Citizenship by descent
Brazilian citizenship by descent
If your mother or father is Brazilian, you can be Brazilian too, even if you were born abroad. Under the Constitution, registering your birth at a Brazilian consulate makes you Brazilian from birth.
- For
- Children of a Brazilian mother or father, born abroad
- How
- Birth registration at a Brazilian consulate
- Age
- Any age, if the birth isn't registered in Brazil yet
- Other nationality
- You don't have to give it up
Who it's for
- People born abroad with at least one Brazilian parent at the time of birth.
- Adults too: the registration can be done at any age, as long as the birth hasn't already been registered elsewhere.
- Nationality passes from a Brazilian parent. For grandchildren, it usually means registering the parent as Brazilian first.
How it works
- Get your full foreign birth certificate, with an apostille or legalization if it's from a third country.
- Apply for the birth registration at the Brazilian consulate for where you were born, and finish it in person there.
- Transcribe the consular certificate at a registry office (cartório) in Brazil so it takes effect there.
- With your Brazilian certificate, apply for a Brazilian passport, a CPF and other documents.
Documents
- The consulate's birth-registration form
- Your full foreign birth certificate, naming your parents
- Your Brazilian parent's ID or passport
Registering only at a cartório in Brazil also works, but then, after 18, you have to live in Brazil and confirm your nationality before the Federal Court. Consulates list more documents depending on your age.
Have an attorney handle your citizenship
A licensed attorney checks your family documents and guides your registration, including the Federal Court option when you need it. You choose them in the Emigro app and see their fee before you commit.
Book an attorney for my citizenshipOfficial sources
Constitution of Brazil, art. 12 ↗
Birth registration, Brazilian consulate ↗
Checked against official sources on October 23, 2026. Emigro gives preliminary guidance, not legal advice. Requirements are confirmed against official Brazilian sources and by the licensed attorneys.
More free tools
- Residency and citizenship guidesHow to get Brazil residencyEvery route to live in Brazil, side by side, and which one fits you.
- Residency and citizenship guidesMercosur residenceTwo years' residence for nationals of Mercosur countries, then indefinite.
- Residency and citizenship guidesCPLP residenceTwo years' residence for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries.
- Residency and citizenship guidesFamily reunion visaResidence to join a Brazilian or a resident relative in Brazil.
- Residency and citizenship guidesRetirement visaResidence for retirees with a pension they can transfer to Brazil.
- Residency and citizenship guidesBrazilian naturalizationWhen you can apply for citizenship, with a calculator for your date.
- Visa toolsPassport visa checkHow long you can visit Brazil, whether you can extend, and the residence agreements your nationality opens.
- Visa toolsDigital nomad visa checkWhether you qualify for Brazil's VITEM XIV: the income rule, who counts as a foreign employer, and the documents.
- Visa toolsInvestor visa calculatorWhether your investment in a company or in property reaches the minimum for residence.
- Document toolsCPF for foreignersWhat a CPF is, how to get one yourself, and how to have it done for you.
- Document toolsRNM registration guideYour deadline to register with the Federal Police, the documents and the fee.
- Document toolsFirst-month checklistWhat to set up in your first weeks: RNM, CPF, bank, phone, health card and more.
- Tax toolsTax residency checkThe date you become, or stop being, a Brazilian tax resident, and what has to be filed.
- Tax toolsTax treaty checkWhether Brazil has a treaty with your country to avoid double taxation.
- Tax toolsTax return checkWhether you have to file Brazil's annual income tax return, and the deadline.
- Firm toolsYour website, reimaginedSend us your firm's website and get a private preview rebuilt on Emigro Sites.Coming soon