Brazil police clearance certificate from abroad

This is an independent guide. The Brazilian Federal Police and state Civil Police issue their own certificates; Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private service, not a government agency, and can assist with issuance, apostille, and sworn translation.

You can usually start a Brazilian police certificate online from abroad. The Federal Police (PF) issues the Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais free of charge and it is valid for 90 days. Whether that is enough depends on the country asking for it: some also want a state certificate, an apostille or a translation, and Canada sends applicants without a CIE and CPF to a PF office.

The certificate is only one step. The receiving authority may also ask for specific ID numbers, a state certificate, an apostille or a translation. Below are the requirements we have confirmed from official sources for Canada, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom and Paraguay. For Canada, the UK and Ireland we also have separate guides.

Do you need a Brazilian police certificate when living abroad?

It depends on the country and the procedure, not on your passport alone. A foreigner who once lived in Brazil may be asked for a Brazilian certificate just as a Brazilian citizen abroad would be. Ask yourself:

• Which country and which application will receive the document?
• Does it ask for the Brazilian Federal Police certificate, a state certificate, or both?
• Does your residence history in Brazil trigger the requirement?
• Must the certificate show particular ID numbers?
• Does the authority set a maximum age for the document?
• Does it want an apostille or a translation?

Requirements confirmed for one country must not be copied to another.

Canada

IRCC, the Canadian immigration authority, requires a police certificate if you apply for permanent residence, citizenship or International Experience Canada. For Brazil it asks for the Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais issued by the Federal Police, and it states that Brazilian state certificates are no longer accepted: only the national certificate from the PF.

How you request it depends on your ID. If you hold Brazilian ID cards, the Cédula de Identidade de Estrangeiro (CIE) and the Cadastro de Pessoa Física (CPF), you request the certificate from the Federal Police over the internet. Without them, IRCC says you cannot request it online and should apply in person at your nearest PF office.

IRCC also sets issue dates and a translation rule: a certificate for your current country of residence must be issued no more than 6 months before you submit the application; for a country where you lived before, it must be issued after the last time you resided there for 6 consecutive months or longer since the age of 18. A certificate that is not in English or French must come with a copy of the original and a copy from a certified translator. Details are in our guide for Canada.

Spain

The Spanish consular instructions for national visas processed in Brazil ask for a certificate issued by the Federal Police and apostilled by a notary, from applicants over 18. For certificates issued over the internet, the certificate must show the passport number (always) and, in addition, the RG or CPF number for Brazilian citizens or the RNE number for foreigners. So a former foreign resident should check that the issued document carries these numbers.

The Spanish consular pages add that Spanish consulates in Brazil require the record translated into Spanish by a sworn translator and carrying the Hague apostille (Brasília, study visas), that the certificate is required there only when the stay exceeds 180 days, and that the Porto Alegre consulate accepts only the PF certificate, apostilled, from residents of Brazil and Brazilian citizens, and requires translation only of documents that are not in Spanish or Portuguese. Check the page of the consulate that handles your case.

United States

The U.S. Department of State says the Federal Police and some states offer online certificates, and that the PF certificate is acceptable for U.S. immigration purposes. For an immigrant visa it asks for the federal certificate plus a police certificate from each state where the applicant lived for more than six months during the last five years. Certificates from the judicial courts (Poder Judiciário) are not acceptable for this purpose.

For people living outside Brazil, it says a state certificate usually cannot be obtained unless you give a representative a power of attorney, and your Brazilian ID card was issued by the state where the certificate is requested. The same page notes that Brazilian police records are erased after five years, so the certificate shows only recent incidents. Applicants 16 or older must also present a police certificate from every other country where they lived for six months or more, and documents not in English must come with a certified translation.

United Kingdom

The Home Office asks for a criminal record certificate from every country, other than the UK, where the applicant has been present for 12 months or more (continuously or in total) in the past 10 years while aged 18 or over. Several separate stays in Brazil therefore add up. The rule applies to certain routes only, for example Skilled Worker applicants applying from outside the UK in education, health, therapy or social services. See our UK guide.

Paraguay

For temporary residence, Paraguay's migration authority asks foreigners who lived in a country other than their country of origin for more than one year during the last three years to present the certificate of the country of their last residence. A non-Brazilian who last lived in Brazil may therefore need a Brazilian certificate. The same pages ask for the record to be legalized or apostilled (documents issued abroad), and say that Brazilian-issued documents in Portuguese are exempt from translation. Under MERCOSUR temporary residence, which Brazilian citizens can use, the certificate must be national in scope and legalized or apostilled; that residence is valid for two years and cannot be extended.

Ireland

Irish rules differ by permission type, and the maximum certificate age differs too. We set them out in a separate Ireland guide; this page does not restate them.

Which situation are you in?

• You live abroad and hold a CIE and CPF. Canada's instructions point you to the online PF request.
• You left Brazil and no longer have those documents. For Canada, the instructions say the request is then made in person at a PF unit. Check what your own authority says before travelling or authorizing anyone.
• You need a state certificate and live abroad. The U.S. and UK sources describe a representative with a power of attorney (procuração; the UK source names a friend or relative).
• You stayed in Brazil in several short periods. The UK counts them together toward 12 months.
• You are not Brazilian but last lived in Brazil. Paraguay's rule can still require the Brazilian certificate.

Federal Police or state certificate: which one fits?

• Federal Police (PF): the national Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais, free and issued online. It returns "NADA CONSTA" when the service holds no final conviction against you. Canada requires it, and the U.S. accepts it. People with namesakes (homônimos) may be unable to issue it online. See the federal certificate.
• State certificate: issued by state authorities, with procedures that vary by state. Of the destinations above, the U.S. requires it in some immigrant-visa cases. Canada does not accept it.

Do not order a state certificate "just in case". Ask the receiving authority which document it wants. Do not substitute a court certificate for a police certificate unless that authority says it will accept one.

How to get the certificate from abroad, step by step

1. Identify the receiving authority and its document. Check whether it names the PF certificate, a state certificate or both.
2. Check your Brazilian ID. For Canada, CIE plus CPF decides between the online route and an in-person request. For Spain, check that the passport number and RNE (or RG/CPF) will appear.
3. Use the official PF service at gov.br/pf. It is free and online. Printed for civil purposes, the certificate is valid for 90 days.
4. Review the issued certificate against the authority's instructions. A document that is valid in Brazil can still miss a number the destination requires.
5. Decide on a state certificate only if the authority requires it. For the U.S. and the UK, the sources describe a representative with a power of attorney for applicants abroad.
6. Add apostille or translation only if required (next section).
7. Verify and submit. You can validate a certificate. Validation shows the document is genuine; it does not mean a foreign authority will accept it.

For a consular route or any other situation the sources do not cover: the official guidance consulted does not describe that procedure; confirm the applicable channel with the issuing authority before acting.

Apostille and sworn translation

An apostille is a certificate issued under the Hague Apostille Convention that authenticates the origin of a public document. In Brazil, documents to be used in Hague Convention countries are apostilled at authorized notary offices (cartórios); Brazil's National Council of Justice (CNJ) coordinates the system and lists authorized cartórios by state and city. If the destination or the document's origin country is not party to the Convention, the document must be legalized instead. A sworn translation renders the document into the required language. They are separate steps, and one does not replace the other.

Whether the receiving authority asks for either depends on the country:

• Spain: an apostilled PF certificate, and in the Brasília consular instructions a sworn translation into Spanish.
• Paraguay: legalization or apostille.
• Canada: a certified translation into English or French with a copy of the original; the pages we rely on do not list an apostille.
• United Kingdom: a certified translation if the certificate is not in English; no apostille is listed.
• United States: certified translation of documents not in English; no apostille rule for the PF certificate is stated.

Do not buy an apostille because a document "is going abroad". Ask the receiving authority whether it wants one, who may translate, and into which language. Our country guides cover Canada, the UK and Ireland, and our apostille and translation guide explains the services.

How long is the certificate valid?

The PF states that its certificate is valid for 90 days. That is the issuer's validity, not necessarily the period during which a foreign authority accepts it. The UK's 12-month and Paraguay's three-year figures define whose certificate is needed, not how old it may be.

Where an authority does state an age, it is separate from the PF's 90 days: Canada accepts a certificate for the current country of residence issued no more than 6 months before the application, and the UK asks for no more than 6 months before the application for the latest country of residence. For other destinations on this page the official sources consulted do not fix an acceptance period; confirm it with the responsible authority before you apply, especially if an apostille or translation will take time.

What to prepare before you start

Gather the destination authority's current instruction page and a list of where you lived in Brazil and for how long, because the UK and Paraguay rules turn on residence periods. Have your passport, CPF and any CIE ready, since Canada and Spain refer to them. Write down the exact document name the authority uses. If it is unclear, ask a short question: "Is the Brazilian Federal Police certificate sufficient, or do you also need a state certificate?" The answer decides what you order, and it saves money on services you may not need.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Copying one country's requirements to another. Each authority sets its own.
• Paying for an apostille or translation before the authority has said it wants one.
• Ordering a state certificate when the authority asked only for the federal one (Canada), or the reverse.
• Treating the 90-day PF validity as the foreign authority's acceptance period.
• Sending a court certificate where a police certificate is required.
• Assuming a certificate issued online will show every number the destination needs. Check the document itself.

Price in BRL for the certificate

These are approximate private-service starting prices in Brazilian reais. The PF certificate itself costs nothing when you request it directly. We explain the price for your case before payment. Order only what your authority requires. Private assistance does not change official rules and does not guarantee acceptance.

Requirements at a glance

This table covers only the documented requirements. If your destination is not listed, read its official instructions.

Guides by country

• Brazil Federal Police certificate: free online issuance
• Brazil police certificate for the USA
• Brazil police certificate for Canada
• Brazil police certificate for the United Kingdom
• Brazil police certificate for Ireland
• Brazil police certificate for Portugal
• Brazil police certificate for Spain
• Brazil police certificate for Italy
• Brazil police certificate for Belgium
• Brazil police certificate for Paraguay

Need help with your Brazilian certificate abroad?

Need help obtaining, apostilling, or translating the Brazilian certificate? Leave your contact; we will review the case and explain the price before payment. Contact us.

Tell us the destination country and the purpose of the certificate. We do not issue government certificates, guarantee acceptance, or alter criminal records.

Sources

1. Brazilian Federal Police, Antecedentes Criminais: https://www.gov.br/pf/pt-br/assuntos/antecedentes-criminais
2. Gov.br, issue the criminal record certificate (homonyms, NADA CONSTA): https://www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/emitir-certidao-de-antecedentes-criminais
3. IRCC, police certificate for Brazil: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/how/brazil.html
4. IRCC, who needs a police certificate: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/who.html
5. IRCC, when to get a police certificate: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/when.html
6. IRCC, police certificates (translation): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates.html
7. Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, national visa for employment: https://www.exteriores.gob.es/es/ServiciosAlCiudadano/Paginas/Servicios-consulares.aspx?scco=Brasil&scd=263&scca=Visados&scs=Visados+Nacionales+-+Visado+de+trabajo+por+cuenta+ajena
8. Spanish Embassy in Brasília, study visas: https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/brasilia/es/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/index.aspx?scca=Visados&scco=Brasil&scd=33&scs=Visados+Nacionales+-+Visado+de+estudios
9. Spanish Consulate in Porto Alegre, study visa notice: https://www.exteriores.gob.es/DocumentosAuxiliaresSC/Brasil/PORTO%20ALEGRE%20(C)/1.%20NI%20CG%20POA%20visado%20estudios%2023.05.2025.pdf
10. U.S. Department of State, Brazil civil documents: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Brazil.html
11. UK Government, criminal record certificate requirement: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-record-certificate-requirement/criminal-record-certificate-requirement-accessible
12. UK Home Office, criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Brazil): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants/countries-a-to-f-applying-for-a-criminal-records-check-for-someone-from-overseas
13. Paraguay, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, temporary residence: https://migraciones.gov.py/residencia-temporal/
14. Paraguay, MERCOSUR temporary residence: https://migraciones.gov.py/residencia-temporaria-mercosur/
15. CNJ, Hague Apostille: https://www.cnj.jus.br/poder-judiciario/relacoes-internacionais/apostila-da-haia/
16. Itamaraty, apostille of documents: https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/assuntos/portal-consular/legalizacao-de-documentos/apostilamento-de-documentos