Top 2 Money Transfer Providers for Brazil to UK

For foreign-exchange purchases of up to US$10,000 per transaction the central bank, Banco Central do Brasil (Bacen) does not even require notification. With foreign exchange process having opened up in recent years, individuals and companies can theoretically buy and sell reais and transfer reais abroad, but it may be necessary to justify the legality and economic reasons for larger transfers, on top of reporting the transfer to the bank.

Profits can be remitted abroad with restriction and do not incur corporate income tax, and dividends can be paid to non-residents. The bureaucracy, however, can be onerous, with proof needed of the investment’s registration and proof of the transaction that generated the profit. Bacen monitors closely loans from a foreign to a domestic company to ensure that outward debt service payments are not used to hide larger external transfers. The central bank will prevents lending at rates it regards as too high, while all foreign loans (including supplier credits for more than 180 days) must be registered in order to permit repayment remittances. Given that Brazil and the UK have no double taxation treaty, transactions involving the transfer money from Brazil to UK by companies sending interest or profits will be subject to 15% withholding tax.

With the number of expats moving to Brazil rising, and the country having enjoyed impressive GDP and income per head growth, the number of foreigners buying property has grown, whether for personal occupancy, vacation, or investment. There are no restrictions on foreigners buying property, all property sales are titled, and foreign investors enjoy the same investment and possession rights as Brazilians. If taking income from the property, foreigners are subject to the same tax as residents, but non-residents from the US will be hit with a 15% capital gains tax if the property is sold. That said, (and assuming all paperwork is in order) investment capital brought into Brazil can be transferred out of the country.

In at 14th place, the UK is not one of the key overseas investment destinations for Brazilian investors, but volumes have grown considerably in recent years, from US$805m in FDI in 2007 to US$2.4bn in 2013. While the UK’s share of FDI is 0.9% of the total, with 171 parties invested in the UK, it has a share of 1.6% of the total number of outward investors. Portfolio and debt investment in the UK is small, amounting to barely US$210m in 2013, but given the pounds importance as a global trading currency and the UK’s attractive property market, it is the fourth largest recipient of Brazilian investment in foreign currency (US$1.8bn) and international real estate (US$359m). The UK’s market of these asset classes is 4.9% and 6.6% respectively, the latter having grown from 3.8% (US$70m) in 2007. Of the top 10 overseas real estate investment destinations, which together account for 82.2% of the total, the UK has been the second fastest growing market after Spain, which still has a smaller share than the UK.