Hi everyoneI've had my Permanencia por prazo indetermindo for 8 years. I've been living in Brazil for even longer, and feel I'm fluent in conversational portuguese. (Writing an academic essay would be another matter.)
I finally want to apply for citizenship because I want to be able to vote.In terms of proving I can communicate well in portuguese, the two viable options for me, according to the gov.br website, are to do the Celpe-Bras, or to do a distance course with at least one final exam written presencially, with an institute recognised by the MEC.Last year I opted for the latter option when I found "FASPEC", a university specialising in distance learning that is registered with the MEC (I checked).
I did their 4 month course, and flew to Cuiabá to write the final exam, and am now waiting for them to send me the certificate and 'histórico escolar'.However, after reading everywhere online about this, it seems that the polícia federal might not accept that because of how Celpe-Bras has grown to be the "only accepted proof of proficiency of the Portuguese language".
I'm just wondering how true that is - did I waste my time and money with FASPEC and should I register instead for the upcoming Celpe-Bras exam?And a second point I'd like to ask about is the time limit the gov.br website stipulates for being allowed to be out the country. 3 months for every one year. 1 year total for the minimum four years that I'm applying on.
Since I've had permamnência for 8 years, does that mean I get two years "allowance" to be out of the country? Because I spent most of last year in Venezuela, visiting my girlfriend (and now fiancee). So, am I now trapped in Brazil until I start the application for citizenship?Hope you can help me!AbraçosJody