If you create UGC for brands in Brazil, the standard way to formalize your activity is the MEI (Microempreendedor Individual), Brazil's simplified regime for one-person businesses. Registering as MEI gives you a free CNPJ (business tax ID), lets you issue the official invoice called a nota fiscal, costs a small fixed monthly payment (the DAS), and keeps your social security contributions current. Registration is fully online through the government's Portal do Empreendedor and takes under an hour. This guide covers who can use MEI, how to open one, which activity code to pick, what it costs, and what to do when you outgrow it. One honest caveat: this is general information, not accounting advice. DAS amounts and the revenue ceiling are adjusted periodically, so confirm current figures with a contador (Brazilian accountant) or on the official portal.
Why formalizing matters for UGC creators in Brazil
You can shoot your first videos as a private individual, and many creators start that way. But once UGC becomes recurring income, formalizing stops being paperwork and becomes a sales tool:
- Larger brands require a nota fiscal. A mid-size or large company's finance team will not pay a supplier without an invoice. Without a CNPJ, you are limited to small brands and informal deals.
- You look like a professional supplier, which changes how brands treat you in negotiations.
- Your income is clean at tax time, instead of recurring payments landing in a personal account with no formal structure behind them.
- You keep social security coverage. The DAS includes your INSS contribution, opening access to retirement, disability and maternity benefits.
If you are still building a portfolio and landing your first orders, start with our guide on how to become a UGC creator. Formalizing makes the most sense once orders arrive regularly.
What is MEI and who can use it?
MEI turns you into a one-person microbusiness with the lightest possible obligations. The general conditions:
- Annual revenue within the MEI ceiling. There is a gross revenue limit per year, adjusted from time to time; check the current figure on the Portal do Empreendedor.
- You cannot be a partner or owner of another company.
- You can employ at most one person.
- Your activity must be on the list of MEI-permitted occupations, the point that trips up digital workers most often (see the CNAE section below).
If one of these rules you out, the usual path is opening an ME (microempresa) under the Simples Nacional regime, with a contador's help.
How do you open a MEI?
- Create or upgrade your gov.br account, the government's single login, ideally verified to silver or gold level.
- Go to the Portal do Empreendedor and select the formalization option.
- Fill in your personal details and address, including where you work (your home is fine).
- Choose your primary and secondary occupations, which set the CNAE codes on your CNPJ.
- Download your CCMEI certificate. Your CNPJ is issued immediately, free of charge.
Watch out for a common scam: MEI registration is free and happens only on the official portal. Sites charging an "opening fee" or a monthly fee to "manage your MEI" are selling something you do not need. After registering, check whether your city hall requires a municipal registration to issue service invoices, and consider a free business bank account to keep work income separate.
Which CNAE code fits a UGC creator?
There is no CNAE code called "UGC creator". You pick the code that describes the service you actually deliver to brands: audiovisual content production, photography, marketing and advertising support services, or design are the most common routes, combining a primary occupation with secondary ones.
Two cautions. First, not every digital activity is on the MEI-permitted list, and the list changes over time, so confirm your chosen code is accepted before finalizing. Second, your CNAE shapes the wording on your invoices, so it must reflect what you genuinely sell: for product demo videos, a content production or marketing services code makes sense, while an unrelated code can cause tax problems later.
How much does MEI cost? The monthly DAS
The fixed cost of MEI is the DAS, a monthly payment of a set amount, due regardless of what you earned that month. It is calculated as a small percentage of Brazil's minimum wage plus a token tax depending on your activity, so it changes whenever the minimum wage does. Check the current figure in the official MEI app rather than trusting last year's number.
Beyond the DAS, obligations come down to keeping a simple monthly record of revenue (a spreadsheet is enough) and filing the DASN-SIMEI, a free annual revenue declaration. Falling behind on DAS payments accrues interest, interrupts INSS coverage, and can get your CNPJ cancelled.
These fixed costs belong in your pricing. For how to set rates and build packages that comfortably cover taxes and equipment, see our guide on UGC creator rates and getting paid.
How do you issue a nota fiscal to brands?
As a service provider you issue an NFS-e, the electronic service invoice. The national NFS-e system covers most municipalities, via website or app, though some city halls still run their own. Setup happens once; after that an invoice takes minutes: the brand's tax ID, a service description, and the amount. Invoicing foreign brands is also possible as a service export, which has its own rules, exactly the kind of detail worth confirming with a contador if international clients become a meaningful share of your income.
When do you outgrow MEI?
MEI is a starting point, not a career ceiling. The signs it is time to move on: annual revenue approaching the MEI limit, wanting to hire more than one person, or wanting business partners. The natural next step is migrating to an ME under Simples Nacional, where tax becomes a percentage of revenue instead of a fixed amount. Crossing the ceiling is a sign of growth, not a penalty; the key is planning the transition with a contador before you hit the limit.
If you are comparing markets, the same logic applies elsewhere with different regimes: in France, the functional equivalent of MEI is the micro-entrepreneur status, covered in our guide on becoming a UGC creator in France.
Getting paid safely: escrow on a marketplace
Formalizing solves the tax side; escrow solves the risk of not getting paid. On UGC MATCH, your creator profile and packages are free: the brand pays at the moment of ordering, the money is held in escrow via Stripe, and it is released to you once the video is approved. You keep 90% of every order; the 10% commission applies only to completed orders, with no subscription and no listing fee. Guaranteed payment on one side, your MEI invoice on the other: fully professional at both ends of the transaction.
Create your free creator profile on UGC MATCH →
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a MEI before starting UGC work in Brazil? No. You can do your first videos as a private individual while testing the activity. MEI becomes worthwhile once UGC turns into regular income, or as soon as a brand requires a nota fiscal to close the order.
How much does it cost to open and maintain a MEI? Opening is free on the Portal do Empreendedor. Maintaining it costs the monthly DAS, a fixed amount pegged to the minimum wage, plus the free annual DASN-SIMEI declaration. Check the current DAS amount in the official MEI app.
Can I invoice a brand outside Brazil with a MEI? Yes. Invoicing a foreign client counts as a service export and follows specific rules. If international clients become a meaningful part of your income, confirm the details with a contador.
What happens if I exceed the MEI revenue ceiling? You must leave the MEI regime and migrate to another category, usually an ME under Simples Nacional, where tax is a percentage of revenue. Track your revenue during the year and plan the migration with a contador before crossing the limit.
