The situation

The Ministry of Labor no longer requires in-country residence authorization applicants in Brazil to submit police clearance certificates from all countries where the applicant has lived in the last five years if the applicant already submitted such certificates with their initial visa application at a Brazilian consulate abroad.

The Ministry published this reversed position in a Technical Note on March 12.

Impact

Eligible foreign nationals will no longer have to travel to the countries that require a personal appearance to apply for police clearance certificates, which will result in a faster, more streamlined application process.

Exceptions

The Ministry of Labor still requires foreign nationals in Brazil under visitor status seeking an initial residence authorization in-country to submit apostilled or legalized police clearances from all countries where the foreign national has resided in the past five years.

Fragomen in Brazil is Fragomen Brasil Serviços de Imigração Ltda., operating exclusively as an immigration consultancy and not as a law firm in Brazil. This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to Brazil@fragomen.com.