Brazil Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Brazilian Business

TL;DR. Brazil’s company data sits across two layers: the federal CNPJ database (Receita Federal, Brazil’s tax authority), which is free and publicly searchable for all registered entities, and 27 state-level Juntas Comerciais (commercial registries), which hold the underlying incorporation documents. The CNPJ is the primary identifier for any Brazilian legal entity. Certified extracts from Juntas Comerciais cost BRL 30-150 (approximately USD 6-28). The federal REDESIM portal coordinates access but the state-level fragmentation is real.

What is the official Brazilian business registry?

Brazil operates a two-tier registration system with no single national commercial registry:

Federal level: The Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica (CNPJ) is managed by the Receita Federal do Brasil (Brazilian Federal Revenue Service), under the Ministry of Economy (Ministério da Fazenda). Every Brazilian legal entity, regardless of type or state of incorporation, must obtain a CNPJ number from the Receita Federal. The CNPJ database is the closest thing Brazil has to a unified national company register. The public query portal is at gov.br/receitafederal.

State level: The Junta Comercial (Commercial Registry Board) of each of Brazil’s 26 states plus the Federal District (Distrito Federal) holds the underlying incorporation documents, articles of association, and changes for companies registered in that state. There are 27 Juntas Comerciais in total. These are state government bodies coordinated (but not unified) through DREI (Departamento de Registro Empresarial e Integração), a federal department under the Ministry of Economy.

REDESIM: The Rede Nacional para a Simplificação do Registro e da Legalização de Empresas e Negócios is a federal harmonisation initiative designed to simplify the registration process. The REDESIM portal at redesim.gov.br provides a single interface for business opening and status checks, drawing on both Receita Federal and state Junta data.

The legal framework for commercial registration is the Civil Code (Código Civil, Law 10.406/2002) and the Business Registration Act (Lei 8.934/1994). Non-profit entities, foundations, and certain other legal forms register with different bodies.

What can you search?

Receita Federal CNPJ (free, federal):

• CNPJ number lookup (14-digit number, format XX.XXX.XXX/YYYY-ZZ)
• Company name (razão social) or trade name (nome fantasia) search
• Returns: CNPJ number, company name, trade name, registered address, main economic activity (CNAE classification), secondary activities, legal form, date of registration, current status (active, suspended, inapt, closed), responsible partners’ names and CPF (individual tax number, partially masked)

Junta Comercial (state-level, paid for certified documents):

• Full incorporation documents (contrato social or estatuto social)
• Amendments and alterations history
• Partner and administrator changes
• Financial statements (where filed)

REDESIM portal:

• Cross-referenced business status queries combining federal CNPJ and state registration data
• Business opening and licensing status

The CNPJ public database updates in near real-time: changes submitted to the Receita Federal reflect within 1-3 business days. State Junta data freshness depends on filing and processing at the relevant state board.

How much does it cost?

Prices for Junta Comercial extracts vary by state. JUCERJA (Rio de Janeiro) and JUCESP (São Paulo) have published online fee schedules. BRL/USD conversion: approximately BRL 5.30 per USD as of May 2026 (verify at point of transaction; the BRL/USD rate fluctuates). Payment methods at Junta portals typically include PIX, bank transfer (TED), and credit card, depending on the state.

Do you need a local account or ID?

For the free CNPJ query on the Receita Federal portal, no account and no Brazilian identity document are required. The search is publicly accessible.

Ordering certified extracts from a state Junta Comercial typically requires creating an account on the relevant state portal. Account requirements vary by state: some Juntas require a Brazilian CPF (individual tax number) or CNPJ for account registration, while others accept foreign email-only registration. JUCESP (São Paulo) and JUCEMG (Minas Gerais) have moved their ordering workflows online with varying foreign-user accommodation.

The REDESIM portal for business queries is accessible without account registration. Opening a new business through REDESIM requires Brazilian identity credentials.

Is the website in English?

Partially. The Receita Federal CNPJ query portal (gov.br) has no official English version, but field labels and status terms are consistent and interpretable with basic Portuguese literacy or browser auto-translate. The CNPJ result page uses standardised field names (CNPJ, Razão Social, Nome Fantasia, Situação, Atividade Principal) that are widely understood in cross-border compliance contexts.

State Junta Comercial portals are in Portuguese only with no English interface. REDESIM is in Portuguese only.

For compliance buyers without Portuguese, browser translation tools (Google Translate, DeepL) provide adequate coverage for navigation and status field interpretation. Official document content is in Portuguese and requires professional translation for legal purposes.

What’s the turnaround time?

CNPJ queries on the Receita Federal portal return instant results. No waiting period or account is required.

Certified extracts from state Juntas Comerciais vary by state and delivery method. Online orders at JUCESP (São Paulo) are typically fulfilled within 1-3 business days. Other states may take 3-5 business days. Rush processing is available at some Juntas for additional fees.

REDESIM status checks are instant. Physical documents requiring in-person pickup or postal delivery add additional time.

Is there an API?

Yes. The Receita Federal CNPJ data is accessible via the federal government’s open data API at gov.br/conecta. The API returns the same public CNPJ registration data available through the web portal in JSON format. Authentication requires a government account (Gov.br login) for sustained API access. The open data version is rate-limited for unauthenticated calls.

Several third-party API providers (ReceitaWS, BrasilAPI, and others) have built unofficial CNPJ lookup services that aggregate the Receita Federal public data. These are widely used by developers but are not authoritative for compliance purposes.

State Junta Comerciais do not offer standardised public APIs. Document ordering remains portal-based.

What you legally cannot do

The Receita Federal’s CNPJ data terms and Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados, LGPD, Law 13.709/2018) set key restrictions:

• Bulk automated harvesting of CNPJ data beyond the Receita Federal’s rate limits without an authorised API agreement is prohibited.
• Commercial redistribution of CNPJ data formatted as a competing database for resale is restricted.
• Personal data visible in CNPJ records (partner names, partially masked CPF numbers) must be processed under a documented legal basis consistent with LGPD requirements.
• Certified Junta Comercial extracts are for the stated purpose only; redistribution for marketing databases is not within the permitted use scope.

Brazil’s COAF (Conselho de Controle de Atividades Financeiras), the financial intelligence unit under GAFILAT (the Latin American FATF regional body), enforces AML obligations. Brazilian obligated entities must comply with Law 9.613/1998 (the AML law) when using registry data in customer due diligence. The OECD’s anti-base erosion framework (BEPS) and Brazil’s participation in the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes are relevant for tax-related due diligence. For the global framework, see the Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• CNPJ is the primary identifier for everything Brazilian. The 14-digit CNPJ (format XX.XXX.XXX/YYYY-ZZ) identifies every Brazilian legal entity across tax filings, court records, banking, and the Junta Comercial system. The first 8 digits are the base company number; digits 9-12 identify the specific establishment (0001 for headquarters); the last 2 are check digits. Always record the full 14-digit CNPJ.
• State of registration matters for certified documents. Brazil’s 27 Juntas Comerciais hold incorporation documents for entities registered in their respective states. Identify the state of the entity’s primary registration from the CNPJ record (the registered address field), then go to the corresponding Junta Comercial portal for certified documents. The largest ones are JUCESP (São Paulo), JUCERJA (Rio de Janeiro), JUCEMG (Minas Gerais), and JUCEPAR (Paraná).
• The CNPJ status field is decisive. The Situação Cadastral field shows the current registration status: Ativa (active), Suspensa (suspended), Inapta (inapt, often due to failure to file required documents), Baixada (closed/deregistered). An inapt status is a yellow flag requiring investigation.
• Brazil is not on the FATF grey list. Brazil is a FATF member country and a member of GAFILAT. It is not subject to Increased Monitoring as of May 2026. Standard due diligence applies, though the complexity of Brazil’s state-fragmented registry system requires additional procedural steps for full certified document retrieval.
• CNAE is Brazil’s economic activity classifier. The CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) code on the CNPJ record identifies the primary and secondary business activities. This is useful for sector-specific AML risk assessment and for verifying stated business purpose.
• Partners listed on CNPJ have masked CPF numbers. The Receita Federal partially masks partner CPF (individual tax numbers) in the public CNPJ query. Full partner identity verification requires Junta Comercial documents or other authorised sources.

Alternatives if you cannot access the Junta Comercial directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes some Brazilian company data but coverage is incomplete for the state-level Junta filings. The Receita Federal CNPJ public API is more reliable for federal registration data.
• Receita Federal CNPJ API: For platform integration, the federal CNPJ API at gov.br/conecta is the most authoritative free source for registration status, CNAE activity, and partner names.
• BrasilAPI and ReceitaWS: Unofficial third-party CNPJ API wrappers that are popular in the developer community for quick lookups. Not authoritative for compliance purposes but useful for fast-screening workflows before escalating to certified Junta documents.

Local data suppliers

• Serasa Experian (serasa.com.br). Brazil’s largest credit bureau, a subsidiary of Experian Group. Provides credit reports, risk scores, fraud detection, and identity verification for Brazilian individuals and companies. Widely used by banks, lenders, and corporate finance teams for counterparty risk assessment. CNPJ-based business credit queries are a core product.
• Boa Vista SCPC (boavistaservicos.com.br). Third major Brazilian credit bureau. Provides company and individual credit scores, payment history, and risk analytics alongside Serasa in the SME credit assessment market.

Use the Junta Comercial and Receita Federal for official registration and legal standing verification. Use Serasa or Boa Vista when you need payment behaviour, credit default history, or predictive risk scores layered on top of registry data.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access Brazil’s CNPJ database without a Brazilian identity document?

Yes. The free CNPJ query on the Receita Federal public portal requires no account and no Brazilian CPF or CNPJ. Ordering certified documents from state Juntas Comerciais varies by state: some require Brazilian identity credentials for portal accounts; others accept foreign registration. The CNPJ public query is available at gov.br.

What is the CNPJ number in Brazil?

The CNPJ (Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica) is Brazil’s 14-digit federal tax and registration number for legal entities. Its format is XX.XXX.XXX/YYYY-ZZ, where the first 8 digits identify the base company, digits 9-12 identify the establishment (0001 for the headquarters), and the final 2 are check digits. Every Brazilian legal entity, regardless of state of registration, has a unique CNPJ issued by the Receita Federal. The CNPJ is the single most important identifier for cross-system verification in Brazil.

What entity types are registered in Brazil’s commercial registries?

The Juntas Comerciais register: Sociedade Limitada (Ltda., private limited company), Sociedade Anônima (S.A., joint-stock company), Empresário Individual (individual entrepreneur), EIRELI (Empresa Individual de Responsabilidade Limitada, though being merged into Ltda. under recent reform), branches of foreign companies, and other commercial entities. Non-commercial entities (associations, foundations, non-profits) register with the Civil Registry of Legal Entities (Registro Civil das Pessoas Jurídicas) rather than the Junta Comercial.

Does Brazil have a beneficial ownership register?

Brazil maintains beneficial ownership disclosure requirements for companies and financial institutions under its AML laws (Law 9.613/1998 and Circular BACEN 3.978/2020 for financial institutions). The Receita Federal’s QSA (Quadro de Sócios e Administradores) register, visible in CNPJ queries, identifies direct partners and administrators. Brazil does not yet have a single centralised public UBO register equivalent to those required under the EU’s AML Directives, though regulatory pressure through GAFILAT and OECD’s Global Forum has increased transparency requirements. The Receita Federal holds beneficial ownership data for companies with more complex ownership structures.

How current is the data in Brazil’s registries?

CNPJ data from the Receita Federal updates within 1-3 business days of filed changes. State Junta Comercial records depend on the Junta’s processing capacity; São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro typically process changes faster than smaller state boards. Annual accounts filing is mandatory for S.A. entities and published in the Diário Oficial (Official Gazette); Ltda. entities have different disclosure obligations. Data gaps are common for smaller Ltda. companies that fail to file required updates.

Is Brazil on the FATF grey list?

No. Brazil is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. It is a full FATF member country and a founding member of GAFILAT (Grupo de Acción Financiera de Latinoamérica), the Latin American FATF regional body. Standard AML due diligence applies. For current country standing and mutual evaluation reports, see fatf-gafi.org.

What is the difference between the Junta Comercial and the Receita Federal CNPJ?

The Junta Comercial is the state-level commercial registry holding the original incorporation documents, articles of association, partner agreements, and change filings. It is the legal record of a company’s corporate existence. The Receita Federal CNPJ database is the federal tax registration that captures core company data for tax purposes. Both hold partner/administrator information, but the Junta holds the full legal documentation while the CNPJ provides a fast free status check. A complete corporate verification typically requires both sources.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Receita Federal do Brasil (gov.br/receitafederal), REDESIM (redesim.gov.br), FATF (fatf-gafi.org), GAFILAT (gafilat.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.