Document legalization / translation UK > Brazil

Hi Ryan,

The consular legalization is just a stamp and may or may not be accompanied by a letter from the consulate stating that it is an official document of the issuing country. It will also state clearly that the act of legalizing the document does not indicate acceptance in any way. The document itself WILL not be translated by the Consulado-Geral.

You don't translate the documents BEFORE submitting them to the Consulado-Geral do Brasil for legalization. It's not necessary.

The documents MUST all be translated here in Brazil by a notarized translator (Tradutor Juramentado) or they will not be accepted.

Documents must have been issued within the 90 day period prior to being submitted for legalization, that goes for everything - Birth Certificate, Criminal Record Check, etc.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

So if i understand this correctly, i get my document stamped by the FCO in England ( British Legalization Stamp ) then by the consulate of Brazil in london, then pay in Brazil for the translations?

Yes, that is correct.

However, if your birth certificate is of the European model, a translation might not be necessary (depending on the intelligence of the person in the cartorio).

That makes things so much more simple!
What is the normal turn around time for document translation? can it be done the same day?
I ordered a new copy of my birth certificate this week and it arrived today, my CNI appointment is for the 28th of sep and will be valid till Dec 28th with wedding Dec 21st

You're going to find that it's highly unlikely to get same-day translations in Brazil. The normal turnaround time for simple documents will be around one week. More complex or longer documents may take even longer.

Be prepared, notarized translators charge an absolute fortune. I paid R$200 each for two simple (single page) documents in 2005, the price is probably much higher now.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Is it possible for these documents to be translated without me being in Brazil? can i forward them to my partner and she takes them to be completed?

Yes, you can send them to your partner and he can have them translated.

James, I'm afraid you have paid the so called "gringo tax". Current price (table set by JUCERJ is R$ 48 per laudo (page)). Here in Rio (Centro) you can find Tradutores Juramentados for English as low as 40 reais. Obviously, for Russian or Vietnamese you might pay a bit more (like for dutch, little work).

Here is the tabela for São Paulo for an indication of price:

http://www.jucesp.fazenda.sp.gov.br/dow … 5_2011.pdf


It's from 2011, so there may have been some change, but since it's from the JUCESP site, I doubt it.

And for Rio:

http://www.jucerja.rj.gov.br/legislacao … cao_55.pdf

We got a quote at around 180 BRL for just my Birth Certificate, thank you for that information.
Whats the safest most effective method to get documents to Brazil ?
I would go Royal Mail but it seems to take anything from 4 weeks to 8 weeks and its not good enough.

Check with the translator, most accept translating the scanned document and accept that you provide the original later (when they deliver).

The prices mentioned in both links are only for the actual translation. For the translation to be legaly valid, the signature authenticity needs to be recognised in the cartorio, and some will do that for you, chargeing for it, others won't.

wjwoodward wrote:

Documents must have been issued within the 90 day period prior to being submitted for legalization, that goes for everything - Birth Certificate, Criminal Record Check, etc.

This requirement has been dropped in 2009 by the Corregedoria Geral de Justiça in the State of Rio (I don't know about other states)

(http://cgj.tjrj.jus.br/documents/101789 … dicial.pdf page 259)

A criminal background check is not a requirement for marriage, although some cartorios insist you provide one.

How long is my Certificate of no Impediment valid from issue in UK ?

It is valid for 90 days so must be legalized within that 90 day period. Once a document is legalized by the Consulate it remains valid from that point on, don't worry. The 90 day period only applies to the interval between issue and legalization. In documents that don't need to be legalized then it is the interval between issue and submission to the Cartório.

lawyer_rio is correct, the Criminal Record Check is NOT required for marriage. You will however need it for the subsequent application for a VIPER Permanent Visa. In some cases you may be able to provide a Declarção Sob Pena de Lei, that you have never been convicted of a criminal offense either abroad or in Brazil, but I'd go to the trouble of getting the CRC anyway.

  Cheers, 
  William James Woodward – Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team

Is there no way i can get my documents translated in England for use in Brazil ?

Check with the Brazilian Consulate if they have a judicial translator (available in some countries), if so, you can have the translation done in the UK.

Will call tomorrow and ask, thank you.