A Brazilian criminal record certificate (Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais) is issued by the Federal Police (Polícia Federal) and by the state Civil Police (Polícias Civis), 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: on the Federal Police certificate, "NADA CONSTA" ("nothing on record") means there is no record of a final criminal conviction (decisão condenatória com trânsito em julgado) in the service consulted. State documents are described differently: Minas Gerais, for example, speaks of the existence or absence of a criminal record at the time of the request. You cannot choose the result in advance.
| Quick answer | |
|---|---|
| What you need | The certificate or atestado the recipient named, issued by the right authority |
| Where to get it | Federal: Federal Police portal; state: the state authority |
| Time | Not stated for the "nada consta" result itself; check each service |
| Cost | PF issuance free; our assistance from R$ 30 |
| Apostille | Only if the recipient requires it; ours from R$ 95, notary fee extra |
The expression "nada consta criminal" appears in searches about criminal records and tends to raise an important question: what exactly does this result mean, and which document must be presented when someone asks for proof of criminal records?
In the Federal Police (PF) issuing service, the answer is specific. The Criminal Record Certificate (Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais, CAC) returns the message "NADA CONSTA" when there is no record of a final criminal conviction considered by the service.
This definition matters because not all criminal-record documents necessarily use the same criteria. There are federal and state services, and the meaning of a piece of information must be interpreted according to the authority that issued the document.
What "nada consta" means
On the Federal Police Criminal Record Certificate, "NADA CONSTA" means that there is no record of a final criminal conviction in the service consulted.
This is the definition presented by the criminal records issuing service available on gov.br.
The central point is the expression "final criminal conviction" (decisão condenatória com trânsito em julgado, a conviction that can no longer be appealed). The information presented by the Federal Police refers to that specific criterion.
For that reason, it is important not to turn the result into a broader statement than the one actually presented by the issuing authority.
Does "nada consta" mean the person has no criminal record?
The "NADA CONSTA" result on the federal certificate must be understood within the criteria used by the Federal Police.
It reports the absence of a record of a final criminal conviction in the service. It should not automatically be read as a comprehensive statement about all the information that might exist in any federal or state system.
How do I get a certificate with a "nada consta" result?
Anyone who needs to request the Federal Police Criminal Record Certificate can start with the issuing service itself.
Go to the Federal Police issuing portal.
The result depends on the information considered by the service. You cannot choose in advance for the certificate to show "NADA CONSTA".
If issuance shows that result, the interpretation must follow the Federal Police definition: absence of a record of a final criminal conviction in the service.
If an institution requires the document, it is worth checking whether a federal certificate was specifically requested or whether state documents are also needed.
The page on the criminal record certificate gathers guidance on this type of request.
Is "nada consta criminal" the name of a document?
The expression "nada consta criminal" is often used to search for proof related to criminal records.
However, it is important to separate the result shown in a document from the name of the service that issues it.
In the federal case, the document identified by gov.br is the Criminal Record Certificate. "NADA CONSTA" is the information returned when the criterion described by the service is met.
So when requesting a document, the most important question is not just how to get a "nada consta", but which certificate or atestado is being required and which authority must issue it.
This identification prevents a person from requesting a document different from the one needed for their purpose.
What "consta" can mean
The word "consta" ("there is a record") must be interpreted according to the document, the issuing authority and the information the service is meant to present.
For the concepts behind the result, see what a criminal record is.
One important example is the Criminal Record Atestado of Minas Gerais.
According to Portal MG, this atestado states whether or not a criminal record exists. The document shows the applicant's situation at the exact moment of the request.
This description is not identical to the definition the Federal Police uses for the "NADA CONSTA" message.
While the federal service describes its result in relation to final criminal convictions, the description of the Minas Gerais service refers to the existence or absence of a criminal record at the moment the atestado is requested.
"Constam antecedentes": what does it mean?
To understand an indication that a record exists, you need to look at the definition of the service responsible for the document.
In the Minas Gerais example, the atestado shows whether or not a criminal record exists at the time of the request.
However, this information does not allow us to conclude that every occurrence of the word "consta" in documents issued by other states has exactly the same meaning.
No general definition was found, applicable to all state services, on the different meanings of this expression.
The information was not found in the official content consulted; confirm directly on the portal of the responsible authority.
Are "records exist" and "there is a conviction" the same thing?
It is not appropriate to treat these two expressions as equivalent without checking the criteria of the service.
The Federal Police expressly describes the "NADA CONSTA" message in relation to the absence of a final criminal conviction.
The description of the Minas Gerais atestado, on the other hand, mentions the existence or absence of a criminal record at the time of the request.
These are different wordings.
To learn about the Minas Gerais document specifically, see also our page on the atestado de antecedentes criminais.
Difference between "certidão negativa criminal" and other documents
People searching for "certidão negativa criminal" (negative criminal certificate), "nada consta criminal", "certidão de antecedentes criminais" or "atestado de antecedentes criminais" may be looking for documents tied to the same practical purpose: presenting information on criminal records.
That does not mean all these terms identify documents with identical criteria.
The distinction must take into account the service used and the definition published by the issuing authority.
Federal Police Criminal Record Certificate
At the federal level, the gov.br service identifies the document as the Criminal Record Certificate (CAC).
The "NADA CONSTA" result corresponds to the absence of a record of a final criminal conviction in the service.
Anyone who received a request for federal criminal records can use the Federal Police issuing service as a starting point.
To understand this document specifically, see the Brazil federal police certificate.
State criminal record atestado
In the Minas Gerais service, the atestado reports the existence or absence of a criminal record and shows the person's situation at the time of the request.
This is the description provided by Portal MG for that service.
Do not assume that the Minas Gerais definition automatically describes the criteria of all other states.
To know how to interpret a specific state document, the reference must be the information presented by the authority responsible for issuing it.
Are "certidão negativa criminal" and "nada consta" equivalent?
The expression "certidão negativa criminal" can appear in requests for documents related to criminal records.
However, no general official definition was found in the content consulted that establishes the equivalence of this expression with all types of state certificate or atestado.
The information was not found in the official content consulted; confirm directly on the portal of the responsible authority.
In the case of the Federal Police, there is a specific definition for the "NADA CONSTA" result. That definition must be preserved, without automatically widening its meaning to other services.
How to identify the right document
The choice must start from the requirement presented by whoever will receive the certificate.
If the request expressly mentions the Federal Police, the relevant reference will be the federal service.
If it mentions a state Civil Police, you will need to consider the service provided by the corresponding state.
If the requirement uses only the expression "nada consta criminal", without identifying the issuing authority, the most prudent step is to clarify which document will be accepted before making additional requests.
This check is especially useful when the certificate will be presented outside Brazil, because the need for complementary documentation must be clarified according to the purpose of use.
For guidance on documentation meant for use abroad, see Hague apostille for criminal records.
How to act when there is a discrepancy
A discrepancy can arise when a person receives information different from what they expected, when the terminology of two documents does not match or when it is unclear which certificate must be presented.
In these situations, the first step is to identify exactly which service issued the document.
Check the issuing authority
Check whether the document was issued by the Federal Police or by a state service.
This identification is essential because the federal definition of "NADA CONSTA" cannot be applied indiscriminately to any state atestado.
In the Federal Police service, the criterion stated by gov.br is the absence of a record of a final criminal conviction.
In the case of the Minas Gerais atestado, the official information describes the existence or absence of a criminal record at the time of the request.
These definitions should guide the initial interpretation.
Compare the result with the description of the service
Before concluding there is an error, compare the text shown in the document with what the issuing authority says its service reports.
A difference in terminology does not, by itself, show that the documents are incorrect.
What to do when the result seems wrong
If there is doubt about the information shown, the right route is to seek clarification from the authority responsible for the document.
It is important to describe which certificate was requested, which result appeared and why there is doubt about its interpretation.
Based on the information available on this page, it is not possible to say that a given result will be changed or that there is a single review procedure valid for all authorities.
The specific rules must be confirmed directly with the issuing service.
Antecedentes Criminais Brasil can guide you on the request route and on complementary document services, but it does not determine the content of certificates.
And when two documents show different information?
First, identify the issuer of each document.
Then look at the definitions of the respective services.
A federal certificate with "NADA CONSTA" must be interpreted according to the criterion described by the Federal Police. A state atestado must be analyzed according to the definition of the responsible state.
The sources consulted contain no general rule that would explain in advance every possible combination of divergent results.
So it is not appropriate to say that one document automatically invalidates, confirms or replaces another.
If the discrepancy affects a documentary requirement, seek clarification both from the issuing authority and from the institution that will receive the document.
Do I need to request another certificate?
That depends on the document required for your purpose.
Before requesting new issuances, try to confirm whether the requirement refers to a federal certificate, a state atestado or more than one document.
When the institution uses a generic expression, such as "certidão negativa criminal", it may be necessary to clarify which issuance it intends to receive.
The decision on accepting the document rests with the receiving institution, according to its requirements.
Sources
The information on the meaning of "NADA CONSTA" and on the state atestado is based on the following government pages:
gov.br — Issue a Criminal Record Certificate
https://www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/emitir-certidao-de-antecedentes-criminais
Reference for the definition of the "NADA CONSTA" result on the Federal Police Criminal Record Certificate.
Portal MG — Obtain the Criminal Records Atestado
https://www.mg.gov.br/servico/obter-o-atestado-de-antecedentes-criminais
Reference for the description of the Minas Gerais atestado as a document that states the existence or absence of a criminal record at the time of the request.