How to register a marriage to a Brazilian citizen outside Brazil

Thanks James! And sorry for not being clear. My tourist Visa has 8 years left on it... I meant to say that I only have 2 weeks left before I hit the 180 day limit. Will I be ok at the airport entering the country you think?

Thanks again so much for the info. The service you provide is absolutely invaluable.

I sent this email to the consulate in NYC;
My Brazilian wife and I were married in North Carolina in 2010. We live in New Jersey, but we will be in New York City from August 17 to 19. We would like to register our marriage certificate with the Brazilian government, so that I can get the right to work and pay taxes in Brazil. Please inform me of the consular office to go, time, and what we should bring?
and got this response;
After August 14, the Consulate does not legalize more documents, due to the entry into force of the Hague Apostille Convention. You should look for the North Carolina authorities to apostilar your certificate. More information on our website.
So, I responded;
The marriage is already registered in North Carolina.  I need to register it in Brazil. 
I'm getting bureaucratic doublespeak here.  What should I do?  Will the consulate be of any assistance?  Should I just carry the certificate to a City Hall in Brazil?  What?

hello!
what they're saying is, you need to get it "authenticated;" the certificate is legal within the US, but not outside the US. Now that Brazil is part of this Convention you don't need to legalize at their consulate, just get this Apostille instead which is given just by the state (upon request) in which the document was issued.

For NC its: https://www.sosnc.gov/authen/aposinfo.aspx

You submit a true/original copy of the certificate along with fee, cover letter, etc..
Just mail it to them and from my understanding, they will mail back the certificate along with the apostille.
Then it's the equivalent as legalized and will be recognized in the cartorios in Brazil....

I hope this helps!

Thnx!

That's helpful to me too.

Hi James. I live in oklahoma (US) and my fiance lives in brazil. I am going to get a passport and visa to visit him hopefully for 90 days. Will i have enough time to marry and have all steps taken care of before i have to leave? If i leave before approval will that be ok? Im wanting to visit and marry in brazil to make it easier for a CR1 marriage visa. Does this sound right to you? They require you visit so i figured if i went for 90 days that would be enough on top of our distant relationship. Im afraid to forget something or make a mistake and already be there. I need to know will 90 days be enough to go get married and then come bk to the us. And then work on the Cr1 process once the marriage has already taken place? Thanks for your help. Unsure how to add you ..since im new to expat.com...thanks again -Megan

You probably will. Why are you going to work on CR1? The permanency visa is much easier. Also if he can go to the USA it is much easier to get married there. Be advised it is illegal to get married in the USA for the purpose of a green card. As long as you just get married and then return to Brazil you will be fine.

Im sorry it is really so confusing to be honest. Just to be clear. We are wanting to live in the US.      I am in an understanding to bring him to live here with me i will have had to visit him. So i plan to go to brazil and stay on my tourist visa for 90days and planned to get married while i was there if that makes sense . i felt with all the info i had read that is would be easier to bring my already husband to the US rather than him as a fiance. Please help me clarify my thinking. And what visa are you referring to? Im new to the whole passport and visa types avaliable. So as i said im kinda lost in all the infornation.

It seems easier for me to travel there than him travel to the US do to plane flights being more expensive. He will already be paying for one to come to the us to live. Plus i wanted to visit brazil. Also one ?. Can i pay for him a plane ticket if need be from us in us money? Or will he have to pay for it in brazil?

Approval from patents? Their information is on my birth certificate. Im 27. Why do i need their approval?

My fiance's parents will be there to witness

Dont want to use a lawyer. And i dont know how to private message..im sry.

You will still need to file a spousal visa application for him to live there permanently. go to the Us consulate website near where you will live to find out what documents you need. It will take some time and it is not free.

Yes i know a cr1 spousal visa. I know the process

Hey I went through this process in Brazil and US. I would strongly recommend a lawyer in the US for US immigration for sure. I tried to get married in Brazil by doing the paperwork with my spouse and it didn't work out; Brazil is wonderfully comprehensive about their own bureaucracy so there is not a hefty punishment in Brazil for getting it wrong, so we got to try again in the US on a K-1 VISA. With a lawyer the price between getting married in the US first for immigration, or K-1 Fiancee VISA then marriage, are about the same price. Also, the length of time for the process and work documents is somewhat similar. Fiancee VISA may be two months faster for time spent unable to officially work.

I would recommend traveling to Brazil, enjoy the travels, do what you can with the Brazilian documents, have a private party/wedding for family, but if your ultimate aim is to go to the USA then you can skip the process in Brazil or at least not panic if  you fail.

Again, a lawyer for immigration is strongly recommended.

Can you explain why its so hard you say to get married in brazil. I feel the research i have done. Im understsnding it all. Is there something im missing? I felt it would be easier for him in his interview and to prove we are really serious if we already married and now want him in the US with me. Im so confused what to do. He is saving for one trip to US to live. I am planning a 3 month possibly 180 day extend. Is it 180 on top of the 90 or is it 90+ 90 equalling 180 days total (6 months)... I need someone to speak to i have alot of questions i feel i need some clarity. I planned to come and marry and do the CR1 PACKET once i came back home. That will have given us time before the marriage the marriage and time after. Before the interview. It is easier for me to visit than him to visit at this time. Aside from being sooner but also not coming with the green card. Why would you say the fiance visa is preffered? Over going and getting married and getting all documents how they should be and then working on the cr1 marriage visa? Plz help

Again, you will need a lawyer, I can only relate my personal experience which will not be the same as your situation.

I can answer that you have 180 days total on a tourist VISA. There is a monetary fine for an overstay and not much else. There is a corresponding time required out of Brazil.
D.C. Brazilian Consulate

Marriage in Brazil for me was difficult due to language barriers, bureaucracy, time for forms to be returned (which was greater than 180 days), and complexity of the process (having to submit papers to multiple agencies.) With a lawyer I would not have made the same mistakes. It was worth it to me to try and to fully immerse myself in the culture and life of Brazil, I would recommend staying as long as financially possible.

You can start the immigration process to the US from Brazil. I picked the K-1 Fiancee VISA because my partner had work and school in Brazil. The submitted forms could be processed while I worked in the USA. Once approved there was approximately a three month work allowance (with papers properly submitted) at the very beginning of the move from Brazil to the USA for my partner, then followed by approximately six months waiting for immigration approval and the rest of the documents. This cost more money up front but less after the move. I used Jeff Pettys as my lawyer in the states. He was great because I could work mostly by e-mail with him with a few phone calls which I preferred. Again, I do not know your situation and can only relate mine, I would seek a professional for better advice.

am brazilian, my fiance is not, but we want to marry soon. I work in Turkey and we want to live here - can my fiance  still benefit from the one year rule and get her citizenship in one year. Or must we be living in brazil for that? thanks for helping

Must be living in Brazil , Have a job and pass a Portuguese test

hi sir my friend want send me invitation latter . plz tell me how can i collect this latter in India. what can i do to collect this latter

The invitation letter for me was sent by email to Brazilian consulate by my then girlfriend.

Jim

How much time will it take for me to get this letter

The letter should be sent to the Brazilian consulate as part of your application for a visa.

Jim

Actually the letter should be sent directly to you veer and it should be notarized by the Cartorio.

Afterwards you must take the letter along with your application and other details to the Embassy on the date of your interview

hi james,

i am Manzoor from India. my girl is from Brazil. she is planning to come next year to India for marrying  me. I just want to know that how the VIPER Visa for me applied there and she needs to stay in india but yearly once or 2 years once she wants to go brazil. For this how i want to apply for her visa(family visa) to stay in india after getting marraige. your reply will be useful for me to go forward.

thanks,

I don't know if it has changed but my letter was emailed to Brazilian consulate by my wife (then Girlfriend). ] without being notarized but it may be different now.

Jim

The marriage will have to come first. If you get married in India then you will need to go to the Brazilian consulate in your country to see what is required for the viper. As far as bring her family to India. You need to find out from the Indian government. Brazil has nothing to do with it.

Jim

😂😂😂😂

hello sir my name is sayed Waqas from Pakistan,my girl friend from Brazil want to send me sponsorship letter but she don't know how to send me sponsorship letter from Brazil to Pakistan,please tell me by which process she send me sponsorship letter? i am waiting for your reply thanks.

hello/sir
    I am Eliziane dourado by name,citizen of brazil,i am in ASIA now in a country called Nepal to have a marriage process with my asian husband,nationality nepales,please i like to get more information about this marriage process and how to return to brazil together with my nepal husband and we can both live together in brazil.
     I have already notary my marriage certificate at brazil embassy in nepal.please can you tell me more about this process
after this marriage is completed can my nepal husband apply for his permanent resident visa in brazil emabssy in Nepal before i leave nepal or i need to bring this marriage certificate to brazil first for further process before my husband can apply for his permanent resident visa,please i really need your help and how to go about all the process
i got your website online and your email thats why i am seeking an advise from you.
thanks you so much,i will be expecting your reply as soon as possible.

James, i can't get an appointment at the Notarial Department, Brazilian Consulate General, London, until beyond April. i married last week and we travel to Brazil on 13/3 and wanted to register the marriage.
Is there any way round this? Would having the marriage certificate apostilled/translated or anything else enable us to register at the Cartorio de 1 Oficio  in Rio?
I guess not, but need to check.
Thanks
Robert

Robert,
Unfortunately, James died several years ago, but others here can respond to your questions.
It's very doubtful that you'll be able to register your British marriage in the Cartório do 1o Ofício without the Certidão from the Consulate.  I would recommend that the Brazilian spouse contact the Consulate (technically, it's the Brazilian spouse who's requesting the registration) to try to get you in, and that you have all the forms and documents ready to jump as soon as they give you the ok, including with payment ready.
If that doesn't work, I'd take the complete package to the Consulate in person and try to plead your case.

Hi James,

I am Brazilian and American citizen. I was married to an American in the 80s and divorced that same American in the 90s. However, I never filed the marriage or the divorce within the Brazilian Consulate. ( I never married again.) Now, after all these years should I start the process now, or should I live it as it is?

Hearts

As noted above, James died several years ago.

The answer to your question depends on your future plans. 
1. Might you marry again in the United States, and wish to register the marriage in Brazil?
2. Might you want to marry in Brazil at some point?

If the answer to either question is "yes", then eventually, you're going to need to register your divorce decree with the Brazilian Consulate General responsible for your region, to prove that you're eligible to marry; you will be asked whether you were ever married in the past.   
If you're pretty sure that both answers are "no", make sure that you have access to your papers in case you ever change your mind, but there's no need to go through the process at this time.

abthree is on point. My Brazilian wife had to prove her divorce as well as I did. Mine had to be translated officially and submitted with all the paperwork.
We married in US and Brazil.

@James She is mercosur citizen and a US citizen.  She collects INSS benefits in brazil as well as US benefits (disability & Medicare).  Our marriage and her US citizenship and benefits are not registered or claimed in brazil.  I would like to know the exact brazilian law and penalty for not registering our marriage in brazil or her claiming duel benefits.