British national to marry Brazilian and apply for permanent residency

Hi Brendan,

The Visa Waiver Agreement between the UK and Brazil is a bit different from the Schengen Area Agreement in that UK passport holders are allowed to apply for an extension of their stay "Prorrogação de Prazo de Estada", which permits a 180 consecutive day stay in Brazil during any year (for your definition a year is based on the date of your FIRST EVER entry to Brazil).

Like the Schengen Area Agreement, absent any extension, the stay is 3 months (90 days) in any 6 month (180 day) period. Essentially 90 days in Brazil, 90 day out of Brazil qualifies you to come back for 90 more. That said, in practice for UK passport holders if you haven't used up all 180 days for the year you can step across the border getting that exit stamp and come right back in with a new entry stamp for any remaining balance of the 180 day limit.

No, you do not need a "RETURN" ticket, simply an outbound ticket which most certainly can be a "throw-away" bus ticket to any of the surrounding nations that you can enter without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program or any nation you already hold a visa for.

The marriage process here takes anywhere from a minimum of 30 to 45 days (roughly), start to finish. From the sound of things you'll have plenty of time to get through it all even with an extension if you have all your documents ready, both for the marriage and subsequent application for permanency. If for some reason you can't qualify for that long a stay you can still arrange for a proxy marriage "Casamento por Procuração"  at the Cartório here, which must be done in person and while your visa stay is still valid. Contact me later by private message if that should become necessary and I will give you further advice on the matter.

I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what you mean by CRB in your list of documents. Are you referring to a Certified Criminal Record Check? If so, any you actually have no criminal record and are not currently charged with any offense, then the check is not even necessary. The Federal Police here will provide you with a "Declaração Sob Pena de Lei de Não-Condenação" which you fill out and have notarized at the Cartório. The Criminal Record Check is actually only absolutely necessary in cases where an individual does have some past convictions, which may need to be considered. If you already have the document anyway then send it off for legalization because it certainly won't hurt and eliminates the need for the Declaration here.

I guess that's about all. Sounds like you've pretty much got things well under control so far.

Cheers,
James     Expat-blog Experts Team

Hey James

Thanks for the quick reply and the easing of remaining worries.

Yes, sorry, I did mean the Criminal Record Check.

This is a short reply because you've covered everything and I have no more questions - although I'll keep in mind the proxy marriage should we need it.

Thanks again

Brendan

If I understand correctly, you'll need an onward travel ticket if you come to Brazil on a tourist visa, not just if you want an extension.

I got a throw-away bus ticket when I came. I looked for the cheapest route out of the country, it was some border Brazil town to a border Argentina town. Do you have a CPF number? The bus companies in Brazil require a cpf number, even for foreigners, when you buy a bus ticket. Although there are a few websites where you can purchase a bus ticket from Brazil through a 3rd party (the website) and they let you go without a CPF. They charge a bit more than if you purchased directly from the bus company. But I'd imagine you paying no more than 20 pounds total.

Just remember that at Cartórios here in Brazil when you notarize a signature there are two different kinds of notarization. The less expensive "Reconhecimento da Firma por Semelhança" (likeness) and the slightly more expensive "Reconhecimento da Firma por Autenticidade" (authenticity). Of course when dealing with the Policia Federal they only accept, you guessed it..... the more expensive "por Autenticidade" 

Hey Joe

At the moment I have a return ticket to England but the return date will have passed by the time I apply for a visa extension.

Thanks for the heads up on the CPF, I've just looked it up and will be getting one of those upon arrival.

£20 is music to my ears after looking at return flights to England a few hours ago.

Cheers

Brendan

Hah! Thank you for pointing out the distinction and the cheekiness of the Policia Federal!

Hi,
I also am getting married in Brazil and went to the cartorio (basically a registry office) last week. They told me that I needed my passport and my birth certificate translated into Portuguese (they also gave me a contact who could provide this service) and also evidence from the British Consulate that I am not already married. While I am sure that this is correct information it would be helpful to know if there is anything else I need covered?
Thanks
James

Hello James,

The entire subject of marriage and the subsequent request for permanency in Brazil is covered completely in the following topic thread:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=280525

Cheers,
James    Expat-blog Experts Team

Hi,
Thank you very much, I will give it a read,
Much appreciated!

Hi James,

Good evening, I am a British national currently living inthe UK and i need some advice regarding my future wife who currently resides in Brazil. We are due to get married in Rio over the coming months and only recently my future wife informed me that in order for me to marry her I would need to reside in Brazil with her for a period of 6/9 months. I was under the impression I could travel to Rio and marry her and after the honeymoon we could fly back to the UK together. I thought you would be best person to talk to regarding my situation. Would I have to reside for this period in Brazil for me to marry her there? Or can I simply visit, marry her and bring her back to the UK upon marriage.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Kind Regards,

Umair