Brazilian Visas, Residency and Citizenship

Marcus Zottis Rocha founded ZR Advogados and has practiced law in Brazil since 2012 and in Portugal since 2020. He holds an LL.B. from PUCRS (2011), a postgraduate qualification in Public Law from UFRGS (2013), and an LL.M. in Public International Law from the University of Lisbon (2024). He has also completed training in Legal English for Business Law & Contract Law (C1 Level – CEFR).

Through ZR Advogados in Lisbon, he gained broad experience advising international clients on cross-border matters. Recognising the demand for structured legal support for those moving to Brazil, he leads Zottis Sociedade Individual de Advocacia’s inbound immigration practice in Brazil — a distinct offering that builds on that experience but is not the same as the Lisbon office.

His practice focuses on immigration law, citizenship, human rights, business, and international legal matters. Having lived in Portugal as an expat, he brings personal insight into the migration journey and advises with clarity, empathy, and strategic judgment.

Catherine Rezende Barros has practiced law since 2017 between Brazil and Portugal, where she began her professional practice in 2018. She holds an LL.B. from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2017) and an LL.M. in Civil Law from the University of Lisbon (2024), with research focused on arbitration.

Her experience in Portugal and Brazil covers immigration, visas, citizenship, and arbitration, with a strong international dimension in personal and asset-related matters. That cross-border perspective supports Zottis Sociedade Individual de Advocacia’s work for clients who plan to live legally in Brazil while staying closely connected to the firm’s wider practice culture.

As someone who has navigated international relocation herself, she provides attentive legal support to families, women, and clients seeking stability in a new jurisdiction.

Thais Alves Pinto holds degrees in Law and International Relations from PUC-SP, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective that is particularly valuable in matters involving human rights and international mobility.

She also studied International Relations at Sciences Po Paris and Law at Coimbra University.

Thais has experience with refugee protection, statelessness, naturalization, visas, residence authorizations and access to rights in Brazil, as she worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Federal Public Defender’s Office, at the Reference Center for Immigrants (CRAI Oriana Jara) and at Caritas Archdiocesan of São Paulo.

Her background strengthens our ability to handle complex immigration cases.