A Brazilian criminal record certificate (Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais) is issued by the Federal Police (Polícia Federal, PF) and by the state Civil Police (Polícias Civis), and you can request it yourself. Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private service, not a government agency: we explain the route and help when it gets complicated, with the Hague apostille, sworn translation and issuance for people living abroad.
Quick answer: the Federal Police issues its certificate online, free of charge and immediately, valid for 90 days. State documents follow each state's own rules. Which one you need depends on who asked for the document. Our optional assistance starts from R$ 30, the Hague apostille from R$ 95 and sworn translation from R$ 110 per page.
| Quick answer | |
|---|---|
| What you need | The document named in the request: federal (PF) certificate or a state one |
| Where to get it | PF: online on the Federal Police portal; state: the state authority (for example, Paraná or the Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police) |
| Time | PF: immediate; Paraná: up to 24 hours; other states: check the state service |
| Cost | PF issuance is free; our optional assistance from R$ 30 |
| Apostille | Only if the recipient requires it; our private service from R$ 95, notary fee (cartório) extra |
Do you need a Brazilian criminal record certificate but do not know where to start? The first step is to identify which document was requested and which authority must issue it. Depending on the request, the route may go through the Federal Police (PF) or through a state service.
The Federal Police offers free and immediate issuance of its certificate over the internet. In the states, procedures and conditions can differ. In Minas Gerais, for example, the online service has a condition tied to an ID card issued in that same state. In Paraná, issuance is free and the document is ready in up to 24 hours. In Rio Grande do Sul, the police-records certificate (Certidão de Antecedentes Policiais) is issued through the Civil Police website.
These differences matter whether you are looking for a federal certificate, a state attestation or a document meant for use abroad. Before you start, clarify what was requested, check the matching issuing channel and work out whether any additional service will be needed.
Which certificate should you choose?
Federal certificate or state document?
The choice starts with one question: which authority must issue the document you have to submit?
If the request names the Federal Police, the route is the federal certificate. The PF provides the service over the internet, free of charge, with immediate issuance. A certificate issued through this service is valid for 90 days, according to the information published on gov.br.
If the request mentions a state Civil Police or a state document, you need to identify the state concerned. It is not safe to assume that a federal certificate automatically replaces a state one, or that every document called an "atestado" serves the same purpose.
The safest approach is to check the description of the required document before you start the request. That way you avoid choosing a channel just because it came up first in a search.
To understand the PF procedure specifically, see our page on the Brazil federal police certificate. If your need relates to issuance by a state, see the guide to the state criminal record certificate. If the request calls for a Federal Court certificate rather than a police one, see our page on the federal court criminal certificate.
Criminal record certificate (certidão) and atestado: how to decide
The terms certidão de antecedentes criminais (criminal record certificate) and atestado de antecedentes criminais (criminal record attestation) both turn up in searches and in services related to issuing these documents. However, the name used in a request should not be the only criterion for choosing the procedure.
What matters most is which document will be accepted by whoever asked for it.
For example, the PF federal service issues a certidão de antecedentes criminais. The Minas Gerais portal (Portal MG), on the other hand, presents an atestado de antecedentes criminais service. In Paraná, the state service also uses the word atestado.
This shows why you must look at the responsible authority as well as the name of the document.
If you received instructions that expressly mention an atestado, see our page on the atestado de antecedentes criminais. For an explanation dedicated to the certidão, go to the criminal record certificate page.
What to check before you start
Before opening any issuing system, reread the request for the document. Identify whether it refers to the Federal Police, to a state Civil Police or to some specific submission requirement.
It is also important to distinguish the need to obtain the document from the need to prepare it for another purpose.
If you only need a federal certificate, you can start directly with the free PF service. If you need a state document, check the procedure of the relevant state (unidade federativa).
If you plan to use a certificate outside Brazil, you may have additional questions about the Hague apostille or sworn translation. These steps should be assessed separately from issuing the document.
You do not need to hire private help just to read the information available on the public portals. Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers assistance for people who prefer support with the process or who need additional services.
Is there one certificate valid for every situation?
Based on the information in this guide, it is not possible to say that a single certificate is enough for every purpose.
The Federal Police states the conditions for issuing its document. State services have their own procedures. Whether a certificate is accepted in a specific situation is a different matter from whether you can issue it.
Federal and state routes
Federal Police: free and immediate issuance
To request the federal certificate, the starting point is the Federal Police criminal records service.
According to gov.br, the certificate is issued free of charge over the internet and is valid for 90 days. Issuance is immediate, as the service description says.
You can go directly to the Federal Police issuing portal and follow the instructions in the system.
This is the route for people who already know they need the PF certificate and want to do it on their own.
Before using the document, check the information shown on it and note its validity. Free issuance of the federal document should not be confused with the amounts that private companies charge for assistance or for complementary services.
Minas Gerais: note the ID issued in the state
In Minas Gerais, Portal MG states an important condition for the online atestado de antecedentes criminais service.
According to the description published on the portal, the service is available only to holders of an identity card (carteira de identidade) issued exclusively by the state of Minas Gerais.
So before trying to issue through this channel, check whether your situation matches the stated condition.
Paraná: free document in up to 24 hours
In Paraná, the state portal says the atestado de antecedentes criminais can be requested entirely over the internet.
Issuance is free and the document is ready in up to 24 hours. The portal also states a validity of 90 days.
These details set the Paraná service apart from federal issuance: both are free, but the time stated for Paraná is up to 24 hours, while the Federal Police describes issuance as immediate.
Rio Grande do Sul: issuance by the Civil Police
In Rio Grande do Sul, the Civil Police states that the Certidão de Antecedentes Policiais is issued on its own website.
So anyone who needs this document should start with the RS Civil Police channel and follow the instructions the agency provides.
São Paulo and other states
If the request mentions São Paulo, you can start with our page on the São Paulo criminal record certificate.
For other states, the advice is to identify which state document was requested and check the information from the responsible authority.
Quick map for choosing your route
| Document or situation | Where to start | Confirmed information |
|---|---|---|
| Federal certificate | Federal Police | Free, immediate and valid for 90 days |
| Minas Gerais atestado | Portal MG service | Condition related to an ID issued in MG |
| Paraná atestado | Paraná portal | Free, online, up to 24 hours, valid for 90 days |
| Rio Grande do Sul police-records certificate | RS Civil Police | Issued through the PC/RS website |
| São Paulo document | Check the specific procedure | No state deadline or condition confirmed in this guide |
| Document to present abroad | First identify the required certificate | Assess apostille and translation separately |
How to read the result
Issuance, content and acceptance are different questions
Being able to issue a certificate does not, by itself, mean that it matches the document requested for a given purpose.
It is important to separate three questions: whether you can issue the document, what information it shows and whether the person who asked for it will accept it.
The sources we consulted confirm some issuing procedures, but they do not establish a general legal rule on every possible use of each certificate.
For example, we know that the Federal Police provides its certificate free of charge, with immediate issuance and 90 days of validity. That information describes the federal service.
On its own, it does not allow us to conclude that any institution will accept the document for any purpose.
No cited rule was found on the general legal limits of the PF certificate.
For that reason, this guide does not give broad legal interpretations of the effects of the federal certificate. If there is a specific requirement, check it with the recipient of the document.
What to check after issuance
After you obtain the document, check that it matches the authority that was requested.
Also look at the information shown on the certificate and the validity stated by the issuing service.
For the PF, the source we consulted states a validity of 90 days. Paraná also states a validity of 90 days for its state atestado.
These facts are specific to the respective services. They should not be used to determine the validity of documents issued by other authorities.
If you must submit the certificate at a future date, consider the validity stated for the document and confirm whether the recipient sets any additional condition.
Do not confuse the issue date with a guarantee of acceptance. They are separate aspects, and the document must match what was actually requested.
To validate an issued document, see our page on how to verify a Brazil criminal record certificate.
Are a "negative criminal certificate" and "nada consta criminal" the same thing?
The expressions certidão negativa criminal and nada consta criminal ("nothing on record") may come up when someone looks for information on criminal records.
However, it is not correct to say that every document identified by these names is equivalent without checking its issuing authority, content and purpose.
If you received a request that uses the expression "nada consta", see our content on nada consta criminal.
Before choosing a procedure, try to clarify which document must be submitted.
The name used in a conversation or a search does not replace identifying the service responsible for issuing it.
It is also not appropriate to conclude that a result shown on a given certificate automatically settles every question about criminal records.
The document must be understood within the information provided by the issuing authority and the requirements of whoever requested it.
What to do when the result raises questions
Start by separating the problem.
If the question is about the issuing procedure, consult the instructions of the service you used. If the document was issued but does not match what was requested, check which authority should have issued it.
When the issue is the legal interpretation of the content, the information gathered here does not allow an individual conclusion.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil can guide you on issuing routes and on the private services it offers, but it does not replace the analysis of the competent authority and does not provide legal advice.
A certificate should not be presented as a promise of a given outcome in an administrative procedure or in any other request.
The best way to avoid an unnecessary new request is to identify exactly what is missing: the correct document, guidance on issuance or preparation for presentation abroad.
Services for use abroad
When to consider the Hague apostille
If you intend to present a Brazilian certificate outside the country, one question that may arise is whether you need a Hague apostille for a criminal record certificate.
Understand what the Hague apostille is before you decide.
According to the National Council of Justice (Conselho Nacional de Justiça, CNJ), the Hague apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document, under the Apostille Convention.
It is important to understand the scope of this definition.
The apostille relates to authenticating the origin of the public document. It should not be confused with issuing the criminal record certificate itself.
So the first step remains obtaining the document that matches the request you received. After that, you can check whether the intended presentation requires an apostille.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers a private Hague apostille service from R$ 95.
That amount is for the private service. The notary fee (emolumento cartorário) is charged separately where applicable.
We do not claim that every certificate meant for use abroad must have an apostille. The need must be checked against the document requested and the conditions of presentation.
Sworn translation of the certificate
Another need that can arise in international use is sworn translation (tradução juramentada).
Translation and apostille are different services. Do not assume that hiring one replaces the other.
If the receiving institution requires a translated version of the document, identify that requirement before hiring the service.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers sworn translation from R$ 110 per page.
The advertised amount is a starting price, and the quote should take into account the document and the service requested.
We do not give a general rule on which countries or institutions require translation, because that conclusion is not established in the sources used for this page.
Anyone who needs to present a certificate abroad should confirm the conditions for receiving the document before deciding which complementary services to hire.
Assisted issuance for people living abroad
Distance can make it harder to identify the right route for requesting a Brazilian certificate, especially when you do not know whether the required document is federal or state.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers assisted issuance from R$ 30.
This service is private and optional. The assistance does not change the fact that issuance of the federal certificate by the Federal Police is free.
If you can use the PF portal directly, you can make the request yourself without hiring assisted issuance.
The purpose of the assistance is to help people who need guidance or support in submitting the request.
Before any payment, the case is reviewed so we can state the deadline and the price of the corresponding private service.
There is no promise of approval, of a specific result or of a universal deadline for all requests.
How much do the private services cost?
The starting prices published by Antecedentes Criminais Brasil are:
| Service | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Assisted issuance | From R$ 30 |
| Hague apostille | From R$ 95 |
| Sworn translation | From R$ 110 per page |
These amounts refer to private services and should not be confused with fees charged by public bodies.
Where applicable, the notary fee is charged separately.
Issuance of the federal certificate by the Federal Police remains free. In Paraná, the state service cited in this guide is also free.
Before hiring any assistance, identify which steps are really necessary. You may need only the certificate, with no translation or apostille.
In other cases, issuing the document is only the first part of preparing it for presentation abroad.
Sources
The information on issuance, the conditions of the public services and the apostille given on this page is based on:
- Federal Police (Polícia Federal) — Criminal Records. Information on free online issuance and the validity of the federal certificate.
https://www.gov.br/pf/pt-br/assuntos/antecedentes-criminais
- Portal MG — Obtain the Criminal Records Atestado. Access conditions for the online service in Minas Gerais.
https://www.mg.gov.br/servico/obter-o-atestado-de-antecedentes-criminais
- Paraná Portal — Request the Criminal Records Atestado. Information on online service, free of charge, deadline and validity.
https://www.parana.pr.gov.br/servicos/Seguranca/Atestados-e-Certidoes/Solicitar-Atestado-de-Antecedentes-Criminais-eVoG68rb
- Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul — Issue the Police Records Certificate. Indication of the state issuing channel.
https://www.pc.rs.gov.br/emitir-certidao-de-antecedentes-policiais
- National Council of Justice (CNJ) — Hague Apostille. Definition of the apostille as a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document.
https://www.cnj.jus.br/poder-judiciario/relacoes-internacionais/apostila-da-haia/