Government of Canada services and information in São Paulo, Brazil

Refer to International adoption.

See below the general requirements for adoption process in Brazil:

• The candidate has to be 18 years old or older
• Present yourself to a Vara da Infância e Juventude (Youth Court)
• File out an application with personal information and supporting documents
• Criminal and judicial records check are required for the applicant(s).
• After information is submitted, a judge will analyse the application to ensure the legal requirements were met. The candidates will be called for an interview and, if approved, will be included in a National Registration list which is organized in chronological order. The candidate can adopt in any part of Brazil through the unique registration list. When a child or teenager is eligible for adoption, the couple registered will be called.
• The time frame may vary significantly from case to case. It will depend mostly on the characteristics they chose for the child (age, sex, siblings).

Adoption by a foreigner:

• Impossibility of adoption by proxy
• The probationary phase must be accomplished in Brazil. If the adoptive parents reside abroad and child is minor than 2 years old, the term will be set in 15 days, at least. Should the child be older, the term will set in a minimum of 30 days.
• The adoptive parent must present a document issued by the authorities of his/her domicile country, attesting his/her capability and non-impediment to adopt, and that the adoption is in accordance with the law in his/her country.
• The adoptive parent must present a psychological/sociological study prepared by an accredited and specialized agency from his/her country of origin.
• All documents in a foreign language have to be translated to Portuguese by a sworn translator and authenticated by the consular authority and in compliance with International Treaties and Conventions.
• The exit of the minor from Brazil will be authorized only after the conclusion of the adoption process.

Surrogacy:

In Brazil there are no laws regarding surrogacy. There are in place certain provisions from the local Medical Council and National Justice Council. The procedure is called Solidarity Belly (“Barriga solidária”) as it can not be charged and the process can only be done involving relatives until 4th degree (mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunts until 3rd degree and cousins until 4th degree). For any different situation an authorization from the Medical Council is needed. The couples who are interested in such procedures have to look for a lawyer and submit documents such as consent terms regarding the biopsychosocial aspects, risks during pregnancy and puerperal period and legal aspects of filiation. A medical report with the psychological profile of all involved is required. A consent from the spouse of the surrogate will be needed, should the surrogate be married

Refer to Children born outside of Canada.

Registration has to be completed with local notary public/Civil Registry for every child born in Brazil. A birth certificate is issued in Portuguese. The first original is issued at no cost.

The Brazilian Constitution provides that all born in Brazil are Brazilian citizens even when the parents are foreigners (Jus Soli – nationality is acquired based on the territory where the individual was born). The exception for this rule is if parents are in Brazil working for their countries (such as accredited diplomats).

Complete your citizenship application before booking an appointment to present your documents in person.

Refer to Marriage abroad.

The local notary publics/Civil Registries are responsible for registering marriages in Brazil. As there may be variation between the requirements from one notary to another, we encourage clients to approach the notary public closest to their residence for a list of required documents.

Please note that notarial service requests are assessed on a case by case basis. Notarial services may be provided only when there are no local options available and when resources are sufficient to respond to such requests.

Please visit travel.gc.ca/asktravel for additional information specific to the Government of Canada office abroad you will be visiting.

You can pay online for all your passport services before completing your passport application.

Book an appointment to present your documents in person.

Refer to Retiring abroad.

Refer to Studying abroad and EduCanada.

Refer to Travel documents – Visas.

• Apply to travel, study, work or immigrate to Canada.
• Find a visa application centre (VAC) to book an appointment to give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo).
• Submit an enquiry using the IRCC web form to contact a visa office.

Permanent residents of Canada: Find out how to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD).

Refer to Voting in an election while outside Canada.