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: to apply for Italian citizenship by residence, Italy requires the criminal record certificate of the country of origin, legalised and with a legalised translation, valid for 6 months from issue. For Brazil, the Federal Police certificate is issued online for free and is valid for 90 days; legalisation is done with the Hague Apostille. Acceptance is decided by the Italian authorities, and no service guarantees the result.
| Quick answer | Italy (citizenship by residence) |
|---|---|
| What you need | Criminal record certificate of the country of origin and, if any, of other countries of residence |
| Where to get it | Federal Police website, online; confirm with the Prefettura whether the federal certificate is enough |
| Time | Certificate valid for 6 months from issue (Federal Police: 90 days) |
| Cost | Federal Police issuance is free; our private assistance from R$ 30 |
| Apostille | Yes, the document must be legalised; translation into Italian by a sworn translator, also apostilled |
If you are Brazilian, live in Italy and plan to apply for Italian citizenship by residence, you will need to check the criminal record documentation required by the Italian Ministry of the Interior.
The official guidance of the Prefettura di Roma requires the criminal record certificate (certificato penale) of the country of origin and, where applicable, of the other countries where the applicant has lived. The document must be legalised and accompanied by a legalised translation.
For Brazilian documents, this means identifying the right certificate, checking whether it can be issued online, obtaining the Hague Apostille and arranging the Italian translation.
The main point: it is not enough to issue just any Brazilian certificate. You need to confirm which document the responsible Italian authority accepts and submit it within the required validity period.
Is the Brazilian certificate mandatory for Italian citizenship by residence?
The official Italian documentation requires a criminal record certificate of the country of origin for a citizenship by residence application.
The Prefettura di Roma uses the expression certificato penale del paese di origine, together with the requirement of legalisation and a legalised translation.
For a Brazilian applying for Italian citizenship by residence, this means the Brazilian criminal record document is, as a rule, part of the required documentation.
The requirement also covers any other countries of residence. So, anyone who has lived in different countries must check whether they need to submit certificates issued by the respective authorities.
Is there any exception?
Yes. The Guida alla cittadinanza italiana, published by the Italian administration, states that people who entered Italy before turning 14 do not have to submit the criminal record certificate of the country of origin.
This exception is expressly stated in the official guidance and should be considered before requesting unnecessary documents.
Anyone who believes they are in this situation should confirm it with the authority responsible for the application.
Do I have to prove my record in every country where I lived?
The Italian guidance mentions the country of origin and any other countries of residence.
However, the official facts we consulted do not set a specific period of previous residence that, by itself, determines the need to submit each certificate.
So it is not correct to say that any stay abroad automatically creates this obligation.
Before requesting additional documents, confirm with the responsible Prefettura which countries should be considered in your case.
Which certificate should you request for Italy: Federal Police or state?
In Brazil, criminal record certificates are issued by different authorities.
The Federal Police (PF) offers a certificate whose issuance is free and can be requested online.
State certificates, on the other hand, are issued by the competent authority of each state, under its own systems and procedures.
These documents are not necessarily equivalent.
Is the Federal Police certificate enough?
The Italian guidance requires a criminal record certificate of the country of origin, issued by the competent authority.
However, the specific sources on Italian citizenship by residence consulted here do not expressly identify the Brazilian Federal Police certificate as the only mandatory document, nor do they say a state certificate must accompany it.
So it cannot be stated, from these sources alone, that the PF certificate is always enough or that the PF and state certificates are always required together.
The safest step is to consult the Italian authority that will receive your documents and confirm the exact identification of the certificate it accepts.
To learn more about the federal document, see our guide to the federal criminal record certificate.
Do I need to submit certificates from Brazilian courts?
The documentation consulted deals with the criminal record certificate and does not set, for this specific situation, a general obligation to also submit Brazilian court certificates.
A police certificate and a certificate issued by a court should not be treated as interchangeable documents.
If the Italian authority asks for an additional court document, you will need to identify the specific requirement before arranging it.
How do you get a Brazilian criminal record while in Italy?
You can start the Federal Police certificate request online, even from outside Brazil.
The PF itself states that issuance is free and online. This lets you start with the PF service, without necessarily hiring an intermediary.
Step 1: Go to the Federal Police website
Open the Federal Police Antecedentes Criminais page.
Use the issuance service indicated by the institution.
Step 2: Submit the request
Open the issuance service and follow the instructions shown by the Federal Police.
Enter the data requested by the system and check the information carefully before continuing.
Pay special attention to names and other identification data: inconsistencies can make it harder to use the document in the Italian procedure.
If online issuance is not completed, do not assume any other certificate can replace it.
The official guidance consulted does not describe this alternative procedure; confirm the applicable channel with the issuing authority before acting.
Step 3: Keep the issued document
After issuance, keep the certificate and its identification details.
Before asking for an apostille or translation, confirm that the version available can be used in the next stage.
You can also read our content on how to verify a criminal record certificate.
Step 4: Confirm the document with the Italian authority
Find out which Prefettura handles your citizenship by residence procedure.
Ask whether the Brazilian federal certificate meets the requirement of the certificato penale del paese di origine and whether there is any additional instruction for your case.
This confirmation is especially important when the person has lived in other countries or received a different list of documents.
Step 5: Organise the apostille and translation
After confirming the right document, check the apostille and translation procedures.
The aim is to avoid paying for services on a certificate that later has to be replaced.
If you cannot organise these stages from Italy, a private service can help with document preparation.
For more information, see criminal records abroad.
Do you need to apostille the criminal record certificate for Italy?
Yes. The official documentation for citizenship by residence requires the foreign criminal record certificate to be legalised.
See what the Hague apostille is to understand the process.
Between Brazil and Italy, the legalisation of Brazilian public documents now uses the Hague Apostille, replacing the former consular legalisation.
The Consulate of Italy in Recife states that this change took place on 14 August 2016, when the Apostille Convention entered into force for Brazil.
The apostille authenticates the origin of a public document for use between countries party to the Convention.
It does not replace the document, does not prove the absence of a criminal record and does not guarantee that the receiving authority will accept its content.
Where to get the apostille?
The Italian consular guidance indicates that the document must be apostilled by the competent public authorities. The procedure must follow the rules that apply to the document.
The Italian Consulate explains that the Hague Apostille replaced the need to use the Brazilian consular legalisation previously used.
This does not mean the Italian consulate is responsible for issuing the apostille.
Before hiring the service, confirm that the document you hold is in the right format for apostilling.
Does the translation have to be sworn?
The Italian requirement for citizenship by residence includes a legalised translation of the foreign criminal record certificate.
The language required is Italian.
For Brazilian public documents presented to the Italian consulate, the guidance of the Consulate General in São Paulo requires translation by a sworn translator qualified for Portuguese and Italian.
The same guidance states that both the Brazilian document and the sworn translation must receive their respective apostilles.
So there are two stages that should not be confused:
- Apostille of the original document: authenticates its origin and the relevant signature or seal.
- Sworn translation and its apostille: prepares the content in Italian and authenticates the translation under the applicable rules.
The apostille of a translation does not replace the apostille of the original document when both are needed.
Because the consular guidance refers to submitting documents to the consulate, also confirm with the Italian authority responsible for citizenship by residence how it requires the translation to be submitted.
What is the recommended order?
First, confirm which Brazilian certificate will be accepted.
Then check the requirements for apostilling the document and arranging the sworn translation.
Finally, confirm whether the translation needs its own apostille, according to the submission procedure that applies.
Avoid ordering translations before identifying the final document. If a new certificate has to be issued, you may need to prepare your paperwork again.
How long is the Brazilian certificate valid in Italy?
There are two distinct periods worth noting.
Validity of the Federal Police certificate: 90 days
According to the Brazilian Federal Police, its criminal record certificate is free, issued online and valid for 90 days.
This is the period stated by the issuing authority itself.
Period stated for Italian citizenship: six months
The Guida alla cittadinanza italiana states that the foreign criminal record certificate is valid for six months from issue and must be valid when the citizenship application is submitted.
This guidance describes the Italian documentary requirement.
The six months mentioned by the Italian administration do not automatically extend the 90 days of validity set by the Brazilian Federal Police.
So it is not safe to read the Italian period as permission to submit an expired Brazilian federal certificate.
Before submitting, check the issue date, the validity stated on the document and the requirement of the Italian authority.
How far in advance should I issue it?
Planning should take into account issuance, apostille, translation and filing of the application.
The official sources consulted give no guaranteed time to complete all these stages.
Nor should you presume that an apostille or translation renews the validity of the original criminal record certificate.
The most important thing is to organise the paperwork so that the certificate remains valid on the date relevant to your procedure.
How much does it cost to issue, apostille and translate the certificate for Italy?
Issuance directly on the Federal Police website is free.
The prices below refer to the private document assistance services offered by Antecedentes Criminais Brasil.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Assisted issuance of the certificate | From R$ 30 |
| Apostille service | From R$ 95, notary office fee charged separately |
| Sworn translation into Italian | From R$ 110 per page |
The total cost will depend on the documents and the stages needed. If the translation also has to be apostilled, there will be an additional apostille stage, with its own costs.
Before hiring, ask for an itemised list of services and confirmation of the total price.
Is assistance worth it?
Anyone who can issue, apostille and translate the documents alone does not need to hire a private company.
The service can be useful for people living in Italy who have difficulty organising the stages in Brazil, identifying the required document or arranging the translation.
Our work is to help with document preparation, without replacing the Federal Police, the notary offices or the Italian authorities.
We do not guarantee approval of a citizenship application or automatic acceptance of documents.
Other destinations for Brazilian documents besides Italy
The requirements for using a criminal record certificate abroad vary by country and procedure.
If you need to submit Brazilian documents in another European destination, see also our guides:
- Brazilian police certificate for Ireland.
- Brazilian police certificate for Belgium.
- Brazilian police certificate for Portugal.
The guidance for other countries does not replace the requirements for Italian citizenship by residence.
Need help with your certificate for Italy?
If you are in Italy, need a Brazilian certificate and do not know how to organise the issuance, apostille or sworn translation, we can review your documentary needs.
Tell us which procedure you plan to follow, which documents were requested and at what stage you ran into difficulties.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private document preparation service, with no link to the Federal Police or the Italian authorities. The review of acceptance belongs to the competent Italian body.
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
- Prefettura di Roma: Documents required for citizenship by residence. Official guidance on the criminal record certificate of the country of origin, other countries of residence, legalisation and translation.
- Ministero dell'Interno: Guida alla cittadinanza italiana. Information on the six-month validity, the foreign criminal record certificate and the exception for people who entered Italy before age 14.
- Federal Police: Antecedentes Criminais. Free online issuance and 90-day validity.
- Consulate General of Italy in São Paulo: Apostille, sworn translation and sending of documents. Consular guidance on apostille and sworn translation of Brazilian documents.
- Consulate of Italy in Recife: Translation and legalisation of documents. Information on the replacement of consular legalisation by the Hague Apostille on 14 August 2016.