How do I become a reading or obtain an RG

02/12/26 @pablov.  Welcome, Pablo!  To become a Brazilian citizen and obtain a Carteira de Identidade Nacional (CIN, the relatively new replacement for the RG) the spouse of a Brazilian citizen  must have a CRNM (Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório), the ID card documenting the individual's status as a permanent resident of Brazil, and have resided in Brazil for at least one continuous year prior to requesting naturalization.  The one year requirement is already a reduction from the usual four year requirement, and will not be reduced further.

Once you move to Brazil, you can obtain a CRNM easily enough by applying to the Federal Police (PF), either on the basis of a VITEM XI Family Reunion Visa from a Brazilian Consulate abroad, or by presenting the required documents to the PF directly, with Apostilles and Sworn Translations, and requesting an Authorization for Residency on the basis of marriage,

There is no way that I know of to accelerate the process from abroad.  The "clock" starts once you have your CRNM and are living in Brazil.

Hi There,

thanks you for the info. Is there a way to do that during a visit at the polícia federal without having to stay for a year? I assume they only know of your tenure by the entry date on the passport?

02/12/26 thanks you for the info. Is there a way to do that during a visit at the polícia federal without having to stay for a year? I assume they only know of your tenure by the entry date on the passport? - @pablov

No, that isn't all that they know.  They have the issue date of your CRNM, and all the backup documentation.  They have access to the history of all of your entries into and exits from Brazil.  Most importantly, on your petition for naturalization you have to specify all of the times during the period of continuous residence you're claiming that you were absent from Brazil, and the reasons for each absence.  This declaration is treated as being under oath, and intentional misstatements are punishable by law.

The one thing that can be completed abroad is to satisfy the Portuguese fluency requirement for naturalization by taking and passing the CelpeBras exam.  The certification does not expire, and the exam is offered twice a year at selected foreign sites around the world, as well as in Brazil.   If you'd like to see what the exam is like, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul maintains an archive of past exams here:

https://www.ufrgs.br/acervocelpebras/acervo/

@pablov

If you are in a position to buy residential real estate now in Brazil, this could lead to a CRNM without you having to live in Brazil, by applying for the so-called Golden Visa. In N or NE Brazil this would require an investment in excess of R$700,000, and in the rest of the country a minimum of 1 million reais. Sounds a lot in reais, but not in dollars at the current exchange rates!

You would just need to visit Brazil for a total of at least 14 days every 2 years.