JURISDICTION FILE
Brazilian law gives creditors a weapon most jurisdictions do not: the Duplicata. A trade bill that, once protested at the Cartório de Protesto, becomes a Título Executivo Extrajudicial — an enforceable title without a court judgement. File an Ação de Execução and go straight to asset seizure. Brazil's courts are slow. But with the right title, you skip the queue.
HOW WE COLLECT HERE
"Nos termos da Lei nº 5.474/1968 e do artigo 784 do Código de Processo Civil, a presente duplicata foi levada a protesto perante o Cartório de Protesto competente. O devedor fica intimado a efetuar o pagamento no prazo de 3 (três) dias."
Brazil is Latin America's largest economy, the world's ninth largest by GDP, and one of the most complex commercial jurisdictions on earth. Brazilian debtors are not inherently resistant to paying. They are resistant to paying creditors who do not understand Brazilian law.
Brazilian commercial debt collection operates under the Código Civil (Lei 10.406/2002), the Código de Processo Civil (Lei 13.105/2015), and the Lei das Duplicatas (Lei 5.474/1968). Statutory interest under Article 406 CC references the SELIC rate — among the highest of any major economy.
CPC Art. 784 · Lei 5.474/1968 · Lei 11.101/2005
Duplicata protested at Cartório = Título Executivo. SELIC rate + Correção Monetária = severe default interest. SISBAJUD: simultaneous bank freeze across all Brazilian banks.
The Duplicata is a uniquely Brazilian trade bill. Once protested at the Cartório de Protesto, it becomes a Título Executivo Extrajudicial under Article 784 CPC, allowing the creditor to file an Ação de Execução directly — bypassing the slower Ação de Cobrança (2-4 years).
The Protesto registers the debtor's default with Serasa and SPC within 24 hours. The debtor is cut off from the formal credit market. It costs a fraction of court proceedings and takes days.
NOTIFICAÇÃO
Formal demand
Registered letter or Cartório notification. In Portuguese. Statutory interest running.
PROTESTO
Credit destruction
Filed at Cartório. Serasa/SPC blacklist within 24 hours. Devastating for debtor.
AÇÃO DE EXECUÇÃO
Direct execution
With Título Executivo. Skip ordinary proceedings. Go straight to seizure.
SISBAJUD
Electronic bank freeze
Simultaneous freeze across every bank in Brazil. Automated. Immediate.
With a Título Executivo, the court issues a seizure order. Bank account seizure through SISBAJUD is electronic and freezes accounts across every bank in Brazil simultaneously. Without a Título, the creditor must pursue an Ação Monitória — faster than ordinary proceedings but slower than execution.
JURISDICTION BRIEFING
How InterStation collects in Brazil — a 90-second briefing
Foreign judgements require Homologação by the Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ), typically taking 12-24 months. Brazil is a signatory to the New York Convention for arbitral awards. For commercial transactions, structuring to generate a Duplicata is the single most important contractual decision.
When a Duplicata is protested, the debtor appears on Serasa and SPC within 24 hours. Credit market access — gone. Overnight. The Protesto costs a fraction of court proceedings and takes days, not months.
SISBAJUD bank freeze
Electronic freeze across every bank in Brazil — simultaneously.
Serasa/SPC blacklist
Instant credit exclusion upon Protesto. Devastating for the debtor.
Ação Monitória
Hybrid procedure for evidence short of Título Executivo. Faster than ordinary.
STJ Homologação
Foreign judgement domestication. 12-24 months. Arbitration preferred.
ENFORCEMENT PROTOCOL
Formal demand via Cartório or registered mail. Citing Lei 5.474/1968 and the Duplicata. Legal instruments, not complaints.
DAY 0: Notificação Extrajudicial. Formal demand via Cartório or registered mail. Citing Lei 5.474/1968 and the Duplicata. Legal instruments, not complaints.The Duplicata is protested. Within 24 hours: the debtor appears on Serasa and SPC. Credit market access — gone. Overnight.
DAY 10: Protesto at Cartório. The Duplicata is protested. Within 24 hours: the debtor appears on Serasa and SPC. Credit market access — gone. Overnight.With the protested Duplicata as Título Executivo, the creditor goes straight to execution. The court issues a Mandado de Penhora.
DAY 30: Ação de Execução filed. With the protested Duplicata as Título Executivo, the creditor goes straight to execution. The court issues a Mandado de Penhora.Electronic bank freeze across every bank in Brazil — simultaneously. Assets seized. SELIC interest plus monetary correction.
DAY 45+: SISBAJUD Bank Freeze + Penhora. Electronic bank freeze across every bank in Brazil — simultaneously. Assets seized. SELIC interest plus monetary correction.Formal demand via Cartório or registered mail. Citing Lei 5.474/1968 and the Duplicata. Legal instruments, not complaints.
DAY 0: Notificação Extrajudicial. Formal demand via Cartório or registered mail. Citing Lei 5.474/1968 and the Duplicata. Legal instruments, not complaints.The Duplicata is protested. Within 24 hours: the debtor appears on Serasa and SPC. Credit market access — gone. Overnight.
DAY 10: Protesto at Cartório. The Duplicata is protested. Within 24 hours: the debtor appears on Serasa and SPC. Credit market access — gone. Overnight.With the protested Duplicata as Título Executivo, the creditor goes straight to execution. The court issues a Mandado de Penhora.
DAY 30: Ação de Execução filed. With the protested Duplicata as Título Executivo, the creditor goes straight to execution. The court issues a Mandado de Penhora.Electronic bank freeze across every bank in Brazil — simultaneously. Assets seized. SELIC interest plus monetary correction.
DAY 45+: SISBAJUD Bank Freeze + Penhora. Electronic bank freeze across every bank in Brazil — simultaneously. Assets seized. SELIC interest plus monetary correction.FREQUENTLY ASKED
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