Transportation research, which focuses on residential mobility, requires the collection of data that involves both individual and built environment aspects. In order to contribute to data collection in residential mobility, the aim of this article was to develop a method to create a research instrument from the initial phases to the final validations. Methodological aspects related to analysis, translation and adaptation of international research instruments, validations (content validity, face validity), statistical analysis of the pre-test, as well as internal consistency reliability and convergent and discriminant validations were addressed. It was concluded that by executing the methodological rigor of all stages of research instrument development, there is a high probability of success in data collection, as well as obtaining acceptable indices for scales, constructs, and variables, enabling replication of the research instrument.