Free City Lots in Brazil
By Arthur Wyss
One town that wants to lure new settlers is the town of Rio da Conseicao, in the
interior state of Tocantins, Brazil. As the name implies this town is located on
a river. It is in a pristine area where there is no pollution, and the river is
clean. There are only a few hundred people living in the town now.
The only requirement to obtain a free city lot is that you must build a house on
the lot within one year.
There are some paved streets in the town, but few automobiles. There is a minor
highway connecting the town to a major highway. The major highway runs to
Palmas, the state capital which is about 110 miles away. There is a connecting
highway that runs to the national capital of Brasilia, which is about 300 miles
away.
Local craftsmen will build you a new house in this little town for as little as
$10,000 USD, which at this price includes glass, plumbing, wiring, tile roof,
and some interior finishing (cabinetry, flooring, etc.)
Climate: It rains a lot for 5-6 months, October to April. It rains hard for
about an hour every other day, then sunny. Dry period, May to October. It rains
little during the dry season. Temperature, no difference winter to summer.
Daytime average highs, 29C (84F); nighttime average lows, 19C (66F). This town
is located in the tropics, but is in the Brazilian Highlands so it is not so hot
and humid here.
The coordinates of a farm near the town are:
Longitude & Latitude: 11 Deg., 28 Min., 10.26 Sec. South; 46 Degrees, 47
Minutes, 36.18 Seconds West
The Brazilian Highlands are on a plateau dotted with irregular mountains and
crossed by river valleys. The highlands separate Brazil's inland regions from a
narrow coastal plain that stretches from Ceará in the north-east to the
Uruguayan border in the south.
Directions and traveling tips:
1. Fly in to Brazil. There are plenty of choices of carriers to Brazil, with Rio
de Janeiro and São Paulo being the most usual points of arrival. The closest
major city to this land is the national capital, Brasilia.
2. From there, you will need to travel by one of Brazil's several domestic
airlines or by bus to Palmas, BRAZIL (the capital city of the State of
Tocantins). Some of Brazil's domestic airlines include: Varig, GOL, and TAM From
USA, you can also call TAM at: 1-888-235-9826 or 1-888-2FLY-TAM. If you plan to
do a fair amount of traveling within Brazil, think about buying an air pass with
your main ticket. These passes offer substantial savings, but can only be bought
outside South America with your international ticket. Brazilian air passes are
valid for stays between 3 days (minimum) and 21 days (including the day of
departure) and are only available to foreigners and Brazilians residing abroad.
They are issued by the major domestic Brazilian air carriers: TAM and Varig.
3. There is daily bus service from Palmas to Dianopolis. The name of this bus
company is REAL EXPRESSO. The fare is about R$30 ($15 USD). Dianopolis is the
nearest big city where you can rent a car to drive to Rio da Conseicao, which is
about 20 miles away.
If you would rather investigate by mail rather than in person, you can contact
the land office clerk by mail to seek verification of availability of the free
city lots. Send your inquiry letters to:
CARTORIO GONCALVES
OFICIAL TABELIA
AVENIDA PRATA, QD. 31, LT. 14, CENTRO
RIO DA CONSEICAO, TOCANTINS 77.303-000
BRASIL
Copy and paste the following letter in Portuguese:
Saudações Cartorio Goncalves,
Eu estou inquirindo sobre a cidade muitos que você tem oferecido livre para
qualquer um que construirá uma casa lá dentro um ano. Se isto é correto, e se
existem qualquer muitos quieto disponível por favor deixar-me conhecer. Eu estou
incluindo um pouco de dinheiro para cobrir o custo de taxa postal e seu tempo em
responder.
Muito obrigado para seu tempo neste assunto. Eu espero receber uma resposta de
você logo.
Sinceramente,
Please do not write to her in English. She will not try to have your letter
translated if you write in English. She will simply file your English letter in
the "circular file." Writing to the land clerk in English is not only a waste of
time, but demonstrates cultural insensitivity and would be considered insulting.
The following is the English translation for your reference, but you should not
mail this version to the land clerk.
Greetings Cartorio Goncalves,
I am inquiring about the town lots that you have been offering free for anyone
who will build a house there within one year. If this is correct, and if there
are any lots still available please let me know. I am enclosing some cash to
cover the cost of postage and your time in responding.
Thank you very much for your time in this matter. I hope to receive a reply from
you soon.
Sincerely,
Sign your name here
You should not expect her to pay international postage to reply to your inquiry.
If you expect a reply, I'd suggest you put some cash in the envelope.
Immigrants who obtain permanent residency in Brazil may make one duty free
household move to Brazil. This is well worth the time, effort, and expense. Much
of the tax revenue collected in Brazil is on imported goods. If you do make a
duty free household move, you would only have to pay for shipping your household
to Brazil, but no taxes or duties.
If you want to obtain permanent residency you can contact an immigration lawyer
in Brazil who speaks English.
Immigration Lawyer:
Dr. Jamil Abdo
Abdo & Abdo Advogados Associados S/C - OAB/RS 172
Rua Cinco de Abril, 258 - Caixa Postal 777 - 93310-070
Novo Hamburgo - RS
Brasil
Telefone: 55 (51) 3594.6480
Fax: 55 (51) 3593.5692
The author, Arthur Wyss is a resident of Beijing, China. He specializes in
immigration assistance for those who wish to live in Brazil. He also operates
Brazil Land Sales, which primarily sells land in the State of Tocantins, Brazil.
He is the former President of Adventure Spa Cruise. His website is:
http://www.brazil-land-sales.com/index.htm