Brazil's criminal record certificate (certidão de antecedentes criminais) is issued by the Federal Police and by the state Civil Police, 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.
Direct answer: for the type D visa for family reunification of the spouse of a foreign worker, student or researcher, the Belgian authorities ask for two Brazilian certificates: the Federal Police one and the one from the Civil Police of the state of residence, both less than three months old, apostilled and with a certified translation, also apostilled. The federal one is issued online for free; the state one follows the state's procedure.
| Quick answer | Belgium (type D visa, family reunification) |
|---|---|
| What you need | Federal Police certificate and Civil Police certificate of the state of residence |
| Where to get it | Federal: Federal Police website; state: the state Civil Police |
| Time | Documents less than 3 months old (Federal Police: 90 days of validity) |
| Cost | Federal Police issuance is free; our private assistance from R$ 30 |
| Apostille | Yes, by a notary office, with a certified translation into French, Dutch or German, also apostilled |
If you are Brazilian, live in Belgium or are preparing a move there, you may need to submit Brazilian criminal record documents in certain administrative procedures.
There is a confirmed official requirement for the type D visa for family reunification of the spouse of a foreign worker, student or researcher: the documentation indicated by the Belgian authorities includes criminal record certificates from the Federal Police of Brazil and from the Civil Police of the state of residence in Brazil.
In this procedure, both documents must be less than three months old. The Brazilian official documents mentioned must also be apostilled and accompanied by a certified translation into French, Dutch or German, likewise apostilled.
This does not mean that all Belgian authorities require exactly the same documents. Before requesting any certificate, identify the procedure and confirm the list that applies to your case.
When does Belgium require Brazilian criminal records?
One situation expressly documented by the Belgian authorities is family reunification through the type D visa, intended, among other cases, for the spouse of a foreigner authorised to work, study or carry out research in Belgium.
On the official page dedicated to this procedure, the Belgian diplomatic mission in Brazil identifies two Brazilian certificates required for the spouse:
- Criminal record certificate (Atestado de Antecedentes Criminais) issued by the Federal Police of Brazil, less than three months old.
- Criminal record certificate issued by the Civil Police of the state of residence in Brazil, also less than three months old.
So, for this specific case, submitting only the federal certificate does not meet the published document list.
The requirement is described on the family reunification page of the Belgian mission in Brazil.
What if you already live in Belgium?
You need to tell apart a type D visa application filed under the consular instructions from a procedure carried out by someone who already lives in Belgian territory.
The official source cited confirms the requirements for the specific family reunification category, but it does not set a universal rule for all local residence or documentation procedures.
If you received a request from a Belgian authority, check the exact name of the certificate, the issuing body and the translation and apostille requirements.
It is not safe to presume that the rules of a visa procedure apply automatically to any other application.
Which certificate should you request: Federal Police or state?
The difference matters because the documents are issued by different authorities.
Federal certificate
The Federal Police makes the Criminal Record Certificate available online, free of charge.
According to the institution itself, its validity is 90 days.
For the Belgian family reunification procedure described above, the federal certificate is expressly required and must be less than three months old.
You can read the guidance on our page about the federal criminal record certificate or go directly to the Federal Police service.
State certificate
The state certificate is issued by the competent state authority. In the confirmed Belgian procedure, the requirement specifically mentions the Civil Police of the state of residence in Brazil.
That reference matters: it is not enough to submit any document with the generic title of criminal record.
Nor should you automatically replace the police certificate with a certificate issued by a court. The documents have different issuers, and the Belgian source expressly identifies the police authority.
The procedure for requesting the state certificate must be checked with the corresponding state body.
Which state to use if you have left Brazil?
The Belgian instruction uses the expression referring to the state of residence in Brazil.
However, the source consulted does not define how to apply this indication to all cases of Brazilians who have already moved abroad, lived in different states or have no current Brazilian residence.
It also does not set a specific historical period of residence that determines which states must issue certificates.
So it would not be correct to say that the last Brazilian state is always enough, nor to demand documents from every state where the person has ever lived.
If your residence situation is not clearly covered, confirm with the authority responsible for the Belgian procedure which state certificate you must submit.
How do you get a Brazilian criminal record while in Belgium?
Issuance of the federal certificate can be started online. This lets a person outside Brazil use the PF service without hiring an intermediary to make the online request.
The state process must be handled separately.
Step 1: Confirm the required documentation
Before issuing any document, identify the purpose of the submission in Belgium.
If your case matches the type D visa for family reunification of the spouse of a foreign worker, student or researcher, consider the two certificates specified by the Belgian diplomatic mission.
If your procedure is different, ask the competent authority for its document list.
This check avoids spending money on documents that may not be needed or that do not match the requested issuing body.
Step 2: Go to the Federal Police service
Open the Federal Police Antecedentes Criminais page, use the access to the online service and fill in the request form following the instructions shown.
Issuance is free. You do not need to pay a private company just to use the PF online issuance.
If the electronic request runs into difficulties, consult the guidance on the PF page instead of presuming that another document will be equivalent.
Step 3: Check the issued document
After obtaining the certificate, check the data shown and note its issue date.
The check is especially relevant when the document will be submitted abroad, because the receiving authority may assess how recent it is.
See our guide on how to verify a criminal record certificate.
Step 4: Request the state certificate
Identify the Civil Police of the Brazilian state that corresponds to the requirement of your procedure.
Consult the issuing body's guidance directly. Do not presume that the state system works the same way as the Federal Police one.
The availability of online requests, the documents needed and any alternative procedures must be confirmed with the state Civil Police.
If you already live in Belgium and are unsure which state must appear in the documentation, resolve this before requesting several certificates.
Step 5: Organise the apostille
In the confirmed family reunification procedure, the Brazilian official documents mentioned must receive the Hague apostille from a notary office.
Issuing the certificate and apostilling it are different stages.
So, obtaining the federal certificate free of charge does not mean all the formalities for use in Belgium are complete.
If you need support at this stage, see also our content on the Hague apostille for criminal records and documents used abroad.
Step 6: Arrange the required translation
The Belgian guidance requires the Brazilian documents mentioned to be accompanied by a certified translation into French, Dutch or German, also apostilled.
Before hiring the translation, confirm which of the languages will be used in your specific procedure.
Do not treat an ordinary translation, without the requested certification, as equivalent to the certified translation required by the official instruction.
The official guidance consulted does not describe all the alternative channels for issuing Brazilian certificates for residents abroad; confirm the applicable channel with the issuing authority before acting.
Hague apostille and translation: what does Belgium require?
For the family reunification category analysed, the requirement is expressly stated by the Belgian diplomatic mission.
See what the Hague apostille is to understand the process.
The Brazilian official documents mentioned must be apostilled by a notary office and accompanied by a certified translation into one of the three accepted languages, also apostilled.
It is important to understand the two stages separately.
Apostille of the Brazilian documents
The Hague apostille is the documentary formality indicated by the Belgian source for the Brazilian official documents in this procedure.
The requirement does not disappear simply because the federal certificate was obtained electronically.
The PF issuance service, the apostille service and the translation have different purposes.
Your planning must take into account all the documents actually required, not only the federal certificate.
Translation into French, Dutch or German
The Belgian source accepts, for the documents mentioned, a certified translation into French, Dutch or German.
It also requires the translation to be apostilled.
So, in this procedure, it is not enough to consider only the target language: you must observe the form of certification and the apostille indicated.
Our service offers sworn translation (tradução juramentada) as part of document preparation. Before hiring, confirm that the proposed translation is compatible with the Belgian authority's requirement of a certified translation.
Is there a mandatory order?
The official instruction confirms the need to apostille the Brazilian documents and their translations, but the sources consulted do not set a universal operational sequence for all cases.
So the concrete organisation of the stages must be checked with those responsible for the apostille and the translation, taking into account the requirements of the receiving body.
Avoid hiring services separately without clarifying which documents will be apostilled and how the translation must be submitted.
How long are the criminal records valid for Belgium?
There are two parameters that need to be told apart.
The Federal Police states 90 days of validity for its certificate. This is the general period of the Brazilian document, according to the issuing body.
The Belgian diplomatic mission, in turn, requires, for the confirmed spouse family reunification procedure, that both the federal and the state certificate be less than three months old.
Do not automatically replace one rule with the other. The requirements must be checked according to their own wording.
When should you request the documents?
The best decision depends on the date on which they will be submitted to the responsible authority.
Since the Belgian instruction requires recent documents, it is important to consider this condition before starting the complementary services.
However, the sources consulted give no guaranteed time to complete all the stages of issuance, apostille, translation and review by the authorities.
Nor can we guarantee that a certificate will remain within the recency requirement on the actual date of submission.
For procedures other than the family reunification described, the official sources consulted do not set an acceptance period; confirm it with the responsible authority.
How much does it cost to issue, apostille and translate?
You can issue the federal certificate directly on the Federal Police website, without paying for issuance.
If you prefer private assistance to organise the documents, Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers the following services:
| Private service | Price |
|---|---|
| Assisted issuance | From R$ 30 |
| Apostille service | From R$ 95, notary office fee charged separately |
| Sworn translation | From R$ 110 per page |
In the confirmed family reunification, two police certificates are requested. In addition, the apostille of the translations must also be considered.
So the full quote depends on the number of documents, pages, translations and apostilles needed.
We do not charge for the free public issuance by the Federal Police as if it were a government fee. The assistance price corresponds to the private service hired.
Before any payment, we tell you the applicable price, without promising acceptance by the Belgian authorities.
Need to prepare your criminal records for Belgium?
If you are abroad, need the Brazilian certificates or have run into difficulties organising the apostille and translation, we can review your request.
The service can help identify which private services are needed to prepare the documents, taking into account the instructions you received from the responsible authority.
Issuance by the Federal Police remains free, and you can do it yourself.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private service and does not represent the Brazilian government or the Belgian authorities. It also does not guarantee visa approval, document acceptance or any administrative result.
Will you use the certificate abroad, or are you stuck on the request? Leave your contact; we will review the case and tell you the price and timing before any payment.
Sources
- Embassy and Consulates of Belgium in Brazil: Family reunification for the spouse or children of a foreign worker, student or researcher. Requirements for federal and state certificates, recency of less than three months, apostille and certified translation.
- Federal Police: Antecedentes Criminais. Federal certificate, free online issuance and 90-day validity.