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 temporary residence and MERCOSUR temporary residence, Paraguay's National Directorate of Migration (Dirección Nacional de Migraciones) asks for a criminal record certificate from the country of origin, with national or federal scope, legalised or apostilled, from age 14. The Federal Police certificate is free, issued online and valid for 90 days. For MERCOSUR residence, Portuguese-language documents issued by Brazil do not need translation.
| Quick answer | Paraguay (temporary residence) |
|---|---|
| What you need | Criminal record certificate with national or federal scope, from age 14 |
| Where to get it | Federal Police website, online |
| Time | Federal Police: 90 days of validity; Migration sets no acceptance period in the sources consulted |
| Cost | Federal Police issuance is free; our private assistance from R$ 30 |
| Apostille | Yes: document legalised or apostilled; translation waived for MERCOSUR residence |
If you are Brazilian, live in Paraguay or plan to apply for residence there, you may need to submit a Brazilian criminal record certificate, depending on the requirements of the immigration procedure.
For temporary residence and MERCOSUR temporary residence applications, Paraguay's National Directorate of Migration sets specific requirements for criminal record certificates. In certain situations, the Brazilian document must have national or federal scope and be legalised or apostilled.
The Brazilian Federal Police certificate can be issued free of charge online. However, issuance is only one part of the preparation: you must also check legalisation, the submission of the original and a certified copy, and the translation rules.
In this guide we explain which requirements are confirmed by official Paraguayan sources and how to organise the document without paying for unnecessary services.
When does Paraguay require Brazilian criminal records?
The requirement depends on the immigration procedure and the applicant's residence history.
There are two categories with requirements published by the National Directorate of Migration: temporary residence under Law No. 6984/2022 and temporary residence under the MERCOSUR agreement.
Temporary residence under Law No. 6984/2022
For a temporary residence application, the Paraguayan authority requires a current certificate of criminal or police records, from age 14.
For those who lived in the country of origin, the document must:
- Be issued by the competent authority of the country of origin.
- Have national or federal scope.
- Be endorsed and legalised or apostilled.
- Be submitted as an original, with one certified copy.
So a Brazilian who lived in Brazil before applying for residence in Paraguay should consider the Brazilian certificate with national or federal scope.
The requirement does not mean any Brazilian police document will be accepted automatically. You need to check that the certificate matches the scope specified by Migration.
What if you lived in another country in the last three years?
The official temporary residence page also covers people who lived outside their country of origin during the last three years.
In that situation, a certificate from the country of residence may be required, issued by the competent authority, with national or federal scope, together with a document proving residence in that country.
This matters for Brazilians who lived in another territory before moving to Paraguay.
For example, someone who spent part of that period in a third country should not presume that the Brazilian certificate alone settles all the documentation.
Before requesting documents, tell the immigration authority which countries you lived in and for what periods. That will let you identify which certificate matches your situation.
The three-year period refers to the residence history considered by the immigration rule. It is not the validity of the Brazilian certificate.
MERCOSUR temporary residence
Brazilians are also among the citizens who can apply for temporary residence under the MERCOSUR agreement.
In this category, the National Directorate of Migration requires a police or criminal record certificate issued by the competent authority of the issuing country or by its consular representation in Paraguay.
The document must have national scope and be submitted from age 14.
For documents issued outside Paraguay, the rule provides for legalisation or apostille.
MERCOSUR temporary residence is valid for two years, without extension in this category. This period corresponds to the residence authorisation, not to the validity of the criminal record certificate.
The full requirements can be consulted directly on the official MERCOSUR temporary residence page.
Which Brazilian certificate should you request: federal, state or both?
Brazil has different documents related to criminal records. Not all of them have the same scope.
Federal Police certificate
The federal criminal record certificate is issued by the Federal Police. According to the PF portal, issuance is free and done online.
Since the Paraguayan temporary residence requirements mention national or federal scope, the Federal Police certificate is the starting reference for a Brazilian who needs to submit records from Brazil.
This does not replace checking the concrete procedure with the National Directorate of Migration.
State certificate
The state Civil Police forces of Brazil also issue criminal record documents, according to the services available in each federative unit.
However, a state certificate should not be considered automatically equivalent to a certificate of national scope.
In the Paraguayan requirements analysed for temporary residence and MERCOSUR temporary residence, there is no general obligation to submit Brazilian federal and state certificates together.
So there is no basis in these sources to say that every Brazilian needs both certificates.
If the person in charge of your procedure asks for additional documentation, confirm exactly which body must issue the document.
Also do not confuse police certificates with certificates issued by courts. They are documents of different origins and should not be substituted for one another without confirmation from the requesting authority.
How do you get a Brazilian criminal record while in Paraguay?
The Federal Police offers an online issuance service. This lets you start the request without needing to look for an intermediary right away.
Step 1: Go to the Federal Police portal
Open the PF Antecedentes Criminais page.
Issuance through the portal is free.
Step 2: Request the certificate
Select the issuance service and follow the instructions shown by the Federal Police system.
Fill in the requested information carefully, using the correct identification data.
If you have any difficulty with issuance, consult the guidance of the responsible body before hiring an alternative solution.
The official guidance consulted does not describe all the specific procedures for situations in which the online system does not complete issuance; confirm the applicable channel with the issuing authority before acting.
Step 3: Check the issued document
After obtaining the certificate, check the data shown and whether the file matches the document requested for your procedure.
Check in particular the holder's identification and the issue date.
Do not change the content of the document and keep an intact version for the next stages.
Step 4: Validate the certificate
The Federal Police offers a certificate validation service.
Before sending the file for document preparation, use this verification service.
See also our guide on how to verify a criminal record certificate.
Validating the Brazilian certificate and having the document accepted by Paraguay are different matters. An authentic certificate still has to meet the formalities required by the institution that will receive it.
Step 5: Check the apostille or legalisation
For the Paraguayan immigration procedures described in this guide, documents issued abroad must be legalised or apostilled.
Before organising this stage, confirm with Migration how the electronically obtained certificate must be submitted and which document format will be needed.
Being able to download a document does not, by itself, mean it is ready to be submitted abroad.
Step 6: Organise the submission in Paraguay
The temporary residence rules (Law No. 6984/2022) require the original and a certified copy of the certificate.
Check how the authority will receive the electronically issued document and how the certified copy must be prepared.
The list of immigration requirements is the reference for assembling the set of documents.
Can you request the certificate through the Brazilian consulate?
The official MERCOSUR temporary residence page admits a certificate issued by the competent authority of the issuing country or by its consular representation in Paraguay.
However, this provision does not detail how to request a Brazilian certificate through the consulate, which situations are served or which documents would be needed for that service.
The official guidance consulted does not describe this procedure; confirm the applicable channel with the issuing authority before acting.
You do not need to presume that consular service is mandatory, since the Federal Police already offers online issuance.
If the digital request does not work, seek official guidance on the alternative that suits your case.
More information on preparing Brazilian documents can be found in our guide to criminal records abroad.
Do you need to apostille criminal records for Paraguay?
Yes. In the temporary residence and MERCOSUR temporary residence categories examined, the Paraguayan rules state that documents issued abroad must be legalised or apostilled.
See what the Hague apostille is to understand the process.
The Hague apostille is a form of certification used for documents intended for another country party to the convention.
For someone submitting a Brazilian certificate in Paraguay, the apostille is one of the alternatives expressly provided by the immigration authorities.
Apostille or consular legalisation?
The rules published by Migration admit legalised or apostilled documents.
This means you should not say that all documents must go through both procedures at the same time.
The choice depends on the form of certification that applies to the document.
If you use the apostille, confirm beforehand how the Brazilian document will be prepared and submitted.
The apostille does not change the recorded criminal history and does not guarantee approval of the immigration application. Its purpose is the certification of documents for international use.
Can I apostille after arriving in Paraguay?
Already being in Paraguay does not remove the need to meet the legalisation or apostille rule.
Since the certificate is Brazilian, the preparation must follow the procedure that applies to documents issued in Brazil.
Before hiring the service, clarify how the file obtained online will be handled, which formalities will be needed and how the prepared document will reach you.
Avoid hiring stages that have not been confirmed as necessary for your application.
Do you need to translate the certificate into Spanish?
For MERCOSUR temporary residence, Portuguese-language documents issued by Brazil are expressly exempt from translation.
This exception appears on the official page of the National Directorate of Migration.
So a Brazilian submitting a Federal Police certificate issued in Portuguese should not presume that a sworn translation (tradução juramentada) is needed for this procedure.
For temporary residence under Law No. 6984/2022, the sources consulted do not confirm this exemption; confirm with Migration before deciding.
When might translation be necessary?
If the document was issued by another country, in another language, you will need to check the applicable translation rules.
The situation also deserves attention when the document belongs to a category different from the one covered by the exemption.
So, before paying for a translation, confirm three things:
- The immigration procedure in which the document will be used.
- The country and language in which the certificate was issued.
- Whether there is a translation exemption for that document.
Sworn translation remains available as a private service when actually needed, but it should not be presented as an obligation for Brazilian certificates in Portuguese in MERCOSUR residence.
How long are Brazilian criminal records valid in Paraguay?
The Federal Police states that its criminal record certificate is valid for 90 days.
This is the validity period of the document issued by the Brazilian institution.
However, this information must be told apart from the acceptance rules applied by the Paraguayan body.
Do the 90 days guarantee acceptance in Paraguay?
There is no basis to guarantee that.
The official temporary residence page requires a current certificate, but the information on the PF's 90-day validity should not be read automatically as a guarantee of acceptance throughout that period.
The official sources consulted do not set a specific acceptance period for this procedure; confirm it with the responsible authority.
It is best to check this requirement before requesting the certificate and preparing the international formalities, especially if you are still organising other documents.
Also do not confuse the three periods mentioned in this guide:
- 90 days: validity stated by the Federal Police for its certificate.
- Three years: residence history period considered in certain cases of Paraguayan temporary residence.
- Two years: validity of MERCOSUR temporary residence, not extendable in this category.
Each period has a different purpose.
How much does it cost to get criminal records for Paraguay?
You can issue the Federal Police certificate free of charge, directly on the PF portal.
If you need help with the request, document preparation, apostille or translation, Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers private services.
Service prices
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Assisted issuance of the certificate | From R$ 30 |
| Apostille service | From R$ 95, notary office fee charged separately |
| Sworn translation | From R$ 110 per page |
The translation price depends on the number of pages.
For Brazilian certificates in Portuguese used in MERCOSUR temporary residence, translation is waived according to the Migration page. In that case, it makes no sense to include it automatically.
These prices refer to private services and should not be confused with fees of public bodies or with the costs of the Paraguayan immigration procedure.
The time and final price are given after your case is reviewed, before any payment.
How do you avoid problems with the paperwork?
Before submitting your Brazilian certificate to the Paraguayan body, check that the documentation matches the right procedure.
A practical way to organise the application is to follow this list:
- Identify whether you are applying for temporary residence under Law No. 6984/2022 or MERCOSUR temporary residence.
- Confirm whether the certificate must be Brazilian or whether your residence history requires a document from another country.
- Check that the document has national or federal scope.
- Use the Federal Police portal for free issuance, where applicable.
- Check the issue date and validate the certificate.
- Organise the required legalisation or apostille.
- Check whether the original and a certified copy are needed.
- Do not order a translation for a Brazilian document in Portuguese without checking the applicable exemption (confirmed for MERCOSUR residence).
- Confirm the acceptance period with Migration before submitting.
These checks help reduce requests for inadequate documents and spending on services that may not be needed.
Other guides on criminal records abroad
If you need to submit Brazilian documents in other countries, see also our content:
- Brazilian police certificate for Portugal.
- Brazilian police certificate for Belgium.
- How to prepare criminal records abroad and the Hague apostille.
Requirements vary by country and procedure. The Paraguayan rules presented on this page should not be automatically applied to other destinations.
Need help with your certificate for Paraguay?
If you are in Paraguay and need to submit Brazilian criminal records, start by identifying the immigration procedure and checking the official requirements.
You can issue the certificate directly on the Federal Police portal. If you run into difficulties or need help with the Hague apostille, translation or document organisation, we can review your situation.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private document support service. We are not the Federal Police, we do not represent Paraguay's National Directorate of Migration and we do not guarantee document acceptance or approval of applications.
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
- Paraguay National Directorate of Migration: Temporary Residence, Law No. 6984/2022. Requirements for criminal or police records, national or federal scope, residence history, legalisation and apostille.
https://migraciones.gov.py/residencia-temporal/
- Paraguay National Directorate of Migration: MERCOSUR Temporary Residence. Requirements for Brazilian citizens, criminal record certificates, apostille, translation exemption for Brazilian documents in Portuguese and residence validity.
https://migraciones.gov.py/residencia-temporaria-mercosur/
- Federal Police of Brazil: Antecedentes Criminais. Free online issuance and 90-day validity.
https://www.gov.br/pf/pt-br/assuntos/antecedentes-criminais