When companies think about nearshoring from Europe, Portugal is often the first country that comes to mind. Brazil is less obvious for a European company, but it has a large and experienced technology community, and it shares a language and many cultural ties with Portugal.
At Boomit, we work with engineers in both countries. This article explains what each location offers and how teams across the two can work together in a consistent way.
What Portugal offers
For European companies, Portugal is close in every sense. It shares the same or nearly the same time zone as most of Western Europe, it is part of the European Union, and it uses the euro. Contracts, data protection rules and business practices are familiar.
The Portuguese technology sector has grown steadily, with strong universities and engineers who are used to working in English on international projects. Being in the same working day as your core team makes close collaboration easy.
Portugal is usually the natural choice when a team needs to work very closely with colleagues in Europe, attend many shared meetings, or meet in person regularly.
What Brazil offers
Brazil has one of the largest technology communities in the world, with experienced engineers across a wide range of technologies and industries. The country has a long tradition of software development for banking, e-commerce, telecommunications and other demanding sectors.
The time difference with Europe is larger, typically several hours. That may seem like a disadvantage, but it still leaves a useful overlap of a few hours each day, which is enough for stand-ups, reviews and planning. For some companies, the difference is even helpful, because it extends the working day or allows coverage later in the European afternoon and evening.
Brazil can be a good choice when a company needs access to a larger pool of candidates, specific skills that are hard to find, or a team that can scale over time.
A shared language and culture
Portugal and Brazil share the Portuguese language, and with it a lot of cultural common ground. This makes it natural for teams in both countries to work together. Documentation, informal conversations and team rituals flow easily between them.
For clients, the working language is usually English, and engineers in both countries are used to that. But the shared language underneath helps a mixed team build relationships and solve problems among themselves quickly.
One way of working
Having people in two countries only works if the experience is consistent. A client should not feel they are working with two different suppliers. We focus on a few things to keep it that way:
- The same hiring standards. Candidates in both countries go through the same assessment approach, adapted only where the local market requires it.
- The same expectations. Communication habits, availability during overlapping hours and the way work is reported are agreed upfront and apply to everyone.
- Clear overlap hours. For teams spanning both countries, we agree on fixed hours when everyone is available, and plan meetings within them.
- Written communication. Good documentation and written updates matter more when people are not always online at the same time.
- Regular contact. We stay in touch with engineers in both locations, so that issues are noticed early wherever they arise.
Choosing the right mix
Not every company needs both locations. Some prefer to keep everything in Portugal, close to their European teams. Others start in Portugal and add Brazil later as they grow, or for roles where the Portuguese market is particularly competitive. Some begin in Brazil because the profiles they need are easier to find there.
The right mix depends on how closely the team needs to work with you, how quickly you want to grow, and which skills you need. There is no single answer, and it can change over time.
Things to consider
A few practical points are worth discussing early: public holidays differ between the two countries, employment rules are different, and travel between Europe and Brazil takes more planning than a short flight to Lisbon. None of these are obstacles, but they should be part of the plan.
Talk to us
At Boomit, we build and extend software teams from both Portugal and Brazil, and we help companies decide which location, or which combination, fits their needs. If you would like to explore the options, we would be glad to talk. You can reach us at boomit.pt.