Naturalization and registering for Military service- anyone done this?

Hi folks,

I have gone through the process of naturalization in Salvador.

Be prepared for submitting tons of documents, and of course they need to be translated in Portuguese and translated by certified translators.

I applied in September 2017 at the Federal Police Office in the Salvador's airport. Had to go back at least five times because somehow their requirements kept changing. In the end a marriage certificate which I had to get translated was no longer required.... no idea why that changed. Maybe because I am in a same-sex relationship??? At the last appointment photo were taken as well as fingerprints and I was given a Process code. You should be able to go and check on the internet on the progress of your file using this number. The process duration is in theory 6 months.

I kept checking every once in a while and nothing was happening. Then in February 2018 I received a phone call to present myself for an interview and language test. That lasted about a couple of hours. I was then told to keep checking on the internet for the progress and the results. In June 2018, I received a letter asking for more information (most of which I already had submitted, including three security certificates from various Brazilian authorithies) and proof of residency (hydro bills, phone bills, condo bills, bank accounts, etc... for the last 5 years. All was submitted on line and I also sent by registered mail to Brasilia just to make sure that nothing would be claimed as ''not received''.

I wrote to the naturalization unit several times. They claimed that the process number did not exist in their system... infuriating procedure. Then checking again on their computerised system all of a sudden their were two process in my name... the original one and one coming from the documents I had sent in June.

The way I found out that all was done, finally in mid-August, 11 months after applying, was to do a google search with my name. It brought me to the ''Official Diary of the Union'' where my processd was mentioned and my naturalization accepted. So now I have to get to the Federal location where my card will be issued... still have to find out where that is in Salvador. As I have moved to Feira de Santana, I went to the Department of Justice here, and was told that I have to go back where the process was initiated.

So, my advice is be patient, very patient... and be prepared to submit multitude of documents and to get the ''go around'' treatment. As for the language test... mine was rather simple and was conducted by one person and was not the ''official'' new requirement.