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Opening a MEI

The smallest legal company in Brazil. Fast to open, easy to outgrow, not a visa.

A MEI (Microempreendedor Individual) is how Brazil lets one person become a CNPJ without a lawyer.

What you get

  • A CNPJ
  • Permission to invoice
  • Access to a simplified monthly DAS tax
  • INSS contribution baked into that DAS
  • The right to have one employee

What you do not get

  • A visa
  • Unlimited revenue. The cap in 2026 is R$81,000 a year (gov.br). A government bill to raise it has not become law. Check the figure before you sign a large contract.
  • Every occupation (the list is restricted)
  • A free pass with the bank

How to open

You need a gov.br login, the Portal do Empreendedor, a few forms, a CPF, and a residential address in Brazil. The registration is online, but account verification can delay it.

Then:

  1. Open a PJ-friendly bank account (or use your existing digital bank’s CNPJ flow)
  2. Issue notas fiscais the way Porto Alegre / RS requires (the city cares about ISS)
  3. Pay the DAS every month even if you invoiced nothing

When to stop being MEI

When a real company wants you full time, when you hire a second person, when you exceed the cap, or when an accountant points you toward Simples Nacional as an LTDA.

Foreigners: you need a CPF and a residence situation that survives invoicing. Get advice if your visa is tourist or nomad. Invoicing Brazilian clients on a tourist stamp is how people tell on themselves.