This document is a collection of information and experiences
about how and where to get documents, permissions or how to
resolve bureaucratic subjects and matters in Brazil as a
foreigner.
This
document does not claim to be 100 percent right and perfect, but
it represents personal experiences and information that I have
collected from various sources like Internet sites, official
handbills and exchange of experiences with other foreigners in
Brazil.
PERMANENT VISA (residence visa)
Permanência Definitiva
There are
four ways to qualify for a permanent visa for Brazil:
to be a
spouse of a Brazilian citizen
to be the father of a child with Brazilian citizenship
to invest a minimum of US$ 200,000 in Brazil
to be retired with a minimum monthly income of US$ 2,000
The visa
application can be made in your country of residence via the
local Brazilian Embassy or Consulates or in Brazil via the
Federal Police (Polícia Federal).
You will
receive the visa much faster if you apply in the country of your
residence. Usually within two or three months the Brazilian
Embassy or Consulate will issue the visa if you handed in all
necessary documents and the application fee is paid.
Once the
visa is stamped into your passport you have 90 days to enter
Brazil and get registered at the local office of the Federal
Police. More details about the necessary documents and
application fee you will find on the official homepage of the
Brazilian Embassy in your country of residence, (e.g. in the
USA: www.brasilemb.org)
If you
want to apply for the visa in Brazil you have to file the
application at the local office of the Federal Police. The
following documents are necessary for family reunion / marriage:
passport and Photocopy of all pages
wedding certificate
certificate of criminal records issued by the FBI or local
Police (not older than three months)
prove of residence in Brazil (usually done with a phone or
electricity bill showing your address in Brazil)
Application form (available at the Federal Police)
You have
to present the original and an authenticated Photocopy of all
documents, which will remain together with the application form
at the Federal Police. All documents not issued in Portuguese
have to be translated by a sworn public translator recognized by
the Federal Police. If you do the translation in your country of
residence, the documents and translations have to be legalized
by the responsible Brazilian Consulate or Embassy.
When you
successfully handed all documents and paid the fee (about R$ 50
- US$ 16) you will receive a receipt, the so-called protocolo.
The protocolo shows the number of your application (processo)
and it's also a kind of temporary foreigner ID and visa. So, you
should keep it together with your passport.
Now you
have to wait for the publication of your application. The
decision will be published in the Federal Government's
newspaper, the Diário Oficial da União (DOU). This
will take at least one year, usually more. I've waited one year
and two months and I've heard about cases in which people have
waited five to six years.
Probably
the Federal Police will not send you any information about the
progress of your application. So, you have to check from time to
time the Diário Oficial or call the office of the Federal
Police to ask about the status of your application.
Also make
sure that you inform the Federal Police in case you travel
abroad or within Brazil. This is very important in case the
Federal Police wants contact you. If you are not at home or they
can't get in touch with you, they can cancel your application.
Once your
application is published, you have 90 days to claim your
permanência at the Federal Police. To claim the visa, you
have to present the protocolo and a copy of the DOU
that published your visa. You can buy a copy of the paper at
the local office of the Imprensa Nacional or you buy just an
authenticated Photocopy of the page where your process is
published.
By law,
the permanent visa (permanência definitiva) will expire
if you leave Brazil for more than two years. Usually there is no
problem leaving Brazil for a period of three months or even
more. In case you should stay outside Brazil for one year or
more, you should check the status of your permanência
after your return, to avoid any problems in case the
permanência has been cancelled.
If you
miss the deadline (90 days) to claim your visa, the visa expires
and you will have to make a new application with all the
paperwork, costs and loss of time.
There is
an online version of the DOU available in the Internet
at:
www.in.gov.br or
www.mj.gov.br (Search in
section 1- Seção 1)
You can
track the progress of your application online at:
www.mj.gov.br/sistemas/EstrangeiroWEB/index.asp
ID CARD
FOR FOREIGNERS
CIE - Cédula de Identidade de Estrangeiro
When you
claim your published visa at the Federal Police, they will
fingerprint you for the foreigners ID card (Cédula de Identidade
de Estrangeiro - CIE). This will be your legal ID document in
Brazil and you don't need to carry anymore your passport with
the visa. In Brazil you have the duty to carry always an ID with
you.
After you
have paid the administration fee (about R$ 140 - US$ 45) for the
CIE, you will receive again a receipt (protocolo). This
is your temporary ID card. It can take up to 180 days until the
CIE is produced because they are all made in Brasília.
Once the
CIE is ready to pick-up at the Federal Police, you
will receive a notification by mail. The CIE is valid for 10
years and has to be renewed then.
You can
track the progress of your CIE application online at:
https://servicos.dpf.gov.br/sincre/carteira/protocolo
WORKING
PERMIT
CTPS - Carteira de Trabalho e Previdência Social
The
working permit (CTPS - Carteira de Trabalho e Previdência
Social) will be issued by the DRT (Delegacia Regional do
Trabalho) located in every larger city.
It's
possible to apply for the CTPS while still waiting for the visa,
as long as the Federal Police can provide the printout of the
SINCRE (Sistema Nacional de Cadastramento de Registro de
Estrangeiros), Brazil's registration system of foreigners who
live in the country.
Documents
necessary to apply for a CTPS for foreigners:
If you
have a Residence/Permanent (permanente) visa and your CIE
you will need:
1.Application form
2. Photocopy of the CIE.
If you
don't have a CIE, then you will need:
1.
Application form
2. Photocopy of the protocolo from the application for
the CIE
3. Photocopy of the printout of the SINCRE
4. Photocopy of the passport
If you
have a Temporary V (Temporário V) visa and the CIE, you will
need:
1.
Application form
2. Photocopy of the CIE
3. Photocopy of the working contract
4. Photocopy of the passport
5. Publication in the DOU
If you
have a Temporary V (Temporário V) visa but not a CIE, you will
need:
1.
Application form
2. Photocopy of the protocolo from the application for
the CIE
3. Photocopy of your working contract
4. Photocopy of the passport
5. Publication in the DOU
If you
have a Provisional Registration (Registro Provisório) and your
CIE you will need:
1.
Application form
2. Photocopy of the CIE
Without
the CIE, you'll have to get these papers:
1.
Application form
2. Photocopy of the protocolo from the application for
the CIE
3. Photocopy of the printout of the SINCRE
In
addition, everyone applying for a working permit will need two
3cm x 4cm color or black and white pictures.
The
photocopy of the passport must contain the main page with all
personal details and also the page with the visa and the stamp
when you entered Brazil.
SINCRE's
printout is available at the local office of the Polícia
Federal.
When all
documents have been handed in successfully, the CTPS will be
ready in 10 days. Validity, according to the CIE, is usually 10
years.
INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYER REGISTRY
CPF - Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas
Necessary
documents:
- Passport
- Proof of residence in Brazil (phone or electricity bill)
- Wedding or birth certificate
(It's
necessary to present a document that contains the names of the
parents)
No
photocopy necessary.
You can
apply for the CPF at the local office of the Receita Federal or
in agencies of the Banco do Brasil or Caixa Economica Federal.
Usually the CPF number will be created immediately or within one
or two working days. After one week you can check your CPF
number on the Internet site of the Receita Federal and within a
few weeks you will receive the CPF card by mail at your
residence in Brazil.
It's also
possible to apply for the CPF from your home country via the
local Brazilian Embassy and the Consulates. Just print out the
application form available on the Internet: http://www.receita.fazenda.gov.br/Aplicacoes/ATCTA
/CpfEstrangeiro/cpfingles.htm) and hand in the application
at the Brazilian Consulate, which is responsible for your place
of residence.
The CPF is
very important in the daily life in Brazil. It is very often
used as a document of identification. You will need a CPF to
open a bank account, buy a TV, Video or DVD set, a car, etc.
Once a CPF
has been issued to you, you have to do a tax declaration every
year (except the year you've received the CPF). There are two
options of declaration:
Declaração
de Imposto de Renda (If you earn R$ 12,696 - US$ 4, 095 per year
or more)
Declaração
de Isento de Impostos (If you don't have income in Brazil or
it's less than R$ 12,969 per year)
Both
declarations can be made via Internet on the homepage of the
Receita Federal (www.receita.fazenda.gov.br). The
Declaração de Imposto de Renda is usually done in March and
April and the Declaração de Isento de Impostos, in October and
November.
If you
don't do any of these two declarations for two years the CPF
will be cancelled. In fact the CPF will turn "inactive", to
re-activate the CPF you have to go to the nearest office of the
Receita Federal and justify why you did not do the declaration.
After paying a fee the CPF will be re-activated.
You can
find more information and detail about the CPF and other tax and
duty related issues on this site: http://www.receita.fazenda.gov.br
DRIVER'S LICENSE
CNH - Carteira Nacional de Habilitação
Foreign
driver's licenses can be used for up to six months in Brazil in
combination with an official translation into Portuguese stamped
by the traffic authority DETRAN of the state where you are
living. In case you use an International driver's license it's
good to get an official translation into Portuguese of it and a
stamp from the DETRAN too, because usually the International
driver's license is not in Portuguese.
If you
stay more than six months in Brazil you have to apply for a
temporary driver's license for foreigners, valid for one year.
In case you are still waiting for your ID card, temporary
driver's license can be extended for another year. You have to
apply for the license at the office of the local state's traffic
authority DETRAN.
For the
temporary driver's license for foreigners you need the following
documents:
Passport
(original + photocopy of the page with the personal data)
Your national driver's license (original + photocopy)
Official translation of your national driver's license (original
+ photocopy)
Result of the medical exam (from a doctor indicated by the
DETRAN)
Proof of residence in Brazil (original + photocopy of phone or
electricity bill)
CPF (original + photocopy) if you already have one
You will
receive a payment form to pay the administration fee (about R$
13 - US$ 4.20) in a bank indicated by the DETRAN. After you have
paid the fee you can hand in the documents. If everything is
correct they will issue immediately the temporary driver's
license.
Once you
have the CIE you can apply for a Brazilian driver's license. You
will need to present the same documents as mentioned above and
the fee will be about R$ 53 (US$ 17). It is very important that
you keep the result of the medical exam in a safe place, because
the exam is valid for five years.
The
Brazilian driver's license will be valid according to the
medical exam, (e.g. if you made the medical exam in 2000 for a
temporary driver's license and it will be valid until 2005.
According to this, a Brazilian driver's license issued in 2001
will also be valid until 2005.)
When the
driver's license expires you have to make a new medical exam to
apply for a new license valid for another five years. The fee
for the medical exam is about R$ 60 (US$ 19). The new driver's
license will be issued within two weeks.
You can
find the homepage of the DETRAN responsible for your state of
residence on this site:
www.denatran.gov.br/links.htm
BANK
ACCOUNT
Conta Bancária
To open a
bank account as a foreigner in Brazil is not easy. You need at
least a CPF and a long-term visa like a work-visa or a
permanent-visa with CIE. For tourists it is impossible to open a
bank account in Brazil.
There are
two different types of bank accounts for natural persons (pessoas
físicas):
Conta
corrente (usually for people with frequent income)
Conta de poupança (savings account)
The main
differences are that for the conta corrente you will need
a regular income and many banks ask for minimum income that will
be deposited on the account each month, usually between R$ 500
and R$ 700 (US$ 160 and US$ 225).
With a
conta corrente you will receive checks and a debit card to
withdraw cash on the banks ATMs or the Banco24horas ATMs
and you can apply for a credit card as well. If you just open a
savings account, you will receive only a normal bankcard to
deposit and withdraw cash on the banks ATMs. No checks, no debit
card and no credit card.
ATMs are
very popular in Brazil. You will find them in every shopping
center, in boxes on streets in commercial areas of larger
cities, in Universities and many public buildings. ATMs are used
to withdraw and deposit money, pay bills like phone, water,
electricity, cellular-phone, credit card or any other bill that
has a bar code on it.
Via the
ATM's bar-code reader you can also pay the so called boletos
bancários which are a kind of payment form often used on the
Internet for e-commerce. Of course you can check the status of
your account on the ATM as well as transferring money from your
account to any other account within the same bank. Or you can
recharge your cell phone with new credits. In the agencies of
many banks there are also ATMs available to print your checks.
The bank
fees and charges for the service of the bank are different in
each bank. Usually you pay a monthly fee that includes a certain
number of checks and account-statements. If you print more
checks or account statements during a month you have to pay
extra for this service.
Beside the
service via ATMs most banks nowadays offer Internet banking for
clients, even for those with a simple savings account. Usually
you have to go to the agencies where you opened the account to
apply for the Internet service. Using Internet banking you can
do all the operations like a ATM offers, besides money-transfers
to accounts in other banks (e.g. Banco do Brasil to Itaú,
etc.)
My
personal experience about opening a bank account is that you
need a lot of patience because it usually depends on the mood of
the bank-manager if he will open the account for you. Banks are
interested in having clients with a regular income of a certain
minimum and many banks only open accounts for foreigners if they
have a permanent visa or a job in Brazil.
This way
it's necessary to go to many banks until you find a bank or
better a bank-manager who's up to open an account for you. If
you are married with a Brazilian citizen, you can try to open a
joint account with your Brazilian spouse. This should be easier
than trying to get an account just for you.
Like many
things in Brazil you depend on the manager or the official you
are dealing with. If he/she likes you, if he's in a good mood,
if he/she had a good or a bad weekend besides how the last match
of his/her football team was. It might sound weird but that's
the way things work in Brazil.
If you can
manage to get into a nice and friendly conversation with the
manager or official it will make things much easier and it also
will make things possible that weren't possible in a different
bank or with a different official. The best is to find a common
subject (soccer, sports, cars, children, etc.) to talk to the
manager/official before starting the subject you are "really"
interested in.
HEALTH
INSURANCE
Plano de Saúde
The public
health system (SUS - Sistema Único de Saúde) in Brazil has a lot
of problems like crowded public hospitals and medical service
units (Postos de Saúde), long waiting lines to be attended for
exams and consultations even in cases of emergency.
Therefore
I would suggest that you get a private health insurance, which
covers all medical and dental cases and emergencies partial or
completely. Not covered by private insurances are drugs and
remedies, which have to be fully paid by the client. Depending
on your preferences you can choose from a variety of services
which will be covered by the insurance or not.
Many
insurance companies, banks and collectives offer different types
of insurances. Also some hospitals offer insurances. In this
case, usually all exams and consultations have to be done in
that specific hospital. Other insurances offer you the
opportunity to choose the doctor, laboratory or hospital from a
list of accredited professionals and institutions.
You can
include or exclude treatments like dentist, specialists for skin
or eye diseases as well as hospital services, which will
influence the monthly payment for the insurance.
Before
closing a contract with one of the providers of health
insurance, you should contact the local consumer defense
organization (PROCON) to get more information about the
reputation and the quality of the company and the health
insurance.
On this
site you will find the PROCON or similar organization nearest to
your place of residence in Brazil:
www.portaldoconsumidor.gov.br/procon.asp
LINKS
Brazilian
Embassy in Washington D.C.
www.brasilemb.org
US Embassy
in Brasília
www.embaixada-americana.org.br
Ministério
da Justiça
www.mj.gov.br/estrang/estrangeiros.htm - Visas (Permanência)
www.mj.gov.br/sistemas/EstrangeiroWEB/index.asp - Online
check of your visa application
Polícia
Federal
www.dpf.gov.br
https://servicos.dpf.gov.br/sincre/carteira/protocolo -
Online check of CIE-application
Ministério
do Trabalho e Emprego
www.mte.gov.br
www.tem.gov.br/Temas/CTPS/default.asp - Working permit (CTPS)
Receita
Federal
www.receita.fazenda.gov.br
DENATRAN
www.denatran.gov.br/links.htm - List of all traffic
authorities
Portal do
Consumidor - PROCON
www.portaldoconsumidor.gov.br/procon.asp
Imprensa
Oficial
DOU - Diário Oficial da União
www.in.gov.br/imprensa/index.html
Volker Ruthner, 36, was born in Germany. He married his
Brazilian girlfriend in August 2000. Since then he's been
living in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, where he works as a
translator and German language teacher.
