Seasonal work in Brazil: tropical harvests, grape picking and tourism jobs

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What seasonal work exists in Brazil?

Brazil is a continent-sized country with very different calendars. The temperate South harvests grapes and apples in the southern summer, the Southeast picks coffee and oranges in the dry season, and the irrigated Northeast produces fruit and melons almost year-round.

Coffee, the leading seasonal harvest

As the world’s largest coffee producer, Brazil harvests mainly from May to September. Southern Minas Gerais and the Cerrado Mineiro dominate arabica, while Espírito Santo grows conilon. Mechanisation is spreading, yet steep plots are still picked by hand.

• Minas Gerais: Sul de Minas, Cerrado Mineiro and Matas de Minas, May to September.
• Espírito Santo and Rondônia: conilon coffee, April to August.
• São Paulo: the Mogiana region, May to August.
• Bahia: western plateaus and Chapada Diamantina, April to September.

Fruit, grapes and sugarcane

The citrus belt of São Paulo and Minas Gerais picks oranges from May to January. The Serra Gaúcha harvests grapes from January to March around Bento Gonçalves. Apples in Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul are picked from January to April.

• São Francisco Valley: table grapes and mangoes, two harvests a year.
• Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará: melons from August to January.
• São Joaquim and Vacaria: apples from January to April.
• Sugarcane: harvested from April to November, now largely mechanised.

Seasonal tourism

Peak tourist season runs from December to Carnival in February or March, along the coast of Florianópolis, Búzios, Porto Seguro and the Northeast. June festivals fill Caruaru and Campina Grande, and Gramado hires for its year-end light festival.

Who can work in Brazil?

Tourist visas and visa-free entry for Europeans and many other nationals prohibit any paid activity. Foreigners need a visa or residence authorisation for work under the 2017 Migration Law, followed by a CPF tax number and registration of the employment contract.

The working holiday visa

Brazil offers working holiday visas to young French, German and New Zealand citizens aged 18 to 30, for a one-year stay. Applications go through the Brazilian consulate in the home country, with proof of funds and health insurance.

Mercosur residence

Nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and associated states such as Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru can obtain two-year temporary residence based on nationality, with the right to work throughout the country.

Standard work authorisation

For everyone else, the employer must request a residence authorisation for work from the competent ministry, which requires a formal contract and often qualifications. This route is very rarely used for low-skilled seasonal farm jobs.

Pay and working conditions

The national minimum wage is 1,621 reais per month from 1 January 2026, paid thirteen times a year thanks to the 13th salary. Several states, including São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, apply a higher regional floor for many occupations.

The safra contract

The 1973 Rural Work Law provides for the safra contract, whose length depends on seasonal variations in farm activity. At its end, the worker can withdraw the FGTS balance and receives the 13th salary and paid leave in proportion to months worked.

Temporary work in tourism

Hotels and restaurants use fixed-term contracts under the CLT labour code or temporary work through an authorised agency, for up to 180 days extendable by 90 days. Service charges, often 10 percent, are regulated by law and shared among staff.

Housing and meals

On large coffee or fruit farms, employers sometimes house pickers coming from other regions. Deductions for housing and meals are capped by rural labour law. In tourism, staff housing is rare outside large resorts and remote destinations.

How to find seasonal work in Brazil

The public SINE network and the Digital Work Card app publish vacancies, alongside farm cooperatives, rural unions and private job sites. In tourism, direct applications at the start of the season remain effective, especially in coastal towns.

1. Get the right status: working holiday, Mercosur residence or work authorisation.
2. Obtain a CPF tax number at a consulate or after arrival.
3. Activate the digital work card, the carteira de trabalho digital.
4. Check vacancies at SINE and municipal employment offices.
5. Contact cooperatives, farms and hotels before the season.
6. Sign a registered contract stating wage, duration and housing.
7. Keep payslips and records of FGTS deposits.

Mistakes and abuses to avoid

Labour inspectors still rescue workers from conditions analogous to slavery every year, particularly in harvests. In 2023, more than 200 grape pickers recruited by a subcontractor were rescued in the Bento Gonçalves area of Rio Grande do Sul.

• Accepting recruitment by a broker, known as a gato, who advances travel and housing costs.
• Working without a contract registered on the work card.
• Letting an employer hold your passport or documents.
• Accepting housing or food debts deducted from wages.
• Working on a tourist entry, even in hospitality.

Can working holiday visa holders pick coffee?

Yes, the working holiday visa allows temporary jobs, including farm work, under Brazilian labour law. In practice, manual coffee picking is physically hard and poorly paid, and tourism often offers better opportunities to young foreigners.

Do you need to speak Portuguese?

Yes, Portuguese is almost essential for harvest work and most tourism jobs. Spanish helps, but contracts, safety instructions and conversations with colleagues happen in Portuguese. English is mainly useful in international hotels and some tour operators.

How does FGTS work for seasonal staff?

Each month the employer deposits 8 percent of the salary into an FGTS account in the worker’s name. At the end of a fixed-term or safra contract, the worker can withdraw this balance, which becomes useful savings.

Which region suits a first season?

Southern Minas Gerais combines the coffee harvest with easy access to São Paulo. The Serra Gaúcha offers grape picking in a landscape shaped by European settlers. For tourism, Florianópolis and the northeastern coast hire heavily from December to March.