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.
Quick answer: to use a Brazilian criminal record in Portugal, request the Federal Police certificate online (free, valid for 90 days) and check with AIMA, the Portuguese immigration agency, which authentication your procedure requires. Many procedures mention the Hague Apostille or consular recognition, and the investment residence permit (ARI) requires a certificate issued less than three months ago. The certificate is already issued in Portuguese.
| Quick answer | What to know |
|---|---|
| What you need | Criminal record certificate from your country of nationality (and, in some procedures, from the country where you lived for more than one year) |
| Where to get it | Federal Police website, online |
| Time | 90 days of validity at the Federal Police; ARI requires issuance less than 3 months ago |
| Cost | Federal Police issuance is free; our private assistance from R$ 30 |
| Apostille | Required or provided for in several procedures; confirm yours |
If you are Brazilian, live in Portugal and must submit a Brazilian criminal record in a residence, family reunification or visa procedure, the first step is to identify which document the Portuguese authority actually asks for.
The Federal Police (PF) certificate can be issued online free of charge and is valid for 90 days. That does not mean an electronic certificate without an apostille will automatically be accepted in Portugal.
The Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, AIMA) sets specific requirements on the origin, authentication and recency of documents, depending on the procedure.
In this guide you will find how to request the Brazilian certificate, when the Hague Apostille is needed, what the translation rules are and how much private assistance costs.
When does Portugal require a Brazilian criminal record?
The requirement depends on the procedure you file with the Portuguese authorities. There is no single rule that lets you use the same document, under the same conditions, for every application.
Residence permit for investment (ARI)
According to AIMA's official FAQ, an application for a residence permit for investment (autorização de residência para investimento, ARI) requires a criminal record certificate from the country of origin or from the country where the applicant permanently resides.
The document must:
- Have been issued less than three months ago.
- Be duly certified by the Portuguese consular representation or carry an Apostille.
- Be translated into Portuguese.
For a Brazilian, this means checking whether the Brazilian certificate is the document needed in your case and preparing the required authentication.
The three-month reference belongs specifically to the ARI procedure. It should not be applied automatically to every residence application in Portugal.
Family reunification under the ARI
For family members included in the ARI regime, AIMA specifies a different requirement.
Criminal record certificates are requested from the country of origin and from the country where the family member has lived for more than one year.
The documents must have been issued less than three months ago, with the consular certification or Apostille indicated in the official guidance, and translated into Portuguese.
So, depending on your residence history, a Brazilian family member may have to submit documents from more than one country. A certificate issued in Brazil does not automatically replace another certificate required for a period of residence abroad.
Family reunification with a family member in Portugal
On the page about family reunification with a family member in national territory (article 98, paragraph 2), AIMA mentions the criminal record of the country of nationality of the family member to be reunited, or of the country where they lived for more than one year before living in Portugal.
The document must be duly authenticated.
Note that this wording uses or, unlike the requirement described for family members under the ARI. Read the page that matches the procedure you are actually filing.
Higher education students
For the residence permit for higher education students (article 91), AIMA also mentions the criminal record of the country of nationality or of the country where the applicant lived for more than one year before living in Portugal.
Brazilians in this situation should therefore check which country corresponds to the documentary requirement.
Exceptional regime and work visa
Under the exceptional regime of article 123, AIMA indicates a certificate from the country of nationality and from the country where the applicant has lived for more than one year.
The MNE model for a residence visa for professional activity, in turn, mentions a certificate from the country of nationality or of residence for more than one year, with the Hague Apostille where applicable, or legalised.
These examples show why you need to check the category of your application before arranging documents.
Which Brazilian certificate should you request: Federal Police or state?
In Brazil, criminal record certificates can involve the Federal Police and the state Civil Police.
However, the Portuguese guidance cited in this guide generally uses expressions such as "criminal record of the country of nationality", "certificate from the country of origin" or "certificate issued by the competent authority".
Those expressions do not, by themselves, establish that every Brazilian must submit a federal and a state certificate at the same time.
Federal Police certificate
The Federal Police offers free online issuance of a criminal record certificate.
This is the first official channel to check when you need a Brazilian certificate while in Portugal.
You can read the details of the federal criminal record certificate before starting your request.
State certificate
State Civil Police forces also issue criminal record documents.
However, the Portuguese sources used in this guide do not generally state that a state certificate is mandatory together with the federal one.
It is not correct to say that both documents are always required, or that one of them will necessarily be enough.
How to decide? Check the document list for your residence or visa category. If you doubt which Brazilian issuing authority is accepted, confirm directly with the Portuguese body in charge of your case.
Also do not confuse a police certificate with a court certificate issued by a tribunal. They are different documents and should not be treated as equivalent without an express indication from the receiving authority.
How do you get a Brazilian criminal record while in Portugal?
The Federal Police certificate can be issued online, free of charge. This lets you start the request without travelling to Brazil.
The procedure should start on the official Federal Police website.
Step 1: Identify the purpose of the certificate
Before requesting the document, find out exactly which Portuguese procedure it will be submitted for.
Check whether you are preparing a residence application, family reunification, a student permit or a professional visa.
That information determines which authentication and recency requirements you must check.
Step 2: Go to the official Federal Police service
Open this address:
Federal Police: Antecedentes Criminais
Use the official criminal record certificate issuance service.
The Federal Police states that the certificate is issued free of charge online and is valid for 90 days.
You are not required to hire a private company just to access this service.
Step 3: Submit the request online
Follow the instructions shown in the Federal Police service itself.
Fill in the requested data according to your documents and check the information before finishing.
If the system makes the certificate available, save the issued document and check that the data match what will be used in the Portuguese procedure.
If you run into a technical difficulty, do not assume any alternative document can replace it.
The official guidance consulted does not describe a specific consular procedure for solving every issuance problem from abroad. Confirm the applicable channel with the issuing authority before acting.
Step 4: Check authenticity
Before sending the certificate on, check whether its authenticity can be verified through the official means available.
See also our guide on how to verify a criminal record certificate.
Verifying the certificate and the authentication required by the Portuguese authority are not necessarily the same thing.
A document that is valid before its issuer may need additional recognition to be submitted in another country.
Step 5: Confirm whether an apostille is needed
Check the requirements of your procedure with AIMA or the competent Portuguese authority.
If the Hague Apostille is required, find out how to have the Brazilian document apostilled.
The fact that the certificate was issued online does not automatically exempt it from authentication for international use.
Step 6: Confirm the translation rules
Because the Brazilian certificate is already issued in Portuguese, you should not automatically order a translation.
AIMA's general rules deal with the translation of documents written in a foreign language. Confirm whether any additional requirement applies to the document submitted in your procedure.
Step 7: Organise your paperwork
Before handing in the certificate, check:
- That the document corresponds to the required country.
- That the issue date meets the procedure's requirement.
- That the authentication is adequate.
- Whether a certified translation is needed.
- Whether other countries of residence must also provide certificates.
This check helps you avoid paying for documents that do not match the applicable requirement.
Do you need to apostille the certificate for Portugal?
AIMA states that, when the issuing country is a party to the Hague Convention, foreign documents are recognised by affixing the Apostille.
See what the Hague apostille is to understand the process.
For the ARI procedures described above, the official guidance expressly mentions consular certification or the Apostille.
The MNE model for the professional visa also provides for the Hague Apostille, where applicable, or legalisation.
So the need for an apostille must be assessed according to the specific procedure and the form of authentication accepted.
Is an electronic certificate without an apostille enough?
This is an especially important point for anyone who issues the PF certificate while in Portugal.
In its guidance on the recognition of documents, AIMA states that documents obtained online with electronic certification, when not apostilled, always require at least recognition of their authenticity by the consular authorities.
The guidance also provides for confirming the absence of a criminal record through the electronic addresses indicated on the certificate itself.
This means that issuing the certificate free of charge online does not, by itself, guarantee it will be accepted as an authenticated document in Portugal.
Before submitting only the electronic file, consult the authority in charge of your application.
For a better understanding of document preparation, see the Hague apostille for criminal records abroad.
Do you need to translate a Brazilian criminal record for Portugal?
As a rule, AIMA requires a certified Portuguese translation of documents written in a foreign language.
The Brazilian Federal Police certificate is already issued in Portuguese. So the need for a translation should not be presumed just because the document will be used outside Brazil.
It is important to tell two requirements apart:
Authentication: proves the origin and authenticity of the document under the applicable rules.
Translation: lets you present its content in the language required by the receiving authority.
One does not necessarily replace the other.
Who can make a certified translation?
In its official guidance, AIMA lists possibilities for certified translation, including:
- A Portuguese notary.
- A registrar or registry official.
- A lawyer or solicitor practising in Portugal.
- Other bodies admitted by the official guidance, depending on the case, such as chambers of commerce and consular services.
If a translation is needed, confirm with the receiving body which type of certification it accepts.
A Brazilian sworn translation (tradução juramentada) and the certification procedures used in Portugal should not be treated as automatically interchangeable.
Where the certificate is already in Portuguese, first confirm whether there is any translation requirement or additional formality before hiring the service.
How long is a criminal record valid?
There are two time limits you need to tell apart.
Validity of the Federal Police certificate
According to the official PF website, the Brazilian certificate is free and has 90 days of validity.
This is the period stated by the Brazilian issuing body.
Recency required in Portugal
For the residence permit for investment, AIMA requires a certificate issued less than three months ago.
The same requirement of issuance less than three months ago appears in the guidance for family members under the ARI.
Do not assume that the 90 days of the Brazilian certificate and the Portuguese requirement of less than three months will always produce the same result on any date or in any procedure.
Also, the requirements described for the ARI cannot be extended automatically to other residence categories.
For procedures where the official sources we consulted do not set an acceptance period, confirm it with the responsible authority.
Practical recommendation: first identify the date and the manner of submission. Then work out when to request the certificate, taking into account the issuance and authentication requirements that apply to your case.
There is no guarantee of acceptance just because a document is still within the validity stated by the Federal Police.
How much does it cost to issue, apostille and translate the certificate for Portugal?
Direct issuance through the official Federal Police service is free.
If you need help organising the request and the documentary steps, Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers private services at the following starting prices:
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Assisted issuance | from R$ 30 |
| Apostille | from R$ 95 |
| Sworn translation | from R$ 110 per page |
The notary office (cartório) fee for the Apostille is not included in the starting price of the apostille service.
These prices are for private assistance services, not fees charged by the Federal Police.
The actual price depends on the services your case needs. No delivery time is stated on this page.
Before any payment, ask for an assessment to find out which steps are really necessary and to receive the price and timing information.
Need help with a Brazilian police certificate for Portugal?
You can request the Federal Police certificate free of charge and arrange the paperwork yourself.
But if you are in Portugal and have trouble with the request, doubts about the Hague Apostille or need to organise translation and authentication services, we can review your situation.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private document assistance service. It does not represent the Federal Police, AIMA or any government authority, and it does not guarantee administrative results.
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
- Federal Police: Antecedentes Criminais: official free issuance service and the 90-day validity information.
- AIMA: Residence permit for investment (ARI), frequently asked questions: requirements for criminal record certificates, recency and authentication for applicants and family members.
- AIMA: Recognition of documents: guidance on the Hague Apostille, electronic documents, recognition of authenticity and certified translation.
- AIMA: Family reunification with a family member in national territory, article 98, paragraph 2: criminal record requirements for the country of nationality or former residence.
- AIMA: Exceptional regime, article 123: criminal documentation required from the country of nationality and from a residence of more than one year.
- Embassy of Portugal in Beijing: Residence visa for professional activity, model D1 (PDF): requirements on the criminal record certificate and its legalisation or apostille.