Guides & ebooks
Country entry playbook · LATAM edition

Hire across LATAM without the missteps.

Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile. Visa pathways, employer costs, salary bands and the regulatory traps, in one place.

Profile

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Brazil

Largest economy in LATAM. Deep engineering pool, complex labour code (CLT) demands a local touch.

EOR first

Population

215M

GDP growth

+2.9%

Currency

BRL

Business lang

Portuguese

At a glance

Employer cost~70 to 80% loaded (INSS, FGTS, 13th, vacation premium)
Notice period30 days + 3 days per year worked, capped at 90
Probation90 days (two periods of 45 typical)
13th monthStatutory 13th salary, paid in two instalments
Working week44 hours
Minimum wageBRL 1,518/month (2025)
Social insuranceINSS ~20% + FGTS 8% + RAT, education, system S contributions
Visa pathwayVITEM V (work) sponsored by local entity, RNM residence

Why hire here

  • 500K+ software developers, strong fintech, agritech and energy clusters
  • Time-zone aligned with US East Coast for nearshore engineering
  • Rich talent depth in São Paulo, Florianópolis, Recife and Belo Horizonte
  • Improving foreign-investor reforms and tax simplification underway

Watch-outs

  • CLT employment is heavily protected, dismissals trigger FGTS 40% fine
  • PJ (contractor) crackdowns, labour courts often reclassify as CLT
  • eSocial digital reporting is mandatory and unforgiving on errors
  • Tax reform (2024 to 2027) is reshaping ICMS, IPI and PIS/COFINS rules

Salary bands

Mid-level annual gross, in USD.

Indicative ranges for 3 to 6 years of experience. Total cash, excluding equity and statutory bonuses. Sourced from Robert Half LATAM 2025, Michael Page and our own placements. Treat as directional, not absolute.

Role
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🇲🇽
🇨🇴
🇦🇷
🇨🇱
Senior Software Engineer
$45 to $75K
$48 to $80K
$36 to $60K
$36 to $65K
$50 to $80K
Engineering Manager
$75 to $115K
$80 to $120K
$60 to $95K
$60 to $100K
$80 to $125K
Product Manager
$55 to $90K
$60 to $95K
$45 to $75K
$45 to $80K
$60 to $95K
Data Scientist
$50 to $80K
$55 to $85K
$40 to $68K
$40 to $72K
$55 to $85K
Sales / Account Director
$70 to $115K
$75 to $125K
$55 to $95K
$55 to $100K
$75 to $120K
Finance Controller
$60 to $95K
$65 to $100K
$48 to $80K
$48 to $85K
$65 to $100K
HR Business Partner
$45 to $75K
$50 to $80K
$36 to $62K
$36 to $65K
$50 to $80K

Hiring norms

The rules that catch teams out.

Working week

BR 44 hrs, MX 48 hrs (40-hr reform pending), CO 44 stepping to 42, AR 48, CL 44 stepping to 40 by 2028.

13th month & bonuses

Statutory 13th in BR, MX (aguinaldo), CO (prima) and AR (SAC). Chile relies on discretionary bonus.

Notice & probation

Probation 30 to 180 days, varies. Notice short or paid in lieu. Severance is the real cost on dismissal.

Termination

Brazil and Argentina are the most protective. Mexico requires just cause to avoid full severance. Chile most flexible.

Local quotas & rules

BR eSocial reporting, MX REPSE for services, CO parafiscales, AR sector convenios, CL Tech Visa fast-track.

Visa pathways

BR VITEM V, MX INM Temporary Resident, CO Migrante M visa, AR DNM temporary residence, CL Tech Visa under 3 weeks.

Entity vs EOR

The honest call across LATAM.

For Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, start on EOR and only convert past 20 to 25 hires. In Mexico and Chile, a direct entity can make sense earlier when you need to invoice locally, register with REPSE or claim sector incentives.

Dimension
EOR
Own entity
Time to first hire
24 to 72 hours typical
BR 8 to 12 wks. MX 4 to 8 wks. CO 4 to 6 wks. AR 6 to 10 wks. CL 2 to 4 wks.
Upfront cost
No setup fee
$5K (CL SpA) to $25K+ (BR Ltda with full tax onboarding)
Local director
Not required
Required in BR (resident legal rep). Customary in MX, CO, AR.
Paid-up capital
None
BR no minimum, MX MXN 1, CO COP 1+, AR ARS 100K+, CL no minimum
Compliance risk
Sits with the EOR
Sits with you and your local legal rep, plus local accountant
Sweet spot
1 to 20 hires per country
20+ hires, long horizon, local revenue or licensing needs
Wind-down
Offboard and stop
6 to 12 months in BR and AR, 3 to 6 months in MX, CO and CL
Score your fit in 6 questionsCost out a hire

Talk to our LATAM team

We hire and pay across LATAM every day.

Tell us where you are headed. We will map the fastest compliant path, including visas, payroll cut-off, severance reserves and conversion to entity if and when you outgrow EOR.

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