How to Get a Birth Certificate from Brazil

Get your birth certificate in Brazil

If you’d like to immigrate to the United States or any other country, then you’re going to need your birth certificate from Brazil to do so. You might also need this document for a family law case, to get a job, or even to go to school.

But many people lose their birth certificates over time, and it can be difficult to get a new one if you’re not familiar with the process of obtaining records from Brazil.

Don’t worry. We can help. Keep reading to learn more about our Brazillian birth certificate service and how it can help you reach your immigration and professional goals.

You can also read this page in Portuguese.

Requirements for School, Work, and Legal Proceedings

Maybe you’re not looking for a birth certificate for immigration purposes, but you do need one for a family law case, admission to a university, or as part of your job hunt.

In these situations, the requirements for your birth certificate can vary. It’ll be important to check with your attorney, school admissions department, or potential employer to see what their requirements are.

Birth Certificate in Brazil?
We Can Help You

[email protected]
(214) 432-8100
+55-21-2018-1225

#1  Contact us to get a free quote, or
#2 Schedule a Consultation now.

How Do You Get Your Brazilian Birth Certificate?

The process of obtaining a Brazillian birth certificate has never been easier. In the past, you had to go visit the civil registry office in person (Cartório de Registro Civil das Pessoas Naturais) to get your birth certificate.

This made it difficult for people to get their birth certificates when they had already moved away from the state in which they were born. But nowadays, it’s often possible to request your birth certificate remotely.

Paths to Obtain a Birth Certificate in Brazil

There are basically two options for those who need a birth certificate from Brazil:

Path A. Do It Yourself

Path B. Hire a professional service

It’s worth mentioning that your birth certificate needs to be original. If you photocopy your birth certificate and use that in immigration or other types of application, it is unlikely that your application will be approved.

Path A. Do It Yourself

You can probably handle the process of getting a Brazilian Birth Certificate yourself if you:

a. Have a reasonable knowledge of the Portuguese language

b. Have lots of available time in your hands to learn the process and go through it

c. Have an address in Brazil, a Brazilian CPF Tax ID, and a Brazilian credit card or bank account for payment

d. Are able to forward the birth certificate received at your Brazilian address to the country where you currently live 

Alternatively, you can hire a team of professionals to track down the correct form of your birth certificate for you so that you can focus on the other important parts of life. Get a Quote Today! [email protected]

Step #1 Access the Registro Civil Website

This is the website you should use if you decide to do it yourself. The https://registrocivil.org.br/ website is supported by the National Association of the Natural Persons Registries. Such registries are the ones in charge of keeping the Birth Certificates and other types of certificates in Brazil. This is their website:

To get started, click on the “Nascimento” (‘Certidão de Nascimento’) icon to the left:

Upon clicking on this icon you are taken to this following workflow.

Step #1 Cartorio (Registry) 

Start by entering the following information for the cartorio in charge of the birth certificate you are looking for:

• State
• City

Upon entering the above information, the website will show you all the cartórios available in that city. For small cities, there may be just one or a few cartorios. For large cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, a large number of cartorios shall be expected.

You must know upfront which cartorio is in charge of the birth certificate you are looking for. The easiest way of knowing it is to simply check an old copy of a birth certificate you had in the past. In this example, the information is located in the stamp towards the bottom of the certificate (highlighted in yellow):

Entering Basic Information

After you select the right cartorio, you will need to enter:

• Full name
• and date of birth
• the other fields are optional (info required in case of older birth certificates)

Step #3 Optional Information Page

The next page will ask you for other optional fields such as book, page and entry. You can proceed the request without providing any of these fields.

Step #4 Delivery Options

On the next page you will choose between “printed” and “electronic”. They will give you a heads up that even in Brazil, the electronic version is not really accepted in many public departments and that once printed in common paper “it will not be considered as an official certificate.”

Our recommendation is that you order the “Printed” version, which will be issued and printed on the cartorio special paper. 

Important: Apostille. It is on this same page that you can order the “Apostille.” The Apostille will recognize your birth certificate as authenticated for use abroad.

Birth Certificate in Brazil?
We Can Help You

[email protected]
(214) 432-8100
+55-21-2018-1225

#1  Contact us to get a free quote, or
#2 Schedule a Consultation now.

Step #5 Confirm the Information

In this step, you will be able to confirm the information entered and how much will be the cost. At the time we wrote this article, the cost was R$ 38.89 for the certificate, R$ 136.48 for the Apostille, for a total of R$ 175.37.

Step #6 Create an Account

You will need to create an account unless you already have one. Note that you will need three pieces of IDs restricted to Brazil:

• a CPF Tax ID number
• a Brazil cell phone number
• as well as an address for delivery in Brazil. Unfortunately, you are not able to have the document shipped abroad.

Step #7 Service Terms You Should Know

You will be required to accept a long list of clauses as a condition to get the service done. Among these many clauses, the ones you should know are:

a) The price you agreed to pay was just an estimate. Additional annotations to the certificate, such as information on marriage, divorce, etc., may increase the costs associated.

b) People other than the person object of the Birth Certificate may request a certificate as long as this person is aware that there are civil and criminal penalties for the misuse of such information.

c) The optional information is not a must but may be key for retrieving and issuing the requested birth certificate.

d) The certificates will be shipped by the Brazilian postal service only to the address registered in the account (again, this is restricted to only addresses in Brazil). Costs with shipment will be added to the total costs for the service.

e) For most states, unfortunately, you cannot locate certificates through a search. The only states available for searches at the time of this writing were Sao Paulo and Pernambuco. For all others, you must have a prior certificate to know where it was issued or, at least, have this information from someone (e.g., your mother or the subject’s mother).

f) The amounts charged are stipulated on a state-by-state basis. There is a substantial latitude of amounts charged by the states. Some states may charge taxes on top of these amounts as well.

g) Turnaround estimate is ten business days after payment is validated by the bank.

h) users may check the service status by login back into the created account.

Step #8 Provide Payment

Payment may be provided by:

• credit card
• bank
• prepaid credits

Unfortunately, all these three options are restricted to cards and banks in Brazil. A card issued in the US or another country will not work since they use the local Brazilian zip code system for verification.

Birth Certificate in Brazil?
We Can Help You

[email protected]
(214) 432-8100
+55-21-2018-1225

#1  Contact us to get a free quote, or
#2 Schedule a Consultation now.

Updates to Your Birth Certificate

If you’ve been married or divorced and changed your name because of it, then you may need to get an updated version of your birth certificate. This is called an annotated birth certificate.

In these situations, your original birth certificate may not be enough to satisfy legal requirements. Even if you have that document in good condition, you may still need to procure an annotated version of your birth certificate to comply.

Path B. Hire a professional service

We can help you get a new birth certificate. Just follow these steps:

a. Send us a copy of your old birth certificate

b. Tell us which of these items you need: (1) birth certificate, (2) apostille of the birth certificate, (3) sworn translation (into which language), and (4) apostille of the sworn translation.

c. Pay our services upon quote.

d. Get your birth certificate document anywhere in the world.

Contact Us Now
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Get a Quote Today!

Common Questions About Brazillian Birth Certificates

How do I get my birth certificate from Brazil?

To get your Brazillian birth certificate, you can either visit a notary yourself or hire a representative to do it for you. In the past, you had to go to the notary’s office in the state you were born. But now, going to any notary’s office is usually enough.

What is a Cartorio in Brazil?

A cartorio is the Brazillian version of what we would call a public notary in the United States. They validate legal documents like birth certificates so that they can be used in various legal proceedings.

If you need to use your Brazillian birth certificate for something legal, then getting it from a cartorio is the best way to ensure that you’re able to do that.

Do they have birth certificates in Brazil?

They absolutely do have birth certificates in Brazil. Every citizen has the right to obtain their birth certificate and to request a replacement when they need one. But the form of a Brazilian birth certificate may vary based on the state that issued it.

Birth Certificate in Brazil?
We Can Help You

[email protected]
(214) 432-8100
+55-21-2018-1225

#1  Contact us to get a free quote, or
#2 Schedule a Consultation now.

Can I have my birth certificate with an Apostille?

Yes, an apostille to be added to the birth certificate is a common request. We can have both the birth certificate and the apostille shipped by FedEx to you in any country in the world where FedEx operates. For those few countries where FedEx is not present, we can ship your documents by registered mail. Check our page about Apostille in Brazil for more information.

Does Brazil allow dual citizenship with the U.S.?

Yes, Brazil allows dual citizenship with the United States. For example, a child with American parents will become a Brazilian citizen automatically if they are born in Brazillian territory and their parents aren’t part of the American government.

What about a Marriage Certificate? And, Death Certificate?

You can follow the same step-by-step on this page to request a new marriage certificate or Death Certificate in Brazil.

Can the Brazilian consulate or Brazilian embassy get me a new Birth Certificate from Brazil?

In theory, yes. Brazilian consulates and embassies have access to the same systems as civil registry offices in Brazil, and Brazilian citizens should be entitled to this service. This said, consulate generals are chronically overwhelmed with demand from Brazilian nationals across the globe. You may check with the Brazilian consulate in charge of your jurisdiction if they are currently issuing birth certificates upon request.

What about births occurred outside of Brazil? Do I need to go to Brazil?

For children born abroad with Brazilian parents, a birth certificate will be first issued by the authorities where the child was born. Afterward, the birth certificate issued by the foreign authority may be taken to a Brazilian consulate or embassy for recording.

This recorded version will be in Portuguese and will be accepted by Brazilian authorities. Additionally, the recorded version of the foreign birth certificate should be taken to a cartorio in Brazil, so a full-fledged Brazilian birth certificate is issued. 

What else can I see in someone’s birth certificate from Brazil?

A person’s birth certificate in Brazil also has the purpose of showing a person’s life events, such as emancipation, marriage, divorce, and death. These entries to the birth certificate are commonly known as “averbações” (meaning annotations or amendments.)

These entries would allow someone to identify and order and obtain records, for instance, divorce certificates related to the birth certificate’s person.

A new birth certificate in Brazil is the same thing as the original one?

No. The original birth certificate is the one issued and given to the child’s parents upon birth. A new birth certificate will be issued in a more modern format using a special type of paper according to current regulations. The new birth certificate will have the same legal value as the original one, but in terms of formatting and media, the new birth certificate is different than the original one.

Do I need to be a personal representative to obtain someone’s birth certificate in Brazil?

No. Birth certificates are considered public information in Brazil. As long as you do not use the information for ill purposes, you are free to get the birth certificate of any person.

What if I have a question today?

If you’ve got a personalized question about getting a Brazillian birth certificate, then contact Oliveira Lawyers today. We can give you personalized advice so that you can get the documents you need as quickly as possible.