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How to register marriage in Brazil if wedding took place overseas

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ellasoquerpaz

Hey everyone!


I am a new member here so please bear with me lol.


So I am a Filipina and I am gonna get married to my Brazilian fiance this July 2024 here in the Philippines and I am planning to get a VITEM XI visa. My boyfriend can't stay too long here due to limited leave credits so we cannot personally appear at the Brazilian Embassy in Manila to personally register our marriage there. So our other option is to just register our marriage at the cartorio because this is one of the requirements needed for my VITEM XI application. Here are my questions:


What are the common requirements asked by the cartorio? I am assuming they need the following from me who is the foreigner spouse:

  • our marriage certificate from the Philippines translated,apostilled/notarized
  • my passport
  • my birth certifcate
  • no criminal records


Also, is it okay to register our marriage there in Brazil without me being there in the cartorio and I just give my husband photocopies of the aforementioned documents?


Thanks!

See also

Work permits for BrazilThe Working Holiday Visa for BrazilGeneral visa requirements for BrazilBrazil Visitor E-Visa Is OnlineDigital Nomad Visa Renewal
abthree

01/19/24 @ellasoquerpaz.  Welcome, and congratulations on your upcoming marriage.  As far as I know you cannot register your Philippine marriage at a Brazilian cartório without having your fiancé -- not you, although you can go with him -- register the marriage at the Brazilian Embassy first.  That is not an option.


Your fiancé should contact the cartório in his home town in Brazil immediately to ask whether they can make an exception for him.  The possibility that he will be refused is almost 100%, but he should try everything.  At the same time, he should contact the Brazilian Embassy in Manila, explain his situation, and ask whether there is any way to register the marriage in the time he'll have available.  For example, if Brazil has an Honorary Consul in a city closer to you than Manila, that person may be able to meet with him and you and forward the paperwork to Manila.


If the answer to both questions is "no", you and he need to schedule an unplanned honeymoon in Manila for the purpose of registering your marriage.

ellasoquerpaz

@abthree Thank you for your response! I emailed the Brazilian embassy in Manila and they responded that my husband can register our marriage in the cartorio if it's not possible for both of us to personally appear in the embassy.


This is the email:


Your husband needs to come in person to register the marriage.


Alternatively, he might register it directly in Brazil as long as the marriage certificate os apostilled by the DFA and translated. He must contact the local civil registrar for further information.


Kind regards,


Embaixada do Brasil em Manila

abthree


01/22/24   @abthree Thank you for your response! I emailed the Brazilian embassy in Manila and they responded that my husband can register our marriage in the cartorio if it's not possible for both of us to personally appear in the embassy.
This is the email:
Your husband needs to come in person to register the marriage.
Alternatively, he might register it directly in Brazil as long as the marriage certificate os apostilled by the DFA and translated. He must contact the local civil registrar for further information.

    -@ellasoquerpaz


Great news -- I hope that it works out for you.


Please take careful note of the final instruction, regarding "the local civil registrar".  This is the "cartório" that I mentioned in my first response, and that is the name by which your fiancé knows it.  Every cartório is a little different, so it's very important that he talk to the cartório where he'll be registering the marriage and find out from them EXACTLY what their requirements will be, so that you two can satisfy them precisely, and bring the correct documents with you to Brazil. 


Unless the marriage is registered at the Embassy, the cartório, not the Embassy, will have the final say as to whether they register it or not, so it is vital to satisfy them.

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