Brazil's criminal record certificate 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: for an immigrant visa, the US Department of State asks for the Brazilian Federal Police (PF) certificate, which is issued online and accepted for US immigration purposes, plus a police certificate from each Brazilian state where you lived for more than six months during the last five years. Certificates from the courts are not accepted. For any other US procedure, confirm what the recipient requires.
| Quick answer | |
|---|---|
| What you need | PF certificate and, for an immigrant visa, state police certificates based on your residence history |
| Where to get it | PF: online on the Federal Police website; state: the state authority (from outside Brazil, usually only through a representative) |
| Time | PF certificate is valid for 90 days; how long the US side accepts it depends on the procedure |
| Cost | PF issuance is free; our optional assistance: from R$ 30 |
| Apostille | No general requirement in the sources we consulted; certified translation applies to documents not in English (ours: from R$ 95, cartório fee excluded) |
If you live in the United States and have to submit a Brazilian criminal record certificate, the first step is to identify which document the authority handling your case actually asks for.
For some US immigrant visa processes, the Department of State confirms that you must submit the Federal Police certificate and state certificates, depending on your residence history. That rule should not be applied automatically to every procedure carried out in the US.
This guide covers the requirements that are confirmed in official sources, how to request the documents from abroad, what to check about translation and apostille, and what our private assistance costs.
When does the USA ask for a Brazilian police certificate?
The US Department of State sets specific requirements for Brazilian police certificates used in immigrant visa cases. According to its official page on civil documents and reciprocity for Brazil, immigrant visa applicants must provide:
- A criminal record certificate from the Brazilian Federal Police.
- A police certificate from each Brazilian state where they lived for more than six months during the last five years.
The same source confirms that the Federal Police records available online are acceptable for US immigration purposes. That matters because it helps you avoid ordering the wrong document.
The federal certificate does not necessarily replace the state certificates required in this procedure. On the other hand, not everyone who needs to present Brazilian records in the US is subject to the rules of an immigrant visa case.
What if I already live in the United States?
Living in the US does not by itself decide which Brazilian certificates you need. Check the specific procedure and the instructions of the institution or authority that will receive the document.
The rules confirmed by the Department of State cover specific immigration processes. They do not allow us to say that every US authority requires state certificates, a certified translation or a Hague apostille. Before you pay for anything, confirm whether the recipient wants federal records, state records or both.
Federal Police or state certificate: which one do you need?
Both are often called "criminal records", but the federal and state documents come from different issuers.
Federal Police certificate
The PF certificate is available free of charge online, and the Federal Police itself states that it is valid for 90 days. The Department of State confirms that federal records issued online are acceptable for US immigration purposes. So when the instruction asks for a Brazilian federal police certificate, the PF's electronic issuance is the route confirmed by the sources we consulted.
Our guide to the federal certificate explains the document in more detail (in Portuguese).
State certificate
A state certificate is issued by the competent authority of the Brazilian state concerned. For the immigrant visa processes described by the Department of State, your residence history decides which state certificates you must submit: more than six months in a state during the last five years.
For example, if you lived in two Brazilian states during that period and stayed more than six months in each, both may be covered by the official requirement. What matters is to rebuild your residence history correctly, rather than assuming a certificate from your last Brazilian address is enough.
Can a court certificate replace the police record?
Not for the immigration procedure described in the US source. The Department of State says expressly that certificates from the Brazilian Judicial Courts (Poder Judiciário) are not acceptable for this purpose. A court certificate should not be submitted in place of the PF or state police certificate unless the responsible authority expressly allows it.
How to get a Brazilian police certificate from the USA
Whether you can request the certificate depends on the issuing body. The federal process differs from the state one, especially if you are not physically in Brazil.
Step 1. Identify the document you are asked for
Check the instruction you received from the US authority. Look for:
- Whether it mentions Federal Police records.
- Whether state certificates are also needed.
- Which residence period applies.
- Whether translation or apostille is specifically required.
- Which document format will be accepted.
If it is an immigrant visa covered by the Department of State guidance, use the official requirements for that procedure. For any other purpose, confirm directly with the receiving institution.
Step 2. Request the federal certificate online
Go to the official criminal records service on the Federal Police website: Brazilian Federal Police, Antecedentes Criminais. Follow the instructions shown by the system.
The PF states that issuance is free and done over the internet, so you can try to obtain the document yourself without an intermediary. Once it is issued, check the details and keep the document for use as the procedure requires. If in doubt, see how to validate a Brazilian criminal record certificate (in Portuguese).
Electronic issuance does not automatically mean that every US authority will accept the document without further steps.
Step 3. Work out which Brazilian states are involved
If the procedure requires state records, list your residence history in Brazil. For the immigrant visa described by the Department of State, consider the states where you lived for more than six months during the last five years.
Do not confuse the residence period used to decide which certificates you need with the validity period of the document. They are different criteria. If you lived in several states, check the certificate for each one separately.
Step 4. Consider a state certificate through a representative
State certificates can be harder for Brazilians living abroad. The Department of State says that applicants residing outside Brazil usually cannot obtain a state-issued police certificate unless they give a representative power of attorney to apply for them and their Brazilian ID card was issued by the state where the certificate is requested.
So do not assume that anyone in Brazil can request a state certificate in your name. Before you prepare a power of attorney or send documents, check the conditions of the responsible state authority.
The official guidance consulted does not describe a specific consular procedure for this request. Confirm the applicable channel with the issuing authority before you act.
Step 5. Confirm what the US side needs
Once you have identified and obtained the certificates, check whether the receiving authority asks for translation, apostille or any other form of presentation. Do not order all of these just because the document will be used outside Brazil; each requirement must relate to your specific case. For general preparation of Brazilian documents for use abroad, see our guide to the Hague apostille for criminal records abroad (in Portuguese).
Does a Brazilian police certificate need an apostille for the USA?
The US sources we consulted confirm police certificate requirements and translation rules for certain immigration procedures, but they do not set a general obligation to apostille every Brazilian certificate presented in the United States. It would therefore be wrong to say that the Hague apostille is always required.
An apostille is a step that authenticates a document, and whether you need it depends on the instructions of the authority that will receive it.
How to decide whether you need an apostille
Before you order the service, check:
- Which authority will receive the certificate.
- Whether its instructions require an apostille.
- Whether that requirement applies to the Brazilian document you are submitting.
- Whether there is any specific condition on the form of the document.
If the recipient requires an apostille, organize that step according to the applicable instructions. It is separate from issuing the police certificate itself. An apostille does not change the content of the record and does not guarantee acceptance by any US institution. We offer apostille assistance, but you should confirm that the step is needed before you order it.
Do you need to translate the certificate into English?
The Department of State has translation rules for civil documents used in the immigrant visa process. According to its guidance, documents that are not in English, or in the official language of the country from which you are applying, must be accompanied by certified translations.
That distinction matters. The rule does not mean that every Brazilian certificate used in every US procedure must be translated into English. The place of submission and the instructions of the procedure must be taken into account.
Who can translate it?
For documents covered by those rules, the Department of State requires a certified translation accompanied by a statement signed by the translator, meeting the conditions set by the authority in charge of the case.
Our private service offers sworn translation from R$ 110 per page. However, a Brazilian sworn translation and the certified translation required by a US institution should not be treated as automatically equivalent for every purpose. Before you order, confirm which type of translation will be accepted and in which language the document must be submitted. If both apostille and translation are required, also check the recipient's instructions on how the documents must be prepared and submitted.
How long is the Brazilian certificate valid in the USA?
The Federal Police says its criminal record certificate is valid for 90 days. This is the general validity of the Brazilian federal document. It should not be confused with a universal acceptance period applied by US authorities. The official sources consulted do not set a general acceptance period for every procedure in the United States. Confirm it with the responsible authority.
What do the five-year and six-month periods mean?
The US documentation mentions criteria that have to be kept apart.
The first is residence history: in the immigrant visa procedure described, certificates are required from the Brazilian states where the applicant lived for more than six months during the last five years.
The Department of State also says that Brazilian police records are not kept forever and are erased after five years. In practice, the certificate only shows incidents from the last five years. This does not mean the certificate is valid for five years, and it does not remove the need to observe the 90 days stated by the PF or any specific requirement of the recipient. Before ordering a new certificate, confirm which date of the document will be considered in your procedure.
Cost of issuing, apostilling and translating
The federal certificate issued directly by the Federal Police is free. Antecedentes Criminais Brasil charges for private assistance and the additional services you order, not for the free official issuance.
| Private service | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Assisted certificate issuance | from R$ 30 |
| Hague apostille assistance | from R$ 95 |
| Sworn translation | from R$ 110 per page |
The cartório fee for the apostille is charged separately, and translation cost depends on the number of pages. Prices are in Brazilian reais. Your final budget should include only the services you actually need; there is no reason to order an apostille or translation before checking what the procedure requires. Timing and the final price are explained after we review your case, before any payment.
Other destinations for Brazilian documents
Requirements vary by country and purpose. If you also need to submit a Brazilian police certificate elsewhere, see our guides for Canada, the UK and Ireland, or go back to the Brazil police clearance from abroad overview. The requirements of one country should not be applied automatically to another.
Need help with a Brazilian police certificate for the USA?
If you are in the United States, start by identifying the procedure and checking which Brazilian certificates are really required. The federal certificate can be issued free of charge by you. For state certificates, apostille or translation, preparation may need extra checks. Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers private assistance with these steps, with no link to government bodies and no guarantee of acceptance or outcome.
Need help obtaining, apostilling, or translating the Brazilian certificate? Leave your contact; we will review the case and explain the price before payment. Contact us.
Sources
- US Department of State, Brazil: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country (federal and state certificates, residence criteria, limits for applicants abroad, court certificates not accepted): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Brazil.html
- US Department of State, Collect Civil Documents (police certificates, civil documents and certified translations in immigrant visa cases): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-5-collect-financial-evidence-and-other-supporting-documents/step-7-collect-civil-documents.html
- Brazilian Federal Police, Antecedentes Criminais (free online issuance and 90-day validity): https://www.gov.br/pf/pt-br/assuntos/antecedentes-criminais