Federal Police strike causes delays for foreigners seeking documents

Federal Police officers (and Federal Highway Police) are on strike along with a host of other federal employees. This is causing problems and further delays for foreigners here in Brazil who have applied for documents such as RNE, Carteira de Identidade Estrangeiro and permanent visas.

All of these procedures are fraught with bureaucracy and usually take a great deal of time, however with the strike in most cases they have simply gone on hold for an undetermined period.

In São Paulo the "Departmento de Estrangeiros" is staffed primarily with temporary (contracted) employees who are not federal employees so they remain working. The problem is that the processes themselves are of necessity taken care of by police. If you have applied for documentation and the time is running out on your "protocolo" go into the nearest headquarters of the Federal Police and get it stamped for an extension (prorrogação). Strike or not, I doubt that they would accept that as an excuse for expired documents.

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