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Bordercase

Compare

Compare jurisdictions, side by side.

Pick up to 4 countries and see residency, company, banking, family, and risk notes line up. No prices, no marketing packages - just the working notes.

 HK flagHong Kong

Asia

LC flagSaint Lucia

Central America & Caribbean

BR flagBrazil

Latin America

OverviewHong Kong remains an active jurisdiction for company formation, banking introductions, and selected residency routes. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Hong Kong company-services and immigration partners.Saint Lucia is a Caribbean jurisdiction with a Citizenship by Investment programme launched in 2016. Bordercase coordinates with authorised local agents.Brazil is the largest Latin American economy with structured residency routes and growing remote-worker visa pathways. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Brazilian partners for filings.
Best for
  • Founders
  • Banking
  • Holding structures
  • English admin
  • Second passport
  • English admin
  • Caribbean residency
  • Latin America hub
  • Founders
  • Families
  • Digital nomads
CurrencyHKDXCDBRL
LanguageCantonese / EnglishEnglishPortuguese
Time zoneUTC+8UTC-4UTC-3
EU memberNoNoNo
SchengenNoNoNo
Residency

Hong Kong residency routes:

  • General Employment Policy (GEP)
  • Quality Migrant Admission Scheme (QMAS)
  • Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)
  • Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES) - recently revived
  • Dependant routes

Saint Lucia routes:

  • Citizenship by Investment (CBI) via fund contribution or approved real-estate investment
  • Standard work permits
  • Family routes

Brazilian residency routes:

  • Investor visa (VIPER / VITEM) - qualifying investment in a Brazilian business
  • Digital nomad visa - remote workers
  • Retirement visa - qualifying pension income
  • Family reunification
  • Employer-sponsored work permits
Company setup

Hong Kong Limited companies are widely used for trading and holding structures. Annual filings, audited accounts, and a company secretary are required. Substance expectations and BEPS-driven changes affect ongoing planning.

Domestic companies and IBCs are common in international structures.

Ltda and SA are the standard structures. CNPJ registration, state registrations, and Receita Federal tax registration follow. The MEI regime suits micro-entrepreneurs.

Banking

Local banking has tightened materially; some non-resident structures face long onboarding or rejection. EMIs and Singapore / Dubai banking are common alternatives. Bordercase coordinates introductions through current partners.

Banking is selective. Bordercase coordinates banking introductions through current partners.

Residency unlocks personal and corporate banking. Pix has changed everyday payments; SWIFT for international flows still requires careful KYC.

Family

Family relocation is supported on most residency routes. Schools (local, private, ESF, international) are competitive; international school waitlists are real.

CBI can include qualifying dependents.

Family reunification is supported on most routes. International schools (English, German, French, Japanese) are concentrated in São Paulo, Rio, and Brasília.

Risks

Risks Bordercase watches for in Hong Kong:

  • Company-only setups without substance face banking and audit friction
  • Banking has tightened materially
  • Political / policy shifts must be factored into long-horizon planning
  • Annual audit and filing discipline is real

Risks Bordercase watches for in Saint Lucia:

  • Programme parameters change
  • Due diligence has tightened
  • Reputational and revocation risks if information is misrepresented

Risks Bordercase watches for in Brazil:

  • Tax residency rules and worldwide-income reporting
  • Real-estate restrictions in certain border regions
  • Document apostille + Portuguese translation
Documents

Typical Hong Kong documents:

  • Passport
  • CV
  • Education certificates
  • Employment history
  • Company documents (where applicable)
  • Family certificates with notarisation

Typical CBI documents:

  • Passport
  • Due diligence questionnaires
  • Source-of-funds evidence (extensive)
  • Family certificates with apostille and translation

Typical Brazilian documents:

  • Passport
  • Apostilled foreign documents
  • Proof of income or investment
  • Photographs to specification
  • Brazilian consular application abroad for most routes

Country pages stay the authoritative source. This view is a side-by-side; nothing here promises a particular outcome.