Expert: Edison - 3/11/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Edison,

I was searching for some information in the web and found this AllExperts site and your name.
I hope you will be able to support my following activities:

I am actually leaving in the European Union

I will have a negotiation meeting with a Brazilian company to get hired as a consultant in the micro electronic area.

As this would be my first engagement as a consultant I am struggling to be prepared well for this meeting.

I learned from another question in this platform, that one can be paid in the country where I am leaving by simply form a company in this country and send the invoices to the Brazilian company. They will then transfer the payment to the bank account of my country.

But as I never did a consulting job I would like to ask you whether you can tell me where I could get a kind of "master consulting contract" as an example what need to be the content of such a contract to be agreed with a Brazilian company.
This example could be in Portuguese, because I speak this language fluently.


Whatever you could tell me how to manage such a starting point of the business would help me.


Thanks and best regards


Gerhard

ANSWER: Hello Gerhard,

The best "contract" is an invitation letter from the Brazilian company stating what, when, where, for how long your duties will be; and how much, when and where you will be paid. International contracts are very hard to enforce.

Also, ask them to paid you up front at least the amount needed to cover your expenses (travel, lodging and meals).

Then work very hard and have fun!

Edison



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Edison,

thanks for this fast feedback, although it did not help much.
Perhaps I rephrase my question a bit: What do I have to consider to establish a consulting business as a freelance in Brazil?

You answered already to another guy, that to get paid outside of Brazil, I just need to establish an own company outside (in my case in Austria) and send them my invoice according to the agreed payment terms => do you confirm this?

Anything else I need to consider? Where do I have to pay my taxes and how much will this be?

Another question (very important for me):

To be able to enter Brazil whenever I want and to stay there as long as I need, I want to apply for a permanent visa.
My wife is Brazilian, but she lives in Austria already for 35 years with an Austrian citizen ship.
She never renovated her Brazilian Passport and never voted.

You already answered such a question to another guy and in this answer you mentioned that he (she) has to take an Brazilian lawyer and fight for his (her) rights => what do you mean with this? What is her right in this case? Will she have to pay a fee (MULTA) for not voting 35 years?

I need to know it, because I want to use her Brazilian citizen ship to get my permanent visa, but she is afraid to declare her Brazilian citizen ship to the Brazilian Embassy in Vienna due to the possibility to pay a high fee (multa)

Thanks and best regards

Gerhard

Answer
Update: I visited a Brazilian Consulate today and learned that your wife doesn't need to pay any fee for not having voted in the last 20 years. She would need only to fill few forms.



Gerhard,

I am not expert on visa, taxes and legal issues. Also, the laws frequently change in Brazil.

My recommendation is to contact a Brazilian consulate in Austria (see links below) to answer to your business questions, get a new passport for you wife and a visa for you. Your wife can also be re-registered to vote without having to pay a high fee (multa).

http://www.brazil.or.at/consular/indexb.html
http://brazil.visahq.com/embassy/Austria/

Good luck!

Edison