Part 7: After Giving Birth in Brazil, Here’s What You Do Next



An example of how an infant's passport will look

An example of how an infant’s passport will look

I’ll never forget holding my swaddled little baby girl for the first time while gazing over the beach from our apartment window.

As I was looking at her, a culmination of feelings hit me but one main feeling stood out above others: “This little girl is beautiful…and she’s Brazilian!”

Then the sense of accomplishment hit me like a ton of bricks, all of these months of planning and hard work to make that one moment happen were over… and the mission was accomplished – we had a Brazilian child.

So the hardest part was over and the next steps would be a piece of cake compared to what we had to go through to figure out everything alone – which you hopefully wont have to with this guide I’ve made for you.

After having gone through these next steps, I’ve decided to share them with you today.

Here they are:

  1. Get a birth certificate.
  2. Get a passport for the baby.
  3. Apply for residence.

Note: if you haven’t read any of the previous posts in this series, I would recommend that you check out the main page first

Note 2: your baby receives citizenship upon birth regardless of the parents’ citizenship!

Let’s do this!

Getting a Brazilian Birth Certificate for Your Baby

When your baby is born, the hospital you are staying at will fill out a yellow form called a “Declaração de Nascimento Vívo” (Declaration of Live Birth) that looks like the below example.

This document is referred to locally as the “ficha amarela” (yellow form) as it used to always be yellow, it has since changed color to white.

Within the document it contains all of the necessary information about your baby’s birth to get your birth certificate – including an imprint of your baby’s foot for proof.

After you have this document from the hospital, then you are ready to get the Brazilian birth certificate.

The next part has to be done at a “cartório” (notary public).

What to do at the “cartório” (notary public)



In Brazil, all birth certificates are offered free of charge at the cartórios but there are a few things you will need to make sure to have in place before you go:

  1. 2 Brazilian witnesses
  2. The baby.
  3. The mother and father.
  4. Your CPF numbers
  5. Proof of residence

The first 4 of 5 are pretty straight forward: you need 2 Brazilian to vouch for the child’s birth, the baby (obviously), the mother and father, your CPF numbers and a proof of residence.

A cartório must be within your jurisdiction, i.e. you can’t just choose any old cartório and go with it, it must be the one that has jurisdiction over the city you live in.

The most difficult of the 5 is the CPF number and proof of residence.

I have a guide for getting your CPF Number here but here’s a little explanation about the proof of residence.

A proof of residence can be a notarized letter with your CPF number on it from your landlord stating you reside there, a utility or cell phone bill with your name on it or the like.

Chances are that if you are in Brazil on a tourist visa or the like, you will need to go with the landlord proof of residence route.



An example of a baby's birth certificate.

An example of a baby’s birth certificate.

But the proof of residence must be notarized from the cartório where your landlord has his signature on file!



As soon as you have all of the above 5 requirements together, you just show up at the cartório and ask them to process the birth certificate.

After a few minutes and a few stamps and signatures – viola! You now have your baby’s birth certificate!

With this Brazilian birth certificate, a whole new world of opportunities have just opened for you and your child – congratulations!

Getting a Passport at the Policia Federal

If you are planning on travelling back to your home country to then come back at a later time or to visit and show off your new little one, you’ll need a passport.

Getting the passport is pretty straight forward compared to a normal passport and only takes about a week or so.

You apply at your local Polícia Federal and pick it up when it’s ready there as well.

There is one major difference when applying for a baby’s passport compared to an adult or child one: you must provide your own picture of your baby, they will not take one for you.

How to take and make a baby passport picture



Here are a few simple steps to do it yourself:

  1. Take a clear headshot with your camera on a white background with no head coverings (see my baby’s picture in the top of this post).
  2. Go to , choose “Brazil”, upload the picture and create the image
  3. Save it onto a CD/DVD or SD card.
  4. Bring it to a store that prints pictures and you can either choose to print passport pictures on the machine or ask the attendant to help you.
  5. Use that final picture for the passport application.

When applying for a passport, you will first need the documentation at , which includes printing out a form and paying the passport fee at any Banco do Brasil:

After you have paid the fee and have proof of it, you take a number at the Polícia Federal reception desk and wait your turn.

As soon as it’s your turn, you sit down with an officer, submit your application with proof of payment, birth certificate and the picture.

It will then be processed and you should receive a letter in the mail telling you that your passport is ready.

You can count on it taking at least 1 week to come through but there are expedited services if needed.

Applying for Residence Based on a Brazilian Dependent

In this part of the post, I’ll give you a rundown of must know information and cover the actual step-by-step how to in another post (too long for this post).

Now that you have a Brazilian child, you can stay in Brazil as long as you want regardless of your current , citizenship or criminal background (if you have one)!

And to top it off, you will get official work permission too (Carteira de trabalho).

Residency based on a Brazilian child is one of the only two Visa types that can be applied from within Brazil – I.e. you can switch visas without having to leave the country.

Moreover, there is one extremely important piece of information that you must know: you CANNOT apply for this visa from the outside of Brazil, it must be done from within the country.

The Process of Applying for Permanent Residence Based on a Brazilian Child



You can either:

  1. Apply directly at the Polícia Federal within your jurisidiction or
  2. Use a visa agency from within Brazil (my team can help you take care of this).
  3. Apply from an embassy in your country of residence (some don’t allow this).

The advantage of applying in person is that you will save money but then you will have to deal with the bureaucracy involved.

When you apply for permanent residence based on a Brazilian child, you will get a “protocolo”, which is basically a piece of paper that has your protocol number that will be used as temporary ID until your visa goes through.

With this protocol document, you can use it to re-enter the country, as ID instead of a RNE (A foreign Brazilian identity card) in order to open a bank account and other things that require Brazilian ID.

Be aware that not all places accept the protocol document as a substitution. However, it should take about 40 days for your RNE ID card to come through once your application has been submitted with the Polícia Federal.

Final Words



It was tough to get the must knows after birth into one post and I hope that what you needed to know was included, if not then please ask.

Feel free to ask anything below in the comments section for other’s to benefit too.  If it’s too personal, then feel free to contact me.

If you still have questions about giving birth in Brazil, this is a very handy list of to take a look at.

If you feel like you’d like some hands-on help,  please complete this enquiry form and I’ll get back to you with a package that’s tailored to suit your needs. With the help of my team, I offer a range of services at reasonable prices that will take the stress and confusion out of your move, leaving you to focus on the important things, like giving birth and planning your family’s new and exciting future in Brazil! 

Cheers – valeu!

Kevin

P.S. give this a thumbs up if it was helpful 🙂

Posts from the Giving Birth in Brazil series:

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  • hi kevin, my tourist visa is expired already. in this case would I be categorized as non-domiciled tourist? we are expecting our baby in 2 weeks. so would it be possible to get CPF number on time and not delaying obtaining the birth cert for our baby? it is really troublesome to extend the tourist visa or even getting married here. hope you could help on this. thanks.

    • Hey Kris, not sure about your categorization other but the CPF won't be an issue.
      You get your number right away and then the card arrives after about 1 week.

      After your baby is born, then everything will be fine again visa wise.
      I hope that helps!

    • The temporary is one step easier but it would be much more worth it to go the permanent route as you will have it forever.

  • thanks so much for the info. do u know of any genuine visa agencies in brazil? plz send me a link, thank u so much.

    • Hello Naomi! Send me an e-mail to let me know where you are located and I’ll look into it for you!

      My e-mail is kevin(at)liveinbrazil.org or you can click on the “Contact Me!” tab above.

      Thanks!

      • hello dearest i am from afghanistan I was coming brazil to visit with my wife around a month before my baby born in brazil he is brazilIan and I am happy but need your help this is my email address

  • Amazing article and experience, well done …I am outside brazil and I will be going through this process very soon as we are expecting our first baby..I have two questions if you don’t mind, do we need two CPF number myself and my wife, or one is enough, and when we get the protocol do we need to stay in he country to follow up on process or agency can do it, can we get in one year iOS six month if we pay money. Knowing that we will deliver the baby in São Paulo. Thank s

    • Thanks!

      You will need a CPF number for yourself and wife.

      After applying for the visa, you can expect a home visit usually within a few months from the Federal Police, so it’s best to be there.

      But no worries as you can always apply after your child becomes a citizen.

      You can get the process sped up a bit if you use an immigration lawyer or agency, you will have to check with them to find out if and how much they can do that.

      • Do both parents have to be in Brazil to get baby’s birth registered and obtain passport? Or only mother can do it.

        • Did you find out or get any answer if both parents have to be in Brazil to get the baby’s birth registered and to get the child’s passport? Was this possible? Please share your experience.

  • Is it imperative to apply for permanent residency right away, or can I just get a Brazilian passport for my theoretical baby and then come back later, when I’m ready to apply for permanent residency?

    I guess it seems kinda silly and overcomplicated for me to consider doing it like that. Alas, I can only get four months of maternity leave and I’m not ready to give up my (amazing!) job quite yet. But my biological clock is ticking and I really want to give my child the gift of dual nationalities… it’s just so handy.

  • my brazilian wife is pregnant with my baby and i am living with her here on a expired tourist visa when she has the baby will i still be granted a permenant resident visa even though i am here on a tourist visa that has expired

  • Have some questions bro!! Can I email you or FB! My wife (american) and I are living here in Rio on my work visa and just found out we are expecting:-) Thanks for this info and experience!!!

  • Kevin,

    Are you still living in Floripa?

    I have an expired student visa for about a year now- means i am living here illegally for a year..I am living with my live-in partner which is also on the same boat. I am 2 months pregnant now. Here are my doubts;

    1. Do you think we will have problems finding hospitals because we are living here illegally?
    2. when the baby arrives, will i be granted a permanent visa?
    3. Does my live-in partner will be granted the same visa even we are not married officially? or we need to get married first?

    Thank you in advance.

    • Hey!

      Am going to be in Denmark for a month or so but back in beginning of December.

      No problems with hospitals, yes you’ll get the visa, yes your partner will get the same visa without being married 🙂

      Don’t know if I mentioned it, but I’ll cover the birthing option in more detail in my free video series:

      Tchau!

  • can i just say im almost crying?! I am pregnant, so blame it on the hormones if you need to! but this site seems to answer ALL the questions that have been panicking me for the last few months! I knew we would get their eventually but to have such an in depth ( in English!) guide to help us navigate the next few months of giving birth and getting residency here has made me so happy. I cant wait to check out the rest of your guide and videos. i know things are different state to state but at least we have some kind of basis now! Thank you so much! if you are ever in Recife, please let us know we will take you out to a Churrasco to show you how grateful we are! Laura and the Bump ( aka Pipoca!)

  • Hello again, am curious, any news on the more in-depth “Applying for Permanent Residence Based on Brazilian Child” post?? Thank you!

  • what if we are staying in one of the hotels? how could we get a proof of residency then? is the hotel bill with our names, CPF number on it will be considered as proof of residency?

  • i have an brazilian baby now i have lot of problem to take my brazilian porotoclo, they say because my visa validate was for one month now we can not help you, what is the good way for me? i went to police federal about 5 or 6 times that 3 times was with son and mother of son but still have same problem, everthing is ok just they say my visa is expire i am living here from about 10 months ago

  • I have one brazilian baby he has 3 months and i live here about 13 months i want to share you very important things,
    1. i have a protocal number same like that photo that is shared in this post,
    2. I have CPF
    but what i faced to problem is:
    when i went to bank to open an account they told me they want Siclit and some bill of my house like monthly payment of electronic or water or anything that is registered by my name, want to tell you what is siclet it is a paper that approve that i am living here and something else that should talk with the police federal that you taken your protocol id,
    how did i understand all this problem when contract with a website company and final the month they told me that give me the number of your bank account of brazil then i faced to this problem, that still i do not know what should i do? i am going to talk with police federal maybe they will help me,
    one more thing if you really want a baby then during staying in Brasil your visa should not be expired otherwise you will have lot of problem to take your protocol number if you want i will tell you all where you will face to problem it is easy before expiring your visa just go police federal and tell them your wife or girlfriend is pregnant and you can not leave her alone then they will give you more 6 months visa

    • if father is not in Brazil, can mother still apply for citizenship or both parents have to be in Brazil? please reply.

  • Hello, i have overtayed my visa given i was pregnant when the time expired, now my son is 4 months old and i want to marry my brazilian fiance. but of course we need to head to the policia federal to apply for a permanencia, the question is, will i need to pay that dreaded multa for overstaying? and will it takes longer for me to be able to get married or once i am legal again with a protocolo can i get married? any info would be great, thanks!!

  • Me and my wife got protocol num.and cpf card we are here on refugee status .if my wife giving a birth to the child so within how many month we will get paasport of all three of us ?. Plsss reply .

  • I am so keen to have the Brazilian passport, I am planning to have my child born in Sao Paulo but I can’t live in Brazil for a year and leave my work in Dubai. But I am planning to go to Brazil from time to time after the baby is born. Will I still be able to get the Brazilian passport within two years if I am not living permanently in Brazil.

  • What if the child’s father isn’t present? At any point, are the authorities likely to research your reasons for being in the country? And I think I only have three months on my tourist visa, if that would be enough time.

  • Hello thank you for your post it’s do helpfull.
    I was searching about how much the tax costs once my husband’s turist visa expired and we need to pay it in order to start the procedure to get the permanent visa for him.
    Does someone have any idea?
    Thank you.
    Nayara

  • Hello, thank you so much for this post it was very helpfull.
    I’de like to know if anyone has an idea of how much the dreaded multa for overstsying would cost.
    How much per day do they charge?
    Thanks

  • Hi kevin
    read your post .its quite interesting and informative . I am planning to deliver my baby in brazil in december .i already have two daughters (6 years and 1 year).
    i have some questions
    1: how is it possible to get resident address on a tourist visa as required for the birth certificate
    2: how long does it take to get the babys passport after submitting all the doc.
    3: after i submit my permanent residency (with the child birth certificate ) how long it takes to get it approved
    4: after i get permanent residency approved will i be able to come and go to brazil as i wish or i have to apply for visa every time i decide to go to brazil
    5: what about my two daughters. . Will they be getting permanent residency as well or no .and if no
    6: how will they be able to get it

  • Can I marry with Brazilian girl…? last year 2014 I visit but I did not find to marry please any one can help me for this …?

  • Thanks for helping.
    I just want to, after how time parents of a brazilian child receive passport?
    And please if u tell, for this period of time parents have live brazil?

  • Hi all members and team.please is there anyone to answer my questions.i am in a relationship with a Brazilian but she don’t have a work yet.is that means that she can not sponsor me to reunificate with her in Brazil?what are the processes if we want to give a baby there?thank you so much

    • If you are the parent of a baby born in Brazil, whether you are working or married is irrelevant, you will have the right to permanent residency and all you need to do is show the baby’s birth certificate and your passport (and possibly birth certificate too) when you apply. This application can only be done in Brazil at the Federal Police closest to where you live.

  • Hey Kevin thanks for your posts.
    After getting the permanent visa based on a brazilian dependent, which are the steps to get the work visa?
    Should I go to Policia Federal or to Ministerio do Trabalho e Emprego (MTE) to get this work permission/visa?
    Thanks.

    • Yes go to the MTE to find out how to get your carteira de trabalho (if you have permanent residency, you don’t need another visa, you just need the carteira de trabalho)

  • Hi, I have two questions: 1) if a foreigner has a child in Brazil they get a residence permit but what happens when the child becomes 18 and is no longer financially dependent, then after about 18 years would my visa end? Secondly, if you have that residence permit and want to apply for citizenship but you have a criminal record from US then would that disqualify you, or can it be bypassed because you have a child there?

    • If you have a Brazilian child, you will always have the right to permanent residency. You just need to step foot in Brazil once every 2 years to keep your permanent residency visa active. A criminal record won’t affect your permanent residency but it will be a factor that is considered with your citizenship application. It depends on the crime and how long ago it was. I’d get in touch with an immigration lawyer who can help clarify. If you’re thinking of coming to Brazil to give birth, my team can help. Fill out this form and we’ll be in contact: https://liveinbrazil.org/want-to-have-your-baby-in-brazil/

  • Hi kevin,thanks alot for the useful information

    I wanna ask about the siblings, i have two boys their age when i ll give birth will be 7 years and 4 years ، they also will have the passport or the residency??

    And if you know contact of lawyer to finish with us the steps , to be more easier for us.

    • Your existing children are eligible for permanent residency, but your eldest child may have to wait until they are 18 before they can become a citizen, as there is a rule protecting children’s right to choose their own citizenship. You can contact who is an immigration lawyer based in Rio de Janeiro. Boa sorte!

  • Hi,

    I read this guide which is quite amazing. I am so much interested in giving birth in Brazil. This guide was so informative. We might need your services when we land. I am planning to travel at 34 weeks or so (hopefully) because I have work and my husband is too busy to plan a holiday ahead (should be around mid May).

    Can I ask you a quick question, If we apply for permanent residence after birth, cna we leave Brazil with the Protoclo document and come back later to collect the RNE or we should not leave the country until the permanent ID is issued?

    This is essential to our delivery plans in Brazil. Thank you so much

    • Hi Sarah, Basically you have a few options. If you give birth in Florianopolis, our team can collect your RNE for you and send them to you in your home country. Alternatively you can wait for them to be made (usually about 2 months). Or you can ask a Brazilian friend to collect them for you and post them to you (but you need to write a declaration at the cartorio giving them permission to do this.

  • Thanks a lot Kevin. I will need your help. I am planning to give birth in either Florianopolis or Sao Paulo. Are you offering services in both. Can we communicate via email better? my email is . I need your quotation and contact details to lift the beauracratic pressure off my shoulders please 🙂

  • how long does it take to finish paper work after child birth Kevin, like passposrt and applying for permanent rsidency (assuming i will not wait for the residency to be issued and will authorise you on our behalf)? My husband wants to leave in a week or so after birth :(. Is it possible that he cna apply from outside the country or come bakc later or maybe hire an agent like your team to do the proces son his behalf or he has to be present?

    • Hi Sarah, sorry for the late response and we may be too late in getting this information to you – but, if you are organised, you can have the paperwork sorted out in about 1-2 months after the baby is born. A week after the birth won’t be enough time to get his paperwork done, but at least you could get the baby’s certificate done with his name on it. That is important. He’d have to come back to the country at a later date to get his permanent residency application done.

    • If you give birth to a baby in Brazil without the father, you cannot get his name on the birth certificate, which means he has no right to come to Brazil as a permanent resident in future (unless you take the matter to a court at a later date and get the birth certificate updated, which still requires the father to be in the country). If you are married you MIGHT be able to get his name on the birth certificate without him being present in the country, but you will find it a total nightmare to do… Bsaically, if you want the baby’s father to have his rights, we recommend that he comes with you.

  • how long does it take to finish paper work after child birth Kevin, like passposrt and applying for permanent rsidency (assuming i will not wait for the residency to be issued and will authorise you on our behalf)? My husband wants to leave in a week or so after birth :(. Is it possible that he cna apply from outside the country or come bakc later or maybe hire an agent like your team to do the proces son his behalf or he has to be present?.

    • Your husband could get his name on the new baby’s birth certificate within a week, but it’s highly, highly unlikely that you’d get his permanent residency application done in this time. He could always apply at a later date, as he has a Brazilian child and will always have that right.

  • Hey Kevin! Awesome info! I wanted to ask you, if after I have my baby, I can ask for the Permanent Residence, in order to get the citizenship for me and my wife we need to live for a whole year in Brazil without leaving? It’s because I tend to travel a lot and my work hub is in another country, and obviously I’m not going to leave my wife in Brazil with the baby. Is it possible to have the PR and after one year we just fly back to Brazil and get citizenship for both of us?
    Thanks!

    • You need to live in Brazil for a year on that permanent residency visa. That means living in the country, not just visiting for long periods of time. You will be able to leave and return during this time but you need to explain and justify your absences from the country in your application.

  • Hello, great information this has helped me a lot with my current situation 🙂

    One thing I would say is that this article is from 2013 and there have been some small changes in the law since then including rights of same sex couples. I also couldn’t find anything in the official documentation saying that we require any Brazilian witnesses present.

    I don’t know if you want to do a revsion and in the meantime, people should try their best to get the most current information from their cartorio’s, embassy’s, foreign office’s and federal police’s respective websites/documentation.

    Also, advice to any foreigner in Brazil. Sometimes the spelling of your name is not the ‘norm’ here… even if the pronunctation is similar. The nurse will go ahead and right any old thing on the ‘Ficha Amerella’ and then correct it later with a scribble on the side. They can’t change this very easily after so please be with them and make sure each word is spelt correctly.

    Thanks again!

  • Hi Kevin

    I need you contact me on my e mail bozdagd at yahoo com my wife will give birth in brazil we need your help from your team also home birth possible we dont have problem visa and good to go in july or august 2017
    thanks
    Deha

  • Hi
    My name is mada I am from Lebanon.
    I went to brazil and I gave birth to my baby she is brazelian now. I had the permanent visa for 10 years .but because I live in Lebanon and left brazil it doesnt work any more.Now I want visit Brazil. What can I do ?

    • Hi Mada,

      You need to return to Brazil (as a tourist now that your permanent residency has gone) and apply for your permanent residency again on the basis of having a Brazilian child. Your child should travel with you on her Brazilian passport. More information can be found here:

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