Hello from South Africa

Hi, Chris,

The gating item for most people is the criminal background check for each of you from your home government, because it has to be less than 90 days old when you present it to request permanent residency.  It also needs to be apostilled by the South African authorities, and translated into Portuguese by a sworn translator in Brazil.  All South African documents that you present, except for your passports, will require apostilles and sworn translations.  (Fortunately, you can arrange for the translations online, even before you leave South Africa, and they don't expire.)  So, you need to balance the time required to get the Background Checks, get your and your wife's other documents together, and get the apostilles, against your baby's anticipated due date, to work out when it's best for you to arrive in Brazil.  Your VIVIS visa should be good for 90 days, and you should be able to extend it for another 90 days.  Once your application for permanent residency has been accepted, the clock stops on your visa while your application is processed, so you SHOULD be able to avoid visa problems with some basic planning.

You should be able to request and obtain a Birth Certificate within days (maybe even hours) of your child's birth.  Many maternity hospitals have a cartório -- a notary or registry office -- onsite; if not, there will be one nearby.  You'll need a Declaration of Live Birth (DNV) from the hospital, your and your wife's identity documents, and maybe, your marriage certificate.    As with any official Brazilian document, I recommend investing in duplicate originals ("2a via") when available.  Once you have the Birth Certificate in hand, you and your wife can go to the Federal Police and request permanent residency.

The ID card for expat permanent residents is now called the CRNM, Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório; it used to be called the CIE, and most expats called it the RNE -- all the same thing.  The list of documents required for permanent residency -- is on the Polícia Federal website, here:

http://www.pf.gov.br/servicos-pf/imigra … o-familiar

Check it frequently, because it sometimes changes as regulations do.  You'll want "family reunion", "reunião familiar", by virtue of having a Brazilian child.  Not every document requirement on the list will apply to you.

After accepting your application, the Federal Police will tell you that your CRNMs can take up to three months to be issued.  This is probably true, but I had mine in a month, and most people report getting them in about that time, except at the end of 2017, when all the rules changed and the system slowed down, until the new rules were understood.

The normal wait time for naturalization is four years, but it's shortened to one year in cases of family reunion.  So, one year after the issue date of your CRNM (and NOT of either your arrival in Brazil, or your child's birth), you can apply for naturalization.  This is also handled by the Federal Police.

Documents required for naturalization:
http://www.pf.gov.br/servicos-pf/imigra … -ordinaria

I haven't done this process yet:  I'll be starting it in November.  People who have done it here say that, even after your application is accepted, it takes months and months for it to be approved.

Thanks for cluing me in on the concept of "powerful" passports -- I had not run across that before. 

Question for you.  As much as I love Brazil, I'm a little surprised that it's your choice.  Sounds like you and your girlfriend might have the skill sets that could get you into Australia or Canada -- wouldn't either of them be an easier proposition all the way around?

I've seen the South African Videos on Youtube, granted what they say is true. then please tell all your mates to get packing and go.  And yes, in all earnest, Brazil is a far better place than South Africa.

Yes, there are class and racial divides, but not as pronounced as to wee see in South Africa, and on the surface, no racial backlash.   

That being said, If I could have the US and Brazil, at first I would choose the USA, since I am an US Citizen and lived there over 28 years.   

Yet, Brazil presents with a number of situations where it weighs in favorably, and to name a few....

-Affordable Health Care. The high cost of Health Care is driving many Americans, specially those in the Golden Age, out of the Country.

-Affordable Housing Costs.

-Wide open opportunities to the enterprising types.   You can literally create new revenue streams and industries.


To your questions...

1.  How long after the birth of our child will we receive the Birth Certificate
15 days up to 3 months depending on your location

2.  How long after the receipt of the Birth Certificate can we go apply for the residency cards
3-12 months.  The Brazilian Bureaucracy is maddening.

3.  How long after being granted residency can we apply for citizenship and passports
15 years non stop, no crime on record. You can be a legal allien resident, just not a citizen.

Hey, I'm south african from CT and I did exactly what you said, including the citizenship over the last 3 years....but my wife is Brazilian though

If you think you going to escape the problems of SA, or find greener pastures it's not going to happen here, honestly Brazil doesn't have any city that beats CT and I live in the best part of Floripa, there are good things though but it's a tough road

Inbox me if you want the low down

I'm going to give you a great piece of advice, if you are going to go through the hassle to Emigrate , emigrate to a true First world country....preferably an English speaking one

At the end of the day you will find Brazil and South Africa sit on very much the same spectrum with huge inequality, insane crime rates, economic problems etc, except now you are at a huge disadvantage with a new language