regarding the performance of accounting activities by foreigners are established by CFC or Conselho Federal De Contabilidade, the federal council or accounting. Foreigners have to register at CFC as accounting consultants.

In order to do so, either the foreign professional or the foreign office has to prove the registration in an abroad entity that is similar to CFC and prove good conduct, without any penalty. The registration is valid for three years and can be cancelled in a unilateral way at any time. The identity card of foreign accounting professionals who have temporary visa will be valid for the same time established in the visa.

It will be then formalized that foreigners are prohibited in performing any private action for accounting, such as signing balance sheets. Both professionals and offices will be subjected to the CFC's disciplinary control.

It is important to know that these restrictions are valid both for foreigners and Brazilians who didn't graduate in the accounting sciences course in a Brazilian university.

Control of Activities

Exclusive commissions are created inside the CRC or Conselhos Regionais de Contabilidade, the regional councils responsible for inspecting the performance of foreign offices and their consultants. Moreover, these offices are named by the councils as Sociedades de Consultoria em Contabilidade Estrangeira, or foreign accounting consultant societies. Foreign accountants who do not register or respect the rules are subjected to punishments established by the Brazilian law, due to the illegality of their professional performance.

Despite the rules and prohibitions, many accounting offices have been established without any control in Brazil, especially in the city of São Paulo. It is important to know, however, that the regulations purpose isn't to forbid the offices, but only to control their activities.