IMPORTANT NEW CHANGES FOR THOSE APPLYING FOR PERMANENT VISAS

Ok, I almost have everything however it's proving a bit of a mission at the moment to change my wife's name on her identity card. Does anyone know if her passport which has the correct change of name on will be sufficient?

Many thanks

I believe every document has to have the same name.  They seem to be very sticky about this.


Jim

You're right

Many thanks for the prompt reply

She will have to change her name on her RG.

I am married to a Brazilian, and we have children together. We have already registered our marriage certificates and our children's birth certificates with the Cartorio.

I have US felony convictions from 2008. Does anyone know what types of felony convictions may prevent me from getting permanent residency?

I'm sure any kind of felony could be a problem.

Jim

My Best advice is for you get an attorney,  Some felony convictions could present problems. If you have served the time for your sentence and have no further crimes they may grant you a CIE based on having Children. But with legal matters you should consult with a Brazilian attorney that is familiar with the immigration laws of Brazil. Your situation complicates matters and it may have to go before a judge to grant your CIE. Depending on the crime you may not get the permanancia you seek.

Thanks for the guidance.

I have read through the posts here and would like to ask for clarification for the process applying from outside Brazil.

Consider a foreigner married to a Brazilian for over five years. As I understand it, the process would entail:

1. Obtain a permanent visa (VIPER) from the Brazilian Embassy/Consulate abroad; 
2. Travel to Brazil and enter on the VIPER; 
3. Pay the necessary fees for the RNE and CIE; 
4. Register at the Policia Federal and apply for the RNE and CIE; 

As I understand, the permanent residency is immediately approved upon submission of the correct paperwork. There is no home visit. And the foreigner can remain outside of Brazil for up to two years before they would lose the permanencia.

Is that correct? If so, then theoretically someone married to a Brazilian over five years could get the VIPER, spend just a week or two in Brazil for the registration, and then be sure to travel to Brazil at least once every two years to maintain the residency. This could in some ways be better than maintaining a tourist visa which has a limited stay entitlement and needs to be periodically renewed.

You could do that but why would you want to if you are not going to live in Brazil?  You still have to renew it every 10 years same as a tourist visa why spend the extra money and hassle


Jim

I was not aware that it would have to be renewed every 10 years. Then it does not appear to make much sense for most people. However, there are likely some situations where it makes sense.

For example, someone with a passport that offers very little freedom of movement (i.e. need visas to travel to Europe and other countries), could naturalize. With the Brazilian passport they would be able to travel freely without visas and other hassles. As I understand it, you can naturalize after holding permanent residency for one year if you are married to a Brazilian citizen. In this instance, it would make a lot of sense to go through the trouble of getting permanent residency even if you were not truly residing in Brazil.

I don't know what countries require a visa from brazian passport holders. I advise you to research and then make you decision. To get brazian citizenship you have to be fluent in Portuguese

Jim

There are requirement to be met while applying for Braziling cityzenship and with them, you have to pass the Portuguese test conducted by FP.

Not quite as simple as just been fluent in Portuguese, in fact the Portuguese test is very basic.

You have to show that you have been living IN Brazil for at least one year
and will be required to produce proof of address and Income/Employment here

he spouse of a Brazilian in eligible for citizenship after one year of LIVING IN BRAZIL.


So simply getting a CIE and popping in for a week here and there will do you no good.
To aquire citizenship you will have to make a real commitment to actually living in Brazil,learning the language and intergrating into society through work

As per my experience, you have to interprete a text taken from Brazilian constitution. It is like a Portuguese Comprehension test.

At my PF they say it will be a an article from the daily paper.

I just did the language test at the FP

It had about 5 questions and was a news article about todays latest Temer Corruption scandal from Global.

Questions are :
What is the article about?

What in your opinion should be done about the problem?

Have there been any similar events in your country, explain?

What are your motives for wanting to aquire Brazilian citizenship.

Then the woman read from the text while I wrote what she dictated.

I just completed my application for a permanent visa here in Fortaleza. Here's my experience:

My wife (Brasileira) and I were married in the US in 2004. We have two children together. My wife was diligent in getting everything registered (the marriage, the births) at the Brazilian consulate in Miami fairly quickly after each event. She also made sure to get both US and Brazilian passports for the kids at our first opportunity. And she got the marriage certificate and both birth certificates authenticated at a cartorio here in Fortaleza many years ago.

Before applying for a visa, I had read through the websites of the Brazilian consulates in Miami and Chicago. From everything I read there, I thought I would be applying based on "Family Reunion" (which would be based on my having two children who are both Brazilian citizens.) I spent a lot of time and money gathering all the documents listed on the consulate websites.

Since my wife had gone to Brazil ahead of me, we decided to apply for my permanence down there. To enter Brazil, I just applied for a tourist visa. It was super simple. They asked for proof of exit (a round trip ticket), and to keep the paperwork simpler, I just bought my return ticket for 28 days after my arrival. If my planned stay had been more than 30 days, the consulate would have required bank statements, etc. to prove I had financial means. The crazy thing is that once the tourist visa is approved (which only took 2 weeks), it's valid for 10 years. A standard maximum stay of 90 days was listed on the visa itself, and when I entered the country through immigration at the airport in Sao Paulo, the immigration officer just looked at the visa and stamped my passport indicating a 90 day stay.

About 10 days after my arrival here, my wife and I called the Federal Police here in Fortaleza. Someone on the phone was very helpful and indicated that it would be better to base my application on Casamento (marriage). The next day, we went to the Federal Police complex just to confirm exactly what we would need. A very nice young man, working the reception desk, gave us a simple list of documents that would be required for an application for permanence based on Casamento:

1. The application itself, which I completed in about 5 minutes on a computer terminal there at the Federal Police complex;

2. Two 3x4 photos;

3. An authenticated, clear and complete copy of my passport. I took my passport to a cartorio and had every page copied and authenticated. This cost a total of about R$94;

4. Certified copy of the marriage certificate. My wife had taken care of this years ago;

5. Authenticated copy of my wife's Brazilian ID. We got this at the same time we got my passport copied and authenticated;

6. Declaration that we are not separated, with "recognized signatures." The declaration itself was a form provided by the helpful receptionist. For the "recognized signatures," we went to the same cartorio. They already had a card on file with my wife's official signature, because she had handled that earlier. I had to sign a small card three times, which provided them with my official signature. We then signed the declaration form in the presence of the cartorio, and she certified that the signatures were recognized. This whole thing cost less than R$10.

7. Declaration that I have not been prosecuted or convicted, etc. However, this requirement only applies if you've been married less than 5 years. Since we have been married for 12+ years, this was not required. Note: an application based on "Family Reunion" does require information about a criminal background, but these requirements were removed in our case (a marriage longer than 5 years).

8. Proof of payment of three fees, totaling a little less than R$500. We paid these fees at a local casa loterica, but you can also pay them at any bank.

That's everything that was on the list. While we were there at the Federal Police complex, we scheduled an appointment to apply the next business day. Then we left and took care of a couple of items that we hadn't done yet (the photos, the declaration, the fees).

We went back at our scheduled time and everything went off without a hitch. It took a total of about an hour, most of which was spent waiting while the representation entered all the information into the system. I was given an RNE (Registro Nacional de Estrangeiro), which is my official ID number as a Foreigner. I also received a new stamp in my passport indicating permanence and a document (valid for 180 days) granting me permanent status while the application is being processed.

The only minor wrinkle was an inconsistency in the way we had listed my mother's name. On the application, I listed her last name as it appears on my birth certificate. She has since changed her name, so it was listed differently on the authenticated copy of the marriage certificate. The representative really focused in on this discrepancy. We tried to explain that women in the US change their last names based on marriage and divorce, and he understood, but he was basically saying that the application couldn't proceed unless all of the names were consistent. I suggested that I just change the way I listed her last name on the application (my birth certificate is not part of the process, so it shouldn't matter if her name on the application matches the name on my birth certificate). He was reluctant about this idea, saying that it could cause future problems if they ever asked to see my birth certificate in the future. Thankfully, the representative at the next booth was a bit nosey and leaned over to put in his two cents. He indicated he didn't think it would ever be a problem, so we just took some white-out and changed my mom's last name on the application so it would match the way it appears on the marriage certificate.

And that was it. Now I'm just waiting (about 60 days) to go back and check on the status of the application.

Great, congratulations

Thanks so much for the post. It will help others see what is required. Congratulations. 

Jim

They just penalize US citizens because of the visa requirements your government puts on Brazil and indeed in my own country South Africa we have to get the exact same USA visa.
I entered Brazil 3 times between 2013 and 2015 as a tourist (South Africans do not need a visa and vice versa) , I have never been asked to show a return ticket or any kind of proof of money, or even asked one question....once the guy asked what was the purpose of your visit as I was leaving

You should see if you can cancel the second half of the ticket. Many airlines will let you use it later with a rebooking charge.

Also, the representative told me that I would be able to apply for citizenship after one year, which is a lot sooner than I thought.

jland912 wrote:

You should see if you can cancel the second half of the ticket. Many airlines will let you use it later with a rebooking charge.

I actually got a refund for the unused portion of my ticket. I had to leave for a family matter prior to scheduled date of departure from Brazil. I had to jump through a few hoops and emails. I had to buy a round trip ticket and was chalking off the return for I was getting married and knew I would not be using the return ticket. I thought about just losing the ticket as I had no idea when I was going to return to the US. And I thought through the change fees for I believe one can only change the ticket for one year? I did not inquire if the return could be left "Open" for a future date of travel. Yet the airline did refund the unused portion once I explained the reason for immediate travel( attend funeral) I was not able to use the return ticket as credit and had to purchase a new ticket and I had to leave quick , like in two days so you can imagine the cost of a notice of two days departure. Anyway after a series of emails to the airline, the airline agreed to refund the unused portion of the ticket which offset the cost of the new ticket to attend to the family matter. It seems that this particular airline was unable to offer a bereavement fare as there was a Brazilian airline  providing the initial flight transportation from Belem. So by the time the refund was involved it was like getting a bereavement fair. And Yes I will fly with this airline in the future!

Good day Expats
Could someone help me with valid website to track my CIE proceed. I have been checking on policia Federal website but its showing name note found.
Any response will be highly appreciated.

Don't worry. The website is not very dependable. I got my card and the website was still saying  "name not found" a day before the card was issued. Just go back to the Policia Federal in 60 days after applying.  You will get your card. The website doesn't tell you at which stage your application is; it now seems to just tell you if your card has been issued or not. That was my experience. (Others may have had a different experience.)

Thank you for the reaponse

I just received my permanent visa and my CPF.

Background... I've been married to a Brasileira for 12 years. I arrived in Brazil on May 9th on a VITUR. I applied for permanence on May 22nd based on marriage. (See my previous post that gives details about that process.)

In late June, I started checking the website (https://servicos.dpf.gov.br/sincreWeb/p … ocesso.jsp) to find out the status of my application. I kept getting a result of: Nome não encontrado.

Today was day 59, so I went to the PF to see if the process was complete. I walked out 5 minutes later with my permanent resident card. An entry on the card indicates that it was completed on June 7th (just 16 days after my application was submitted). So, obviously, the website is completely useless.

After getting my permanent resident card, I went to the Receita Federal and got my CPF, which is basically a personal tax identifier. Brazilians can get their CPF directly through the Correio, but estrangeiros must go to the Receita Federal.

The CPF process was ultra-simple. First we went to the Correio located in the lobby of the Receita Federal building. We waited in line for about 15 minutes. The representative asked to see my passport. I gave him my passport and my permanent resident card. He entered some info into the computer. We paid a R$7 fee and got a receipt. Then, we went upstairs, took a number and waited about 30 minutes. We then sat with a representative for about 5 minutes and walked out with the CPF.

It turns out that I could have gotten the CPF as soon as I had submitted my application for permanency. (It is not necessary to wait until the permanency process is complete.)

I can't believe how incredibly simple this entire process was from start to finish.

Things are getting easier but still a long way to go.

Jim

Compared with the way the US immigration folks treated my wife, this was a red carpet welcome.

Congratulations & Happy Ending. You got your RNE at pretty quick time, as your documents are correct/accurate.
I am a Social Worker & got my RNE in 2015, in just 43 days & got CPF in 10 mins, it is a Printout, later I got it laminated.
Where you stay in Brazil? I will be living in Limeira, Sao Paulo when I am back from India.

Congratulations, I will be putting my application in on August 4th and I was able to get my CPF about 3 months ago

Hi there,

I am a South African, and I have been living with my Brasilian girlfriend in Rio for the past 5 months. We met in Amsterdam on a student exchange in 2013 and we have been together ever since. My visa expires at the end of August 2017 and we have decided to try and apply for a permanent visa with a stable union certificate. The trouble is that we may not have all the documents by the time that my current visa expires. We went to the Federal Police and asked them about the process and they said that an expired visa would not be a problem and that I would only have to pay a fine of about ~R$7 per a day that I overstay. The man that helped me was very helpful and seemed like he knew what he was talking about, but I would like a second opinion on this. Could someone please guide me here?

I look forward to hearing from you,

Many thanks,
Warren

YES Correct.

Macwaz wrote:

Hi there,

I am a South African, and I have been living with my Brasilian girlfriend in Rio for the past 5 months. We met in Amsterdam on a student exchange in 2013 and we have been together ever since. My visa expires at the end of August 2017 and we have decided to try and apply for a permanent visa with a stable union certificate. The trouble is that we may not have all the documents by the time that my current visa expires. We went to the Federal Police and asked them about the process and they said that an expired visa would not be a problem and that I would only have to pay a fine of about ~R$7 per a day that I overstay. The man that helped me was very helpful and seemed like he knew what he was talking about, but I would like a second opinion on this. Could someone please guide me here?

I look forward to hearing from you,

Many thanks,
Warren

Yes, once you have applied for RNE, with all eligible documents, I think you over stay by paying the fine. They cannot evict you, when you are proving relationship.

saado wrote:

I have read through the posts here and would like to ask for clarification for the process applying from outside Brazil.

Consider a foreigner married to a Brazilian for over five years. As I understand it, the process would entail:

1. Obtain a permanent visa (VIPER) from the Brazilian Embassy/Consulate abroad; 
2. Travel to Brazil and enter on the VIPER; 
3. Pay the necessary fees for the RNE and CIE; 
4. Register at the Policia Federal and apply for the RNE and CIE; 

As I understand, the permanent residency is immediately approved upon submission of the correct paperwork. There is no home visit. And the foreigner can remain outside of Brazil for up to two years before they would lose the permanencia.

Is that correct? If so, then theoretically someone married to a Brazilian over five years could get the VIPER, spend just a week or two in Brazil for the registration, and then be sure to travel to Brazil at least once every two years to maintain the residency. This could in some ways be better than maintaining a tourist visa which has a limited stay entitlement and needs to be periodically renewed.

Yes, Correct.

Overstay is not a big deal in Brazil....regarded as a misdemenor

Thank you very much for your prompt response

Do you also perhaps have an idea as to how much this whole process may cost. It seems possible that it may be more than R$2000?

Thanks again

Warren

Good Luck to all of us...