Brazil real‑estate transaction reforms

In July 2026 Brazil moved to tighten and streamline its property market. A Supreme Court ruling required the municipal transfer tax (ITBI) to be calculated on the actual price paid, banning the use of reference tables and shifting the burden of proof to public authorities. The decision was coupled with an online portal in São Gonçalo for filing ITBI requests, allowing electronic submission of deeds and contracts.

Soon after, the government advanced a broader modernization of property transactions. The nationwide Cadastro Imobiliário Brasileiro (CIB) unified land‑registry data, cutting the time needed for real‑estate deals from months to weeks and reducing due‑diligence costs. Parallel reforms by the Conselho Nacional de Justiça removed the mandatory public deed for certain fiduciary‑alienation clauses, keeping only the registry filing requirement. Together, the tax ruling and the digitisation measures aim to lower administrative burdens, improve legal certainty, and boost liquidity in Brazil’s real‑estate sector.