The Portal To —
Law of BrazilBrazil
A federal civil-law republic with one of the most detailed constitutions in the world, municipalities that are autonomous members of the federation, a rich set of constitutional remedies such as habeas corpus and the mandado de segurança, separate labour and electoral courts, constitutional rights for indigenous and quilombola communities, and a consumption-tax reform in transition. How the system works, how to live, work and buy there, and why only the registry makes you the owner. Free articles, organized by subject, growing every week.
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Who This Page Is For
This portal collects material on Brazilian law, a civil-law system with an exceptionally detailed Constitution of 1988: codes remain central to private and criminal law, municipalities are autonomous members of the federation, the Supreme Federal Court guards the Constitution and the Superior Court of Justice unifies federal law, labour, electoral and military courts are separate jurisdictions, and indigenous and quilombola communities have constitutional rights. It is written for readers who visit, live, work, study, buy property or do business in Brazil or who want to understand its legal system, and it explains laws, institutions and procedures without giving legal advice or opinions on individual cases. Laws change, and several major reforms are recent. Everywhere else on this site, content reflects US law unless a page says otherwise.
Course · 8 modules and a capstone · $15 · Module 1 free
Brazilian Law
A first course in Brazilian law: Portuguese colonial law and independence and the Republic and the Constitution of 1988, the President and the National Congress and provisional measures, federalism and the states and the Federal District and the municipalities and competences and indigenous and quilombola communities, the Supreme Federal Court and the Superior Court of Justice and the labour and electoral courts and lawyers and notaries, fundamental and social rights and nationality and foreigners and habeas corpus and the mandado de segurança, contract and the real estate registry and rural land and the stable union and the reserved share of inheritance, companies and foreign investment and the labour code and the consumption-tax reform, and the criminal process and the custody hearing and the jury and the environment and data protection and arbitration.
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This portal fills in automatically, subject by subject, as new articles on Brazilian law are published — check back shortly.
Legal documents
31 legal documents in Português (Portuguese)
Leases, loan and sale agreements, powers of attorney, family documents, letters and more, ready to fill in and sign, in Português (Portuguese), with the English translation alongside for the other party. PDF and Word. 6 € for a document in the language, 9 € with the English translation. Included in the individual All-Access plan, in the language you choose.
- • Contrato de locação residencial
- • Contrato de prestação de serviços autônomos (freelance)
- • Contrato de empréstimo
- • Acordo de confidencialidade (NDA)
- • Contrato de compra e venda de bens móveis (incluindo veículo usado)
- • Autorização dos pais para uma criança viajar para o estrangeiro
See the documents in Português (Portuguese)
These are general templates for use in any country, each with a ‘check in your country’ list. They are not drafted under Brazil law, and they are not legal advice.
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The Civil Law Tradition
Where the Brazilian Civil Code comes from and what it shares with Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and the other legal systems of continental Europe and Latin America: the Roman roots, the great codes and legal science.
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