The criminal record certificate (certidão de antecedentes criminais) is issued by the Federal Police and by the state Civil Police forces, 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
The Hague Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document for use between countries party to the Convention. In Brazil, the apostille is done by authorized notary offices (cartórios). Before you apply, confirm whether the destination country is party to the treaty and whether the receiving institution requires an apostille, translation or other steps.
Summary table
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is it? | A certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document. |
| Who issues it? | In Brazil, notary offices authorized to apostille. |
| Where do you get it? | At an authorized notary office, found through the CNJ search. |
| For which countries? | Countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention. |
| How much does it cost? | The notary fee varies by state. Private support services are charged separately. |
| What is the validity? | No confirmation was found that the apostille renews or extends the 90-day period of the certificate. Confirm the recipient's requirement. |
| Is there an electronic apostille? | Yes. The CNJ provides information on the Electronic Apostille (e-APP). |
| How do you verify it? | Through the validation service indicated on the CNJ portal. |
What is the Hague Apostille?
The Hague Apostille is a certificate issued under the Apostille Convention to authenticate the origin of a public document.
Its purpose is to simplify the use of public documents between the countries party to the treaty.
This means that a document issued in Brazil, when intended for a country party to the Convention, can go through the apostille procedure instead of traditional consular legalization.
According to the National Council of Justice (Conselho Nacional de Justiça, CNJ), the Apostille authenticates the origin of the public document. The Convention deals with the formality needed to attest the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the signatory acted, and the authenticity of the corresponding seal or stamp.
In the case of a criminal record certificate, for example, the apostille relates to authenticating its origin for international use. It does not replace issuance of the certificate and does not represent a decision on whether a foreign institution will accept it.
When did the Convention take effect in Brazil?
The Hague Apostille Convention entered into force in Brazil in August 2016.
The CNJ is responsible for coordinating and regulating its application in the country.
On the institutional page consulted in November 2026, the CNJ states that the Convention makes it possible to simplify document legalization among 125 signatory countries.
The list is available in the signatory countries section of the CNJ portal.
What changes for people who need to present documents abroad?
The main change is the procedure used to authenticate the origin of the document.
When the country of origin and the destination country are both party to the Convention, the apostille mechanism provided by the treaty applies.
When one of them is not, Itamaraty's guidance (Brazil's foreign ministry) is to use the corresponding document legalization.
Consider a person who has received a request for a Brazilian criminal record certificate to present abroad.
Before looking for a notary office, that person needs to identify the destination country. This information will determine whether the route indicated is the apostille or legalization.
Then they should confirm what the foreign institution actually asks for.
Apostilling a document without checking this information can result in a step that does not exactly match the requirement received.
Which documents can be apostilled?
The Hague Apostille Convention applies to documents classified as public acts.
The CNJ presents specific categories of covered documents and also identifies situations to which the Convention does not apply.
The distinction does not depend simply on a document looking important or being used in an international procedure.
The relevant criterion is whether it falls within the categories provided for in the Convention.
Documents covered by the Convention
According to the CNJ, the following are included:
- Documents from authorities or officials connected with the jurisdiction of a country, including documents from certain judicial authorities.
- Administrative documents.
- Notarial acts.
- Official statements placed on documents of a private nature, such as registration entries, certifications of a date, and authentications of signatures.
These categories show that the Convention is not limited to a single type of document.
However, belonging to a covered category does not mean that any foreign institution will automatically accept the document presented.
The purpose of use, the recipient's requirements and the participation of the countries involved must be considered separately.
Documents excluded from the Convention
The CNJ states that the Convention does not apply to two specific categories:
- Documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents.
- Administrative documents dealing directly with commercial or customs operations.
These exclusions are relevant because not every public document, or document related to an administrative activity, necessarily follows the Apostille procedure.
If there is doubt about how a particular document is classified, consult the guidance of the competent authority.
It is not appropriate to assume that all documents can receive an Apostille just because they will be used outside Brazil.
Where does the criminal record certificate fit in?
In Brazil, certificates of this kind can be issued by the Federal Police and by the state Civil Police forces.
To learn about the documentation available and to tell the request routes apart, see the page on the Brazilian criminal record certificate.
When the Brazilian certificate will be presented in a country party to the Convention, Itamaraty's guidance is that documents issued in Brazil for those countries be apostilled at authorized notary offices.
Apostille or consular legalization?
When to use the Hague Apostille
The apostille is the route provided for public documents covered by the Convention when the countries involved are party to the treaty.
Itamaraty advises that documents issued in Brazil and intended for the participating countries be apostilled at authorized notary offices.
One example in its guidance involves the United States: for a document issued in Brazil that will be used in that country, the procedure indicated is the apostille.
So a person who needs to present a Brazilian criminal record certificate in the United States should consider the Apostille as part of the document preparation.
When to use consular legalization
Itamaraty clarifies that if the country of origin or the destination country of the document is not party to the Apostille Convention, the document must be legalized.
This guidance is essential to avoid the idea that the apostille has replaced every form of document legalization.
The Convention simplified the procedure among its participants, but it did not establish the Apostille as a universal solution for all countries.
So it is not enough to know that Brazil is party to the treaty.
You also need to check the situation of the country where the document will be presented.
The check must consider the specific document, its origin and its destination.
Guidance on legalization is available on the Itamaraty Consular Portal.
Comparison of the procedures
| Situation | Route indicated |
|---|---|
| Brazilian public document intended for a country party to the Convention | Apostille at an authorized notary office. |
| Document intended for a country that is not party to the Convention | Document legalization, as guided by Itamaraty. |
| Document coming from a country that is not party to the Convention | Check the applicable legalization procedure. |
| Document outside the categories covered by the Convention | Consult the specific guidance of the competent authority. |
The table presents an initial distinction, not a confirmation of all the requirements that apply to an individual request.
Why does the Apostille not guarantee acceptance of the document?
No single rule was found, in the official content consulted, requiring translation of the certificate for all destination countries.
No confirmation was found either that the apostille changes any 90-day period that applies to the certificate.
Therefore, the Apostille resolves a specific question of document authentication. It should not be presented as a guarantee that all the requirements of a foreign institution are met.
Who issues the Hague Apostille in Brazil?
In Brazil, the apostille of documents issued in the country for use in the States party to the Convention is carried out by authorized notary offices.
The CNJ coordinates and regulates the application of the Convention in Brazilian territory.
The CNJ provides guidance and search tools. The interested person must locate an authorized notary office to carry out the corresponding procedure.
How to find an authorized notary office
The CNJ portal has a tool for searching notary offices authorized to issue Apostilles.
The search lets you locate establishments by state and city.
The recommended route is:
- Open the Hague Apostille page at the CNJ.
- Find the section Cartórios Autorizados (Authorized Notary Offices).
- Select the state and city of interest.
- Check the notary offices shown.
- Confirm directly with the chosen notary office the conditions that apply to the document.
Checking with the CNJ is important because it lets you identify authorized establishments instead of assuming that any location offers the service.
For a criminal record certificate, this check should happen after confirming the document requested by the foreign institution.
Do you need to go to the CNJ to apostille in person?
The information made available by the CNJ itself points to authorized notary offices as the places where the apostille is carried out.
So consulting the Council serves to identify the route and to check the tools it provides.
The CNJ's role of coordination and regulation should not be confused with carrying out each service at a notary office.
It is also not appropriate to assume identical operating conditions for all establishments.
As for specific details of service, shipping and time that apply to the apostille of the certificate, the information was not found in the official content consulted; confirm directly on the website of the responsible agency.
What if the person is already living outside Brazil?
The situation requires attention both to issuance of the certificate and to the authentication procedure.
The Federal Police refers Brazilians abroad to the Itamaraty Consular Portal guidance on document legalization and apostille.
However, no specific and complete guidance on issuing the Federal Police certificate from abroad was found in the sources consulted.
For information on issuing the federal document, see the Brazilian federal police certificate.
Physical and electronic apostille: how they work and how to validate
The CNJ presents information on the Hague Apostille and provides a section dedicated to the Electronic Apostille (e-APP).
It also offers access to Apostille validation.
It is important to distinguish three questions: the document that needs to be apostilled, the form of apostille, and the verification procedure.
The existence of the electronic form does not mean, by itself, that any certificate can be prepared entirely online in all situations.
Physical apostille
Apostille at authorized notary offices is the procedure Itamaraty indicates for documents issued in Brazil that will be used in countries party to the Convention.
Electronic apostille (e-APP)
The CNJ maintains a specific section on the Electronic Apostille.
To know how to proceed with a specific document, consult the CNJ information and confirm the conditions of the authorized notary office.
How to check whether an Apostille is valid
The CNJ portal provides an Apostille validation tool.
To check an apostilled document, the interested person must locate that function and follow the instructions the system presents.
A prudent sequence of checking is:
- Identify the Apostille received and the document it refers to.
- Open the Validação de Apostila (Apostille Validation) section on the CNJ portal.
- Use the data the tool asks for.
- Check the result shown by the system.
- If in doubt, consult whoever was responsible for issuance.
The possibility of validation is an important part of checking the document, but its scope should not be confused with automatic acceptance of the document by the receiving institution.
Does electronic validation replace other requirements?
It is not appropriate to assume so.
Authentication of origin and checking the Apostille do not necessarily answer all the questions about the certificate used.
In the case of criminal records, the recipient may have its own guidance on which certificate to present and how to prepare it.
In the sources consulted, no specific translation rule valid for all countries without distinction was found.
Likewise, no rule was identified under which validating the Apostille extends the period in which the certificate can be used.
For that reason, electronic verification should be understood as part of the checking, not as a guarantee that all the request's requirements are met.
Example: how to prepare a criminal record certificate for use abroad
The route can be organized in three moments: issue the certificate, check the apostille, and confirm whether translation is needed.
1. Issue the correct certificate
The first step is to identify which criminal record certificate was requested.
In Brazil, issuance of this type of document is tied to the Federal Police and the state Civil Police forces.
The authorized notary office carries out the apostille procedure, while the certificate is obtained from the corresponding issuing authority.
Anyone who needs to understand the request process can read the guide on how to get a Brazilian criminal record certificate.
For people living abroad, there is an important limitation in the information analyzed: no specific official guidance was found that fully describes issuing the federal certificate from another country.
2. Check whether the certificate needs an Apostille
After identifying the document, you need to check where it will be used.
For countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention, Itamaraty advises apostilling documents issued in Brazil at authorized notary offices.
For countries that are not party to the Convention, the corresponding document legalization procedure must be consulted.
For a certificate intended for the United States, for example, Itamaraty points to the apostille for documents issued in Brazil.
For other destinations, you need to consult the list of participating countries and the relevant guidance.
3. Confirm whether translation is needed
The third point is translation.
A Brazilian certificate may be intended for an institution that uses another language, but no specific official rule was found determining the need to translate the certificate for each destination country.
Before ordering the translation, confirm which document needs to be translated, which language was requested and what conditions the receiving institution has set.
4. Check the situation of the destination country
A useful reference is the guidance of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, AIMA), in Portugal, on recognition of documents.
AIMA states that, when the country is a signatory to the Hague Convention, recognition of the foreign document is done by means of an Apostille.
To organize a request related to that country, also see the page on the Brazilian police certificate for Portugal.
5. Check time limits before starting the apostille
In the sources examined, no official confirmation was found that the Apostille renews or extends a 90-day period attributed to the certificate.
The information was not found in the official content consulted; confirm directly on the website of the responsible agency.
In practice, before organizing the documentation, it is important to separate the questions:
Which certificate should I present? The answer depends on the request made by the receiving institution.
Do I need to apostille? You need to check whether the countries involved are party to the Convention and the purpose of the document.
Do I need to translate? The requirement must be confirmed directly with the recipient.
Which issue date will be accepted? You should not assume that the apostille renews the certificate.
How long will the procedure take? No specific time was found that applies to all the situations considered.
These checks help avoid conclusions based only on the fact that the document has an Apostille.
6. Check the Apostille before presenting the certificate
After the apostille, you can use the validation tool provided by the CNJ.
For the criminal record certificate, this is part of document preparation, but it does not replace checking the foreign institution's instructions.
If you need to organize issuance, apostille and any translation, the page on the Hague apostille for criminal records and use abroad gathers specific information on this service.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil acts as a private support service, not as an issuing authority for certificates or a body responsible for the Convention.
How much does the Hague Apostille cost?
To understand the cost of the apostille, you need to distinguish the fee charged by the notary office from any private support services.
Notary office fee
The notary fee (emolumento) varies by state.
No single fee amount applicable to the apostille of the criminal record certificate was found in the set of official sources consulted for this guide.
Before requesting the procedure, consult the authorized notary office and confirm the amount that corresponds to the document.
The CNJ notary search helps identify where to make that inquiry.
No specific notary office time was found either that could be presented as a general reference for apostilling the certificate.
Price of a private support service
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil offers apostille with support from R$ 95, with the notary fee charged separately.
That amount is for the private service and should not be presented as the notary office's price or a tariff set by the CNJ.
Information on assisted issuance, sworn translation and other service conditions is on the specific service page.
Frequently asked questions about the Hague Apostille
1. How much does the Hague Apostille cost?
The cost of the apostille depends on the fee charged by the authorized notary office, which varies by state.
To get the amount for your case, find an authorized notary office and ask directly about the conditions it states.
2. Does the Hague Apostille expire?
The question requires distinguishing the Apostille from the document it refers to.
No confirmation was found in the official sources consulted that the apostille renews or extends the 90-day period of a criminal record certificate.
3. Which documents can receive the Hague Apostille?
According to the CNJ, documents from certain authorities, administrative documents, notarial acts and official statements placed on acts of a private nature are included.
It does not apply to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents or to administrative documents directly related to commercial or customs operations.
For a Brazilian criminal record certificate intended for a participating country, the apostille is the authentication procedure indicated in Itamaraty's guidance.
4. How long does the Hague Apostille take?
No specific apostille time that applies to the criminal record certificate was found in the official sources consulted for this guide.
Before starting the procedure, identify an authorized notary office using the CNJ tool and check its service conditions.
5. Can I get the Hague Apostille online?
The CNJ provides information on the Electronic Apostille, identified as e-APP.
However, the information used in this guide does not allow us to say that any document can be apostilled entirely online, at any notary office and under the same conditions.
To find out whether the electronic form suits your case, consult the guidance of the CNJ and the authorized notary office.
6. Does the Hague Apostille replace consular legalization?
In the cases covered by the Convention, the apostille is the procedure provided for authenticating the origin of public documents between participating countries.
Itamaraty states that, when the country of origin or the destination country is not party to the Convention, the document must be legalized.
So, before requesting the Apostille, check the list of participating countries.
7. How do I know whether the Hague Apostille is genuine?
The CNJ offers an Apostille validation function.
The interested person must open the corresponding area on the Council's portal and follow the instructions the tool presents.
However, this should not be confused with confirmation that a foreign institution will accept the document for a specific purpose.
8. Do I need to translate the criminal record certificate after apostilling it?
Among the official facts gathered for this guide, there is no specific rule determining translation of the certificate for all destination countries.
Before hiring the service, confirm the instructions of the institution that will receive the certificate.
Need help with the certificate for use abroad?
Will you use the certificate abroad, or did your request get stuck? Leave your contact and we will review your case and tell you the time and price before any payment.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil is a private document support service, not a government body, and does not decide whether documents are accepted.
Sources
- National Council of Justice (CNJ), Apostila da Haia. Definition, application of the Convention in Brazil, signatory countries, covered and excluded documents, authorized notary offices, Electronic Apostille and validation.
https://www.cnj.jus.br/poder-judiciario/relacoes-internacionais/apostila-da-haia/
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consular Portal, Legalização de Documentos. Guidance on apostilling Brazilian documents and on legalization when the country of origin or destination is not party to the Convention.
https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/assuntos/portal-consular/legalizacao-de-documentos/
- Federal Police, Antecedentes Criminais. Institutional information on criminal records and referral to consular guidance for Brazilians abroad.
https://www.gov.br/pf/pt-br/assuntos/antecedentes-criminais
- Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), Portugal, Reconhecimento de Documentos. Guidance on recognition of foreign documents by Apostille in countries party to the Convention.
https://aima.gov.pt/pt/temas-transversais/reconhecimento-de-documentos