Closing Day

A Brazilian closing is not a single event but a sequence, and most of the real work happens before the day you actually sign. By the time a closing date is set, the preliminary contract (compromisso de compra e venda) has already been negotiated, the deposit has moved into escrow, and diligence on the title, the seller, and any debts attached to the property has been completed.

Signing itself happens in one of two places: before a public notary (cartório de notas), who drafts and witnesses the definitive deed (escritura), or directly before the registry if the transaction qualifies for a simplified process. Both parties — or their attorneys holding a power of attorney — must appear with the required documentation, and the deed is read and signed in Portuguese.

Signing the deed is not the same as owning the property. Ownership transfers only once the deed is registered at the Cartório de Registro de Imóveis and entered on the matrícula — a step that can take anywhere from days to several weeks depending on the registry's backlog, and one that is easy for an unrepresented buyer to lose track of.

We manage every stage of this sequence on your behalf — contract, escrow, signing, and registration — and confirm the registration is actually complete before considering the transaction closed, not merely signed.