BRAZIL: Stricter Documentary Requirements for Police Registration

January 8, 2018


Effective 27th December 2017, the Federal Police in Brazil have introduced a new documentary requirement for the mandatory in-country registration (“Registro Nacional Migratório” or RNM).

What has changed?

  • Applicants must now submit their original birth certificate (and marriage certificate if applicable), or a legalized copy, and a legalized copy of their police clearance certificate covering the last five years.
  • Copies must be notarized and legalized at the Brazilian Consulate abroad responsible for the jurisdiction where the document was issued, or apostilled under The Hague Convention, if the country is a signatory.
  • Certificates not in Portuguese must be accompanied by an original sworn translation into Portuguese, completed in Brazil.
  • Birth certificates must include the names of both parents.
  • In the event of the birth certificate not clearly stating the name of both parents, or of a disparity or abbreviation in the names of the parents, the applicant will have the option of presenting a recent, original consular attestation (“cedula consular”), in lieu of the certificate.

Previously, birth certificates were not required as long as another document was submitted stating both of the applicant’s parent’s names.

Our Advice

Employers should ensure that foreign nationals are prepared to submit all the required documents for the post-arrival police registration step, to avoid any delay.

For advice and information on Brazilian immigration in general, please email us at [email protected].