Appointment Needed for Policia Federal in Sao Paulo for Visa Renewal?

Hi @californiainbrazil unfortunately no idea.

Have you checked the page below to see if there are any alternative locations - no idea if it works, just sharing in case you didn't see it. There is some contact information like phone numbers and emails, so maybe if you're lucky they'll answer. But good news that you have the renewal approved. Was it for the third year?

https://www.gov.br/pf/pt-br/acesso-a-in … -sao-paulo

And if you are going to give it a try, I would go to Lapa really early as it's usually pretty crowded anyway.

Digital Nomad Visa approved for the third year.  I looked at lots of locations in the State of Sao Paulo with no luck in finding an appointment.  I made an appointment in Rio de Janeiro in early January, but the site says it should be in your state of domicile, so will try that as well.  Hopefully someone has some experience on this and if not, I will share mine once I try the various options.

@californiainbrazil

I see. Good news on the renewal, thanks for confirming.

Not to stress you out but I remember someone had to pay a fine when they were late so maybe if you contact by email, written contact, so there’ll be proof just in case, that you tried and no appointments were available?

Good luck 🍀

@californiainbrazil This happened to me when I was trying to finalize my CRNM.  Unfortunately, the only advice I have is to keep trying several times a day.  When someone cancels or another appointment opens up, it is immediately reflected on the website and you can grab it.  Chances are if you keep checking, you'll get something. 

@californiainbrazil You won’t be able to get in without an appointment. No matter how early you go to the PF, they’ll turn you away at the entrance triage. I was actually in the same situation as you, needing to get an appointment within January. I ended up hiring a law firm that specializes in immigration-related processes. They sometimes have access to reserved appointment slots. In my case, I paid around R$1,000 to take over a slot that had been reserved for another client.

Thanks for the responses.  I emailed the Sao Paulo migration Policia Federal about my circumstances and asked:

What option is available:

1. Can I just go to the Federal Police office without an appointment and register?

2. Can I go to the Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro and register since they have appointments available?

3. If I am unable to register at the Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro, can I get an extension until February 2025 to register for my visa renewal, the date when the first appointment is available?

The response was:

Please avoid going to the Federal Police Headquarters in São Paulo without an appointment, as there will be no service.  And you need to go to the Unit that is responsible for your jurisdiction!

They did not response at all to my request for an extension.

I will follow @mikehunter suggestion to continue looking everyday for an appointment and will share the final results of this situation here when resolved.

I will follow @mikehunter suggestion to continue looking everyday for an appointment and will share the final results of this situation here when resolved. - @californiainbrazil

It's a PITA, but make sure to look several times a day.  When the openings occur they disappear quickly.  They are the results of cancellations and just the Federal Police deciding to open up a few more slots.  Good luck!

@californiainbrazil I agree with not even trying to go without an appointment...I had a lawyer for my Permanent Brazilian Residency who made ALL the appointments. That might be much for just a Digital Renewal. however, I have stressed before that this is a Friends & Family country and the quicker you develop Brazilian friends and family and their network the better off you will be.

Roddie in Retirement🕵

@californiainbrazil

Why not go to PF and inquire?

@roddiesho

I had a friend and lawyer give me bad advice recently.

@alan279 I think he inquired from a distant, but I have been there before, and you will not get better answers just showing up.

Roddie in Retirement🕵

@alan279 I had my first lawyer take my money and give me bad advice. That's why I love EXPAT.COM, you can tell when it's not good advice. Still, you will have some bad apples, it's try and try again. Everything I have done in my life has been through friends and networking.

Since I graduated from college, it has been WHO you know, not WHAT you know.

Roddie in Retirment🕵

What does it cost to ask a question?

@roddiesho

My experience has been different than yours. I’ve had several small businesses. I’ve worked in many large organizations managing large hardware/software purchases. I’ve worked with many excellent lawyers.

@alan279 I went to the Federal Policia in Lapa just to be sure I exhausted every possibility.  I did not get past the first window and the best they could do was write down the internet web address for me to make an appointment and told me to keep looking.  I asked if I could get an extension or get a note added to my file that I showed up and they could not do either. 

Fortunately, by checking the website multiple times a day, one appointment opened up for later in the day when I checked.  It meant I had to drop everything and head to the Policia Federal in Lapa, but went through the process fairly smoothly.  Of course, they wanted one item I did not have with me, which was proof of my CPF number but I was able to get a document online from Receita Federal with the CPF number registered to me.

Thanks again @mikehunter for recommending checking the website non-stop in case of cancellations.  Much more challenging to get an appointment within 30 days in Sao Paulo compared to Rio de Janiero.

@californiainbrazil

Great. And thanks for the CPF tip, that's something new of them. Just curious, was your CPF number not already on your previous CRNM card? I think I always had it.

Or did they want to see something else like the document that states your CPF is "regular" (taxes paid) or something?

@rocade

My CPF number was on my CRNM card, it was just an additional document that they said they needed.  This is my third time (original plus two renewals) with Policia Federal for the visa and the first time they asked for this document.

@californiainbrazil

Just curious, did you have to walk across the street and pay to get something printed out or copied?

@mikehunter

Yes, just one page for the Comprovante de Situação Cadastral no CPF from the Receita Federal website

https://servicos.receita.fazenda.gov.br … ublica.asp

@californiainbrazil

They didn't ask me about it - but if they had I would have quickly pulled out my CPF card.  The other oddity for the SP PF is them asking for a copy of every page of your passport (and I mean every single page, blank or not including the inside cover front and back).  If you have it handy, they won't ask.  LOL. 

@MikeHunter

A very common practice actually. Happened to me twice with the Receita Federal and the consulate when I immigrated and declared my "landed day" for tax purposes.