You can open a Wise account before moving to Brazil in an afternoon. The part that catches people out is the second half: a few Wise features in Brazil only switch on once you actually live here.
Verification happens at home, with your own passport and your own phone. Holding reais, sending money out of Brazil and using Brazil-only features come later, and they depend on your residency and a CPF, the Brazilian tax number.
This is the setup guide that sits behind my main guide to the best way to transfer money in Fortaleza. By the end you will know what to do before you fly, what to leave until you arrive, and what to ask Wise rather than assume.
Steffany, my wife, is from Fortaleza and uses Wise to move money between her Spanish account and her Caixa account in Fortaleza. We use Wise ourselves, which is why this guide covers it.
Can you open a Wise account before moving to Brazil?
Yes. A Wise Personal account can be opened and verified at home, in the app or on the website, before you travel.
The split that matters is between what you can do before you move and what has to wait. Before you move, you can:
- Open and verify a Personal account
- Fund it and make a first transfer
- Hold the currencies you earn in
- Save recipients and send to a Pix key
- Order your Wise card
Until you live in Brazil, you generally cannot:
- Hold a balance in reais
- Send money out of reais
- Use features that need a Brazilian address or a CPF
Wise decides who is eligible, and its rules differ by country. Treat this as the pattern and check your own app.
What do you need to open and verify a Wise account?
Three things: a valid photo ID, a phone or webcam, and sometimes proof of address. Wise accepts a passport (photo page only), a national ID card or a driving licence, as long as the document is valid and the photo is clear.
Wise decides what else it needs from you. That can be proof of address or a photo of you holding your ID, and it depends on how much you send, which currency, and how many transfers you have made.
Your ID can come from a different country to the one you live in. In that case Wise may ask for a visa or residence permit showing you can legally live where your account is registered.
Once Wise has your documents, review usually takes one to two working days. Sometimes it can skip the paperwork and verify you from your first bank transfer, if the money comes from a personal account in your own name.
Read Wise’s guide to getting verified before you start, and do it at home with your documents in front of you. A rejected photo is easier to fix there than on a new phone in a new city.
How to open your Wise account, step by step
A Wise Personal account is free to open. You can open a Wise account here on the website or in the app.
- Register with your email address, or with a Google or Apple ID.
- Choose a Personal account and enter your details exactly as they appear on your ID.
- Choose the currency you will hold or send, and start your first transfer or add the currency.
- Upload your ID when Wise asks, plus proof of address or a selfie if requested.
- Wait for the verification email, then fund your account.
- Choose your 2-step verification method in your security settings.
We had no problems setting up our account. Wise asked for what it said it would, and we gave it. With banking, no surprises is exactly what you want.
Use the name and date of birth on your ID. Wise lists mismatched details as one of the common reasons a document is rejected.
Running a registered business? Wise Business is a separate account with its own sign-up and checks, and availability depends on your country and business structure. You can see Wise Business to check.
What if Wise rejects your verification?
Wise emails you the reason, so start there. The cause is usually something small: a blurry photo, an unsupported document, an expired document, or details that do not match your account.
Shoot the document in good light with all four corners visible and nothing covering it. Then check the name and date of birth against your account.
If the upload itself fails, try another browser (Wise says Chrome often works best), clear your cache and cookies, or use your computer’s webcam if the website keeps sending you to your phone.
Wise may also ask you to verify again later, which it says it does from time to time to meet financial regulations. If that email arrives, it is routine.
Setup worries, answered
These are the questions that come up around setup, rather than the steps themselves.
What address do you use if you are between homes?
Wise needs your full home address, and it must match the document you upload. Utility bills, bank statements and council tax bills cannot be older than three months.
If you live with family or friends and nothing is in your name, Wise accepts a document in their name plus a government document that proves your relationship, such as a birth certificate. It does not accept documents issued to a business, or Wise’s own statements.
Sort this out before you leave home, and see Wise’s proof of address page for the current list.
Will you still get your codes in Brazil?
Wise offers several ways to confirm it is you: the Wise app, an authenticator app, a passkey or a text message. It says the app, authenticator and passkey are more secure than text, and they do not rely on your home phone number.
If you do use text, update your number in Wise before you cancel your old SIM, because Wise may text the old number to confirm it is you. If you lose access anyway, Wise has an “I don’t have any of these” route, plus a selfie check if your account is eligible.
Can you and your partner share one account?
No. Wise says you can only have your own individual personal account, so each of you needs one.
Can you open the account while you are already abroad?
Usually yes. Wise says you can register and send money from most countries, but you can only hold money if you live in a country where it offers accounts.
Is there a monthly fee?
Wise’s US fee disclosure lists no monthly fee for a personal account, even if you are inactive. That is the US entity, so check the fees page for your own country. Ordering a physical card can carry a one-off fee, depending on where you live.
Does Wise work if you travel on afterwards?
Wise does not operate in a short list of countries, and says you cannot log in, register or use the card there. Brazil is not on it, but Venezuela, which borders Brazil, is.
Check the list on Wise’s where can I use Wise page before you cross any border.
How do you put money into Wise?
You fund Wise from a bank account or card in your home country, and the options depend on your country and currency. The quote shows how you can pay and what each method costs before you confirm.
Steffany funds her transfers from Spain with Apple Pay on her iPhone, inside Wise, from her Spanish account. Wise then sends the money on to her Caixa account in Fortaleza. Apple Pay is not available everywhere, so check what your own account offers.
Wise says Apple Pay works in its iOS app, or on its website in Safari, and the card has to come from the right region for your currency. For example, a transfer in an EU currency needs a card issued in the EU.
Paying from an account in your own name keeps verification simple, because Wise can match the name to your profile.
What should you set up before you fly?
- Make a small first transfer to confirm everything works.
- Save the recipients you will pay often, including anyone who gives you a Pix key.
- Order your card early enough to arrive before you leave.
- Add a digital card to your phone wallet if Wise offers it for your account.
- Choose a 2-step verification method that does not depend on your home SIM.
- Keep your home bank account and card as backup.
A Pix key can be a phone number, an email address, a CPF or a CNPJ. Wise says eligible customers can send to a Pix key from abroad without a Brazilian account.
Check the recipient’s name on the confirmation screen every time. Pix payments are fast and hard to undo.
Fees vary with the amount, so a small payment can cost proportionally more. Check the quote before you send a small amount, and for small everyday payments a card or cash may make more sense.
Pix features in Brazil have changed before. Some users reported on Reddit that Wise switched off sending to a Pix key at one point, and Wise’s current pages describe it as available again. Treat any guide, including this one, as a snapshot and check your own app.
Whose CPF does Wise ask for when you pay someone in Brazil?
The recipient’s, not yours. For a bank transfer, Wise asks for the recipient’s full name, account number and type, branch code, bank name and bank code, and their CPF or CNPJ.
If they give you a Pix key, you only need the key. Wise’s Pix key announcement says you do not need a Brazilian bank account or a CPF of your own, and Wise may ask for the recipient’s email on larger transfers, so get it from them rather than guessing.
Very large amounts, in one transfer or over a year, may also need extra documents from you or from the recipient. Allow time for this, and do not leave it to the day the money is due.
Can you hold reais in Wise before you arrive?
No. Wise says you can only hold BRL if you reside in Brazil, so a new arrival keeps euros, dollars or pounds in Wise and converts on each transfer.
That does not get in the way of sending money into Brazil. You choose the amount, Wise converts at the rate in your quote, and the reais land in a Brazilian account or Pix key. Wise says this usually takes about a working day once it has received and converted your money, and it shows an estimate when you set the transfer up.
Things change once you live here. Wise’s Brazil page says sending money out of reais is only for Brazilian tax residents, and it asks for a CPF, a Brazilian address and a valid ID. The IDs it lists include a passport and the CRNM, the foreigner’s residence card.
Wise’s own customer agreement for Brazil defines a Brazilian resident in three ways: a permanent visa and living in Brazil, 184 days or more in Brazil in a calendar year, or owning property or business interests that show an intention to reside. That is Wise’s definition, not tax advice, so check where you stand.
Wise’s address proof for Brazil is specific: a utility bill, a Brazilian mobile phone bill, a boleto, an IPTU property tax bill or a condominium bill. A rental contract is not on Wise’s list, so check the current list before you rely on one.
Wise also says it asks for your Brazilian tax return and its filing receipt once per fiscal year. If you are new and have not filed one, ask Wise what it will accept before you plan around this.
There is also a Brazilian tax called IOF on some currency conversions. Wise says its 2025 rate changes affected sending money out of Brazil and did not affect sending money to Brazil. Check the current rules before moving money out, starting with Wise’s BRL transfers page.
Can clients keep paying you in euros or dollars once you are in Brazil?
Often yes, and it is worth setting up before you move. Wise can give you local account details in several currencies, so a client can pay you the way they would pay a local supplier.
Wise’s help centre lists account details for currencies including euros, pounds and US dollars. USD details are not available in every region, and there can be a one-time fee to get your first set, which Wise shows before you pay. See Wise’s page on how to open account details to receive money.
The catch for movers is that Wise says you need to live in a region where it supports the currency to keep the details active. If you move somewhere that does not support, for example, USD details, Wise says it deactivates them. Before you change your country of residence, ask Wise whether your details stay active, and warn your clients if anything changes.
Wise’s Brazil site says customers there can receive with account details in 23 currencies. Ask Wise which ones apply to you.
Tax on that income is a question for your tax adviser, not for Wise.
Does the Wise card work in Brazil?
Yes, you can spend and withdraw cash with it in Brazil. Brazilian card machines often ask whether the payment is credit or debit.
Wise says a card that was not ordered in Brazil should use the credit option. The Wise card is a debit card, so it only spends money you already hold.
Card ordered outside Brazil? Choose credit. It is still a debit card, so it only spends what you hold.
Wise’s advice for cards not ordered in Brazil.
Get your Wise cardWise posts physical cards by local post, with no tracking unless you pay to expedite, and it may ask for a fee or extra verification before you order. ATM fees vary by account and country, so check your own fee schedule in the app.
Wise says card licences depend on where you live, and a few moves, such as to or from the US, need a new card. Brazil is not on that list, but check Wise’s page on card availability by country before you move.
Do not rely on one payment method. Keep a normal bank card and some cash as backup, and expect Pix to be the local default.
What happens to your Wise account when you move to Brazil?
You keep the same account. Wise allows one personal account per person and closes duplicates, so do not open a second one in Brazil.
When your permanent home changes, you update your country of residence in your settings, with a proof of address from the new country. One Wise help page says the account can be suspended while it reviews that change, so you cannot add or receive money in the meantime, and that it reviews documents within 2 days. Check Wise’s page on updating your country of residence for what applies to your region.
If the country field is greyed out, you cannot change it yourself. Contact Wise with a document issued by your new country, and do it once you have a Brazilian address, not before.
Tell your home bank before you go, so it can update your address and avoid blocking your card. Keep the account open if you can. Whether you must close it depends on your bank and your tax situation, not on Wise.
What if Wise restricts your account?
You will find stories online of Wise accounts being restricted or closed. I can’t tell you how common that is, and we have not had a problem.
What I can tell you is what Wise says. It can suspend an account while it carries out a compliance check, and while that lasts you cannot add or receive money. Its terms also allow it to suspend or close an account, and the exact wording depends on your region.
That is a reason to avoid a single point of failure. Keep your home bank account and card, keep a second way to pay, and do not leave savings in Wise that you do not need to move.
Keep documents showing where your money came from somewhere you can reach them, because Wise may ask about large amounts. If it asks, answer promptly and send what it asks for.
Use only the official Wise app or website, be careful with links in messages, and never share passwords or one-time codes.
Wise says it is not a bank, and it says its EU entity’s payment services are not covered by the Belgian deposit guarantee scheme. Which Wise entity serves you depends on where you live. Read how Wise safeguards customer funds.
Wise’s Brazil site says it offers support in Portuguese, which helps once you are here.
Your pre-arrival timeline
Four weeks before
- Open and verify your Wise Personal account, and allow time to fix a rejected document.
- Order your Wise card, because delivery by post is untracked.
- Sort your proof of address.
- Check your passport and ID expiry dates, because Wise rejects expired documents.
Two weeks before
- Fund the account and make a small first transfer.
- Save the recipients you will pay in Brazil.
- Set up account details if clients will pay you from abroad.
- Choose a 2-step verification method that does not depend on your home SIM.
One week before
- Tell your home bank you are moving.
- Pack a normal bank card and some cash as backup.
- Keep documents showing where your money came from where you can reach them.
- Check Wise’s list of unsupported countries if you plan to travel on.
When you arrive
- Pay by card, cash or Pix keys while you learn who accepts what.
- Leave the reais balance and the Brazilian address until you live here.
Once you live here
- Get your CPF and a Brazilian address.
- Update your country of residence in Wise.
- Ask Wise which Brazil features switch on for your account.
Open and verify at home, fund it, send a small test and order the card. Leave the reais side of Wise until you live here. That is the whole job.
FAQ
Can I have a Wise account in two different countries?
No. Wise allows one personal account per person and closes duplicates. If you move, you change your country of residence on the same account.
What is the downside of Wise?
It is not a bank, and Wise says its EU payment services are not covered by a deposit guarantee. In Brazil, reais balances and sending out of reais depend on residency, a CPF and extra checks. It is also not guaranteed to be cheapest for every transfer, so compare the reais received.
Which countries don’t accept the Wise card?
A small number of places are unsupported, and the list changes. Brazil is not one of them. Check where Wise operates and where your Wise card will work.
What are the Wise transfer limits for Brazil?
They depend on your account, the currency, the recipient type and the direction, and Wise changes them. Wise lists the current limits on its BRL transfers page. Check the live figures before sending a large amount.
Does Wise charge conversion fees?
Wise charges a fee and shows it in your quote before you confirm, and it says it uses the mid-market rate. The fee depends on the route, the amount and how you pay. Compare the reais received for the same amount, not just the fee.
