CNAE codes for consulting firms in Brazil
The main CNAE code for business consulting firms in Brazil is 7020-4/00 – Atividades de consultoria em gestão empresarial, exceto consultoria técnica específica (Business management consulting). Corporate training uses 8599-6/04, and IT consulting has its own code (6204-0/00). To prospect this segment, search codes 7020-4/00, 8599-6/04, 7490-1/99, 7320-3/00, 7490-1/04 as both primary and secondary CNAE, keep only active CNPJs, then filter by company size and city.
CNAE codes for business consulting firms
CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) is Brazil's official activity classification. Every company registered with a CNPJ declares one primary CNAE and any number of secondary ones. These are the CNAE 2.3 subclasses most used by business consulting firms:
| CNAE | Official description (pt) | English | When it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
7020-4/00 | Atividades de consultoria em gestão empresarial, exceto consultoria técnica específica | Business management consulting | Management, strategy, process and HR consulting |
8599-6/04 | Treinamento em desenvolvimento profissional e gerencial | Professional and management training | Corporate training and mentoring |
7490-1/99 | Outras atividades profissionais, científicas e técnicas não especificadas anteriormente | Other professional, scientific and technical activities | Independent consultants and technical niches |
7320-3/00 | Pesquisas de mercado e de opinião pública | Market research and opinion polling | Market research and intelligence firms |
7490-1/04 | Atividades de intermediação e agenciamento de serviços e negócios em geral, exceto imobiliários | Brokerage of services and business in general, except real estate | Business brokerage, sales advisory |
Search primary and secondary CNAE
Many business consulting firms register their real activity as a secondary CNAE, because the CNPJ was opened under another primary activity or because they do more than one thing. Consultants often combine 7020-4/00 with 8599-6/04 (training) and 7490-1/04 (business brokerage). Filtering on the primary code alone misses part of the market.
Who sells to business consulting firms
Consulting firms are lean, knowledge-based businesses that need a steady flow of new clients.
- Prospecting, CRM and scheduling tools
- Course, event and content subscription platforms
- Accounting and legal services for service providers
- Partnerships with software the consultancy implements for clients
How to build a list of business consulting firms in Brazil
- Pick the codes: start with
7020-4/00and add8599-6/04,7490-1/99,7320-3/00,7490-1/04depending on what you sell. - Search them as primary and secondary CNAE.
- Keep only active registrations (situação cadastral ativa) to drop unfit, suspended or closed CNPJs.
- Narrow by location (state, city, neighborhood) and company size (MEI, ME, EPP, other). Separate solo consultants (MEI or small ME) from firms with a team (EPP and above); they buy differently.
- Keep companies with contact data (email or phone) and save the filter as a reusable segment.
- Write a segment-specific opener and track replies in a pipeline.
1Lead runs all of these filters in one search over Brazil's public company registry, and its AI suggests adjacent CNAE codes from a plain-language description such as "I am looking for management consultancies serving manufacturers in São Paulo state as partners". The product interface is in Portuguese.
Qualification signals
- Primary 7020-4/00 with secondary 8599-6/04: the firm also sells training.
- Share capital and branches separate established firms from solo consultants.
- Recent opening date often means a corporate professional starting a practice.
How to approach this segment
Consultants respond well to partnerships, because your product can become part of what they deliver. Talk about pipeline for their own practice or a referral commission.
Example first message (in Portuguese, with translation)
Frequently asked questions
What is the CNAE code for business consulting in Brazil?
7020-4/00, business management consulting except specific technical consulting.
Which CNAE is used for IT consulting?
IT consulting has its own code: 6204-0/00. See the software and IT CNAE page.
Which CNAE covers corporate training?
8599-6/04, professional and management training.
Where is the official CNAE table?
IBGE publishes it in the CONCLA online search, with the full hierarchy (section, division, group, class, subclass) and notes on what each code includes and excludes.