Transfer money to Brasil to purchase a property.

dzgreek

Short answer to your question is "yes" -- either way works.  To be added to your wife's account will require you to have BOTH a CPF and a RNM, Registro Nacional Migratório,  the registration number that a foreigner receives when her/his application for permanent residency has been accepted by the Federal Police.  In the very BEST of circumstances, you won't have that for a week or two after your arrival, and longer is more likely.  Your actual ID card,your CRNM, can take a couple of months, but once your application is accepted, you'll be given a document, a "Protocolo" that you can use as a temporary ID during the interim.
As you can see from the above, transferring the money from your joint account to your wife's account in her name will be quicker.  The bank-to-bank transfer itself only takes a day or two -- we did it ourselves a few months ago, when we purchased our apartment.  The Federal Police need to be advised in advance of large transfers coming from abroad to safeguard against money laundering, so it would be wise for your wife to contact her bank ahead of time to let them know how much money, from what source, and for what purpose, they should expect.  The Brazilian bank should take care of notifying the appropriate authorities.
It sounds like you're planning on applying for permanent residency in Brazil.  If so, you should obtain a VITEM XI visa, the temporary visa for family reunion, not a VIVIS (visitor) visa, or a VITUR, the old tourist visa that was eliminated in the legal reform last year, if you still have one and it's still valid,  Getting the VITEM XI will give you a head start on the documentation you'll need to apply for permanent residency with the Federal Police when you get here -- check their website for the full documentation requirements -- and it's the visa they'll be looking for.
If you and your wife registered your marriage with the Brazilian Consulate, make sure that you have the "Certidão" that they gave you, and bring it:  you'll need it to have your marriage transcribed into the official records in Brazil when you arrive.  If you didn't, you should have it done before you leave.
One final point.  US immigration law is much stricter in many areas than Brazilian immigration law.  I hope that you and your wife are aware that she can lose her Green Card if she is out of the United States for more than six months in any calendar year.  If you're buying property, that can be time-consuming, so just be aware that while the clock in Brazil is running on your request for permanent residency, the clock in the US is running on her Green Card.

Hi abthree!,
Thank you so much for your quick and detailed reply!
I will follow your directions to the letter!
Yes we know about time restrictions on the green card. At this point the move is more exploratory rather than permanent.
Thank you so much!!
D. Zoitopoulos

We are looking to move some money to Brazil. My wife was told she can only get 10,000 reals a year by the bank. The only exception is if you are buying property or a car something with a contract and we were told to use Western Union to transfer large sums by the bank. They  want to see a contract for the property you are buying.

New Brazil,

There are a number of ways to send money to Brazil through recent experience and heavy research.

I wouldn't send money money through your bank as the exchange rates offered are set by the bank themselves and not beneficial to you.

If you are sending a large amount of money to Brazil in one go I would use a brazilian money transfer company, they offer very competitive rates and will simply ask for proof of funds and where they originate from, you will not need to show a property purchase contract. Transfer fees are around £3 no matter how large the transfer. You can transfer to a business or personal account (doesn't have to be yours)

Another reliable and very well known company is currencyuk.co.uk they also offer excellent rates and no fees for transfers over transactions over £5k. The money arrives in Brazil usually within 48 hours. You can only transfer to a personal account (doesn't have to be yours)

If you would like to send money in stages then TransferWise are very good, they allow you to send 20,000 reals per month without having to show any documents. Sometimes the money arrives within a few hours. You can only transfer to a personal account. Everything is done via the app.

You should transfer your money sooner rather than later if you want to benefit from the exchange rate, as since the elections in Brazil the real is getting much stronger I.e. 3 weeks ago you would have got 5.28 reals for £1, today you will get around 4.82 reals for £1 and the real is getting stronger by the day.

Where are you based?
And where are are you purchasing a property in Brazil!?

Thanks,

NewBrazil
We just did this last May to purchase a new apartment.
The safest, most transparent way to transfer a large amount of money is a straight bank-to-bank transfer.  The myth that bank exchange rates are somehow invented and not competitive is a popular one on expat.com, but it's only that:  a myth.  Brazilian bank exchange rates generally line up favorably with internationally published rates.
Transfers of over R$10,000 may be scrutinized by the Federal Police to detect money laundering, so give your bank prior notice of the transfer, so they can file the proper notices in advance and prevent delays.
Good luck with your purchase!

What bank were you using we talked to Bank of Brazil. Did they give you any limit on how much and what kind of proof did you have to show. Thanks

Still State side. Leaving tomorrow for Sao Paulo. Bank needs a proof of sale of property in US to see where money comes from. I will have concrete info and I will post when I see the bank manager in wife's bank ( Bradesco) next week.

NewBrazil wrote:

What bank were you using we talked to Bank of Brazil. Did they give you any limit on how much and what kind of proof did you have to show. Thanks

My husband and I have both been customers of Banco do Brasil since my arrival as a permanent resident in November 2017.  We established our identities at the time we opened our accounts (two individual and one joint), and have been receiving regular monthly transfers there from my account in the US ever since.  As established customers with that kind of transaction record, the discussion was brief and cordial.  We showed them the documentation on the apartment that we had received from the seller showing that she had clear title with all taxes paid, and showed them that the purchase price,  plus estimated taxes and cost of the required renovations, equaled the amount of the transfer.  We had that discussion about a week before we were scheduled to pass papers, the money was in my account in a couple of days, and we closed right on schedule.