Permanent Residency Brazil

Hi Erin May,

If you were married in Brazil then yes you can enter Brazil on a tourist visa and apply for your VIPER here, but once you've made the application you are only permitted to be outside the country for periods up to 90 days at a time until the process is completed, then it becomes 2 years.

If you apply outside the country the VIPER is much quicker, however you can't enter Brazil until you have been issued the visa. You must enter within a specified period of time, usually 90 days. Sometimes the Consulate will give up to one year. You'd need to ask them.

Ok, Now if I apply in Brazil, would I be able to work during the time that I am waiting for my Permanent residency? I know that my husband and I will need to go to the Federal Police together. I have been guaranteed a job in my company there as a local employee, but I need to be sure that I can work.
I know that my CPF is good and also my Brazil driver's license.  What about my previous RNE from working in Brazil before. Does this hold any importance anymore? It will expire in March 2014.
I already read a post on banking, and I will be going back to Canada and setting up with HSBC. I currently hold an account at  Itau.
I want to be prepared when I arrive I know it will be a bit overwhelming with documentation. I just renewed my passport because when I first went to Brazil my middle name was not in my passport. That was a disaster. Downfall for my Driver's License and RNE is that the two do not contain my middle name. So I will need to sort that out as well some how.

Yes, the act of applying for Permanency based on (either) marriage to a Brazilian or having a Brazilian child carries with it the automatic right to obtain a Carteira de Trabalho - CTPS (work permit) and work in Brazil until the process is completed. Just remember that your CTPS will only be valid for the length of time shown as "prazo" on your protocol so every time you have to go back to the Federal Police and get that extended (and you will need to do that several times) you then must also go back to the Ministry of Labor and get you CTPS stamped again. Once you actually get your VIPER then the Ministry of Labor will stamp your CTPS as permanent.

When you go to the Federal Police to apply for your VIPER inform them of your present RNE number, it is quite likely that they will simply re-activate the same number. That will be the perfect time to ask about including your middle name (retificação de nome) if your middle name now appears on the passport. Once you do it with the Federal Police other documents shouldn't be difficult to get corrected, for example the Brazilian CNH will probably be easy to include the middle name when it comes up for renewal. How about your CPF? Does it show the middle name? You may want to contact the Receita Federal and find out about that too.

I need some more information that you may be able to clarify better. What documentation would I need for the federal police when I go to apply for my Permanent Residence?  So far I have 'Termo de Responsabilidade e Manutencao'  which my husband completed at the notary, marriage certificate. I know there is more I need, but I am in a very difficult situation right now in China, and well it seems in order to be with my husband and work.  The longer process in Brazil is the way to go because of my non-resident status in Canada.
I know perhaps its been posted before, but everyone's situation is a little different, and I really just want to make sure I do not make too many more mistakes.
Your help and information is very much appreciated.

Hi Erin,

Documents Required for VIPER Permanent Visa Application

1.     Completed application form, signed by the applicant.

2.     Clear and legible Certified copy of applicant's passport (ALL PAGES - even if blank) or equivalent travel document.

3.     Clear and legible Certified copy of applicant's Entry Card.

4.     Certified Criminal Record Check / Police Conduct Certificate issued in Pakistan, may not be more than 90 days before sumbission or not considered valid. This document must also be "legalized" by the Consulado-Geral do Brasil in Pakistan.

5.     2  3 cm X 4 cm color photographs of applicant (on white background) Note: sunglasses or eyeglasses which might reflect light/flash must not be worn in these photos

6.     International certificate of vaccination (if requested)

7.     Clear and legible Certified Copy of Birth Certificate (if requested) or Marriage Certificate in the case of married women.

8.     Proof of address (in Brazil) - phone/electric/water bill

9.     Bank receipt for payment of visa fee (GRU - Guia de Recolhimento da União)

10.    Any other documents that may be requested by the Federal Police.

NOTE #1:  If you are required to provide any kind of DECLARATION, these must be have the signature of the declarant certified by the Cartório (Reconhecimento da firma por autenticidade - ONLY; note that there are two different kinds of "reconhecimento" so make sure you specify the right one, this is also the more expensive of the two types, the declarant must appear in person at the Cartório and produce identification).

NOTE #2:  Religious/Church weddings are purely symbolic in Brazil, they do not have the force of law, since religious leaders do not have authority to issue Marriage Certificates. In fact, most churches will not perform the ceremony unless the celebrants have already been married in a civil cerimony.

You must enter the website for the Federal Police and schedule your visit to apply for your VIPER, at the same time you will fill out the online forms with the required information and generate the GRU (receipt to pay for the fee at a bank). Make sure that you use the right code number in the "Código da Receita STN field" it is -  140066 Pedido de Permanência.

Start the process here:  http://www.dpf.gov.br/servicos/estrange … -e-anistia

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil & Canada Expert, Expat-blog Team

I have run into one issue which I am now unsure about. This is in regards to the criminal record check. I have lived in China, and am about to leave. For the non-criminal record check is it possible to have done in Brazil, or should I complete here in China. Some issues recently came up here with my residency permit and my new passport. I changed the name on my passport to include my middle name. Not sure why it was not included in my canadian passport in the first one, but that is besides the matter. I am trying to plan the best way possible.

1- I understand I can stay in Brazil on a tourist visa until the process is complete for the permanent visa.
Even though maximum you can stay 180 on a tourist, while this is in process i should not need to leave.?

2 - non criminal record, possible to have done in Brazil?

Thank you for your help once again

Hi ErinCM

If you're applying for a VIPER Permanent Visa based on marriage to a Brazilian citizen or foreign national with permanent resident status in Brazil then once you apply for the visa you are permitted to stay in Brazil and to obtain a work permit until the visa process is completed. This can take up to 2 year, maybe even more sometimes.

If you are a citizen of China and have been living there then you will need to obtain the Certified Criminal Record Check (or) Certificate of No Criminal Record there in China. It will also need to be "legalized" by the Consulado-Geral do Brasil in China too in order to be acceptable here. You need that for the VIPER application. Depending on how long you resided in Canada you may even be asked to produce one from there as well, but don't worry about that for now.

You are allowed a maximum of 180 days in a one year period on a VITUR Tourist Visa, you get an initial visit of 90 days and toward the end of that time you apply for a 90 day extension. You will need to apply for the VIPER before that period expires or you'd need to leave the country. However 6 months should give you more than enough time to get all the paperwork in order and apply for the VIPER in plenty of time.

The middle name on the passport shouldn't be an issue if the photographs both look like you and the rest of the identification information is all the same.

Any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil & Canada Expert, Expat-blog Team

Thank you for the quick response. The middle name in my passport will no longer be an issue in Brazil, but it is currently an issue in China. They need confirmation from the canadian consulate here in China to say I am the same person. Bureaucracy is everywhere, and Brazil is not the only complicated country for this.

I have been a non-resident of Canada for 2 and a half years now. Not sure if I could get one from there. Before China I lived in Brazil for a year and a half. My expatriation has left me in quite the predicament for this process. We are currently trying to work everything out with the paperwork now to be ready when I get to Brazil. We will be applying asap upon arrival in Brazil. I have learnt that it is a must to be proactive, and find out all that is needed before hand.

But your knowledge and experience have again been greatly appreciated. We will be living in the state of RJ, in a town called Resende. I miss my husband, and I miss my home in Resende. And I hope I can be there soon.

I may have more questions. I am sure I will and I am glad you are the expert here to help!

No problem Erin, if you need any information at all just ask. If I don't have an immediate answer on the tip of my tongue I can sure find out for you quickly enough.

I live in the northern part of the state in Macaé, about a 3 hour drive from Rio. Who knows perhaps one day we may even get to meet in person. My wife is Brazilian and we have a 6 year old son who is the joy of my life. I never believed that at my age (65 in June) that I'd be a dad again and love it so much. Guess that being Mr. Mom way before the movie of the same name made that popular really was good for me. I raised my four, now adult, sons and daughters back in Canada almost single-handed and loved it. This time around it's even more wonderful.

Please keep me posted on your progress and let me know when you arrive in Brazil too.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Brazil & Canada Expert, Expat-blog Team

So you had stated that you've been in the process for 4 years now? I am not sure what else I should be looking at because if it weren't for you saying I would not have known about the non criminal background and needing it legalized here in China.

Before China I lived in Brazil, so I would assume since I have not been living in Canada for 2 and 1/2 years now I would not need to obtain a non criminal record from there.

My company is depending on me to ensure that I can do everything there in Brazil. Otherwise I may be without employment and shipped out if I am missing something.

Do you happen to have a good website for resources for following the process of the permanent visa in Brazil?
I have passed forward everything we have spoke about for back up. I put faith in what you are telling me. My husband although brazilian, it is very difficult for him to know what to ask, and very difficult for me to call from China.

For the copies of the Entry Card, passport and pages, and birth certificate. I just need a photo copy and take this to a cartorio to have legalized? I will be going to the brazilian consulate in beijing and the canadian consulate for a couple days and I will ask them if I can have them legalized there. Not sure if it is possible.
For some reason they do not know and tell you to call Brazil. I figured that when I get my non criminal legalized, IF it is possible I could arrange to legalize all the other documents.

Thank you again!
I have not been to a lot of places in Brazil. Bahia (Salvador), Angra, Porto Real, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo. I know we will see more when I settle down there. Perhaps Macaé.

Let me know your experiences from the process if you are or were with issues, etc.

Unless you have university or post-graduate degrees that you eventually want recognized in Brazil the ONLY thing you need legalized by the Consulado-Geral do Brasil is your Certified Criminal Record Check.

Regarding a check in Canada, it depends on how long you acutally resided in the country whether or not you may be required to produce one. If in fact you have NO CRIMINAL record at all you may even be allowed to make a sworn declaration "Declaração Sob Pena da Lei" to the effect that you have never been convicted of any crime (felony) either in Brazil or abroad. This is also common and would save you a lot of problems.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil & Canada Expert, Expat-blog Team