Retirement Visa for Brazil

@bepmoht When I applied for and received my Permanant Brazilian Residency, I had my USA Birth Certificate apostilled but not translated. It is hanging out in my secure document cabinet in plain English.

Roddie in Retirement

09/13/24 @thetravelfox.  As @bepmoht wrote, the Consulates say to have an additional copy of your Birth Certificate, this one with an apostille, to present to the Federal Police when you register and request your CRNM.  You'll need a Sworn Translation of both documents, which can be done when you get to Brazil, or in advance from electronic versions.

It's not a bad idea to have a duplicate original of your Background Check with an apostille, too, just in case.

Thank you for the clarifications - I appreciate it!   On the second question -- I imagine/hope it's not a problem, but if any one has experiences please let me know.

While waiting for the CRNM (after going to the PF), are there any restrictions on leaving the country?  I will llikely need to travel internationally between going to PF and when the CRNM is ready.

My experience with your question about travel is this. Way back in 2010 I finally received my Retirement Visa from the Boston consulate. With my fresh Visa in my passport, I then traveled to Brazil to finalize my process with the Policia Federal in Vitória Espírito Santo. (After arriving I had 30 days to report to the PF). This is the last step in the resident card process. After the photographing and fingerprints they issued me a hand scribbled protocol about the size of business card. With this protocol I was able to travel back to the USA and wait until my resident card was ready. In those times there was no online process to check when your card was ready. I recall having called them to see if it was ready. I guess now you can check online somehow. Good luck. I’m sure some more recent “residents” will chime in.

@thetravelfox There are no restrictions on leaving.  The PF will give you a document that serves as a temporary CRNM while waiting for your card to arrive that you can use to re-enter the country.  Additionally, if you are from a tourist-waiver country or have a temporary Visa in your passport that is valid, you can also use that to re-enter.  There is a period of time you have to pick-up your permanent card, but I don't know what that is or how strictly it is enforced.  I avoided that by having a friend who I authorized to pick up my card with a Power of Attorney.  Then my friend used DHL to express ship the card to me. 

Thanks again for all the feedback.  As you all know, there are a lot of moving parts with the move to Brazil and while I am sure there will be curveballs, I'm just trying to anticipate as many as I can!

While there are no restrictions on leaving, what is the rule regarding how many days in a calender year you can be out of Brasil on that visa ?

This doesn't affect my RNE as it has different and extraordinarily flexible rules, just more curious than anything. Thx.

Seems like its valid for a year. I guess one could exit/enter as many times during that year. See post related with Abthree remarks.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1029667

@Gasparzinho 777 The VISA will always state the rules regarding entry, length of stay permitted and expiration date of the VISA.  For RN 40/2019 CNIG, it's a 1 year VISA, Multiple entries.  You have 90 days to get to the PF upon first entry to register.

The only rule I am aware of regarding absence from Brazil is in regards to residency.  If you are out of the country for longer than 2 years then you will lose your residency subject to appeal and review.  In other words, you'll need to have a very good reason.

So, it's the same as mine. You have to be in country at least 1 day every 2 years.

For whatever reason I thought they had changed the lax residency requirement of my VIPER as stated above to something much more stringent , such as, you could only leave Brasil for 30-45 days per year, etc, under the hew regime back in late 2017.

08/16/24    So, it's the same as mine. You have to be in country at least 1 day every 2 years.For whatever reason I thought they had changed the lax residency requirement of my VIPER as stated above to something much more stringent , such as, you could only leave Brasil for 30-45 days per year, etc, under the hew regime back in late 2017.        -@Gasparzinho 777

A holder of a VITEM XI would lose it after a year if they didn't request a CRNM from the Federal Police during that time.  While they're waiting for an approved card that hasn't  been delivered yet, apparently they can leave Brazil and return, at least for brief trips; what happens if the card isn't picked up for an extended period is unclear.

A CRNM holder with a valid card can be out of the country for up to two years and remain a resident, as long as the card doesn't expire during the absence.

The continuous residency period for a permanent resident who wants to apply for Ordinary Naturalization is broken by an unexcused absence of 90 days or more in a single year, or unexcused absences totally more than twelve months (assuming a required residency period of four years, less for shorter periods) during the required residency period.

Ah OK, that makes more sense and sort of aligns with what I had assumed for the newest version of the visa.

Going to start the migranteweb process this week as I'm not leaving Brasil ever again ;<)

Good morning to everyone.

So I'm here, in Florianópolis - I eventually made it.

Thanks to everyone for the advice and support throughout this journey.

Getting my temporary RNM from the PF here was quick and easy, although I had to wait a month for an appointment, and you can do NOTHING as a gringo without that document.

Eventually managed to open a bank account, and now the hunt for an apartment begins.  I hope there's a thread here on that subject!

10/17/24 @kilobravo.  Welcome!  So glad that it worked out for you.   Good luck with your househunting, and your new life in Floripa.

Hi all - I am trying to budget about how much time I'll need back in the US to get my retirement visa processed and approved.  The San Francisco consulate's website states three weeks (I think it used to say one to three weeks), but I am curious if anyone here can relate their personal experience on how long it took from sending the documentation in the receiving the passport and visa back. Thank you.

@thetravelfox

I looked at their website section about visas (SF Brazil consulate) and the 3 week return quote seems to me to be too vague. In the section about the retirement visa, there’s no mention of processing time. However, at the bottom of the section there is the following statement:

———————————————

“Still have questions that could not be clarified by this website?  Send an email to visa.sf@itamaraty.gov.br”

—————————————-

Probably not a bad idea to send them a question about the retirement visa processing time.

Good luck!

@thetravelfox So, I definitely have opinions on always having a Plan B etc., but I will just state the things that happened in getting my Brazilian Permanent Residency Visa. You will have your own takeaways. I will only caution that based on my life experience, there is a TREMENDOUS difference between what you may read or been told officially and REAL LIFE. Real Life can be much, much more complicated. Lean on those who have ACTUALLY done it.

1. I flew one way from Brazil (Fortaleza) to R.I. I did not know how long the trip would take, so I did not want to add a round-trip ticket to the complications. I rented a car at Logan Airport in Boston for about a week (this has its own story, since I did not realize how challenging a walk-up rental would be. Everyone was almost sold out of rentals with only electric vehicles left. I got lucky and was able to get a last-minute gas-powered Chevy SUV, but it was very, very iffy)
2. I went for my FBI Background Fingerprints at the R.I. UPS. (In case you have not been provided with the information, FBI Background checks, namely the FINGERPRINTS have to be done in the USA). The first day I found out that it was incredibly convenient if not necessary to have it done in the AM, because UPS is very, very busy in the afternoon. I came back the next day.
3. My Birth Certificate should have had the name change that I made years ago in college, but it was only changed in Washington, D.C. where I went to school and not in R.I. where I was born. This added several days to my USA trip since the Change Agent at the State Office which had initiated a change had a "medical issue" for a week and so I ended up a week behind.
4. I had to leave for DC since my hotel stay was up. Having the revised Birth Certificate paid for and sent to me in MD. required leaving some strategy instructions with the R.I. State Dept. There was a bit of wait for it to have the documents get to each department, paid for and sent to me in MD.  This probably added an extra week or so. I drove from R.I. to MD in the rental and then turned it in. (I had taken this trip a lot when I was in college, so it was no problem).
5. Thankfully I was able to stay with my daughter in MD. while I received the proper documents from the Brazilian Consulate in D.C. This actually took me at least a month. The DC Brazilian Consulate does not just let you walk in; they also don't take appointments. This was a MAJOR roadblock. Fortunately, I come from a Brazilian Family that has extensive contacts. We were able to find a native Brazilian in the area who formally worked for the Brazilian Consulate. She became our go-between and arranged our document submission to the DC Brazilian Consulate and finally the document necessary to come back to Brazil (I don't know the name of what we needed from the Brazilian Consulate. This is a @abthree knowledge thing.

In short, I was in the USA for about 3 months. The majority was unexpected and could not have been predicted by anyone. 😏

Roddie in Retirement🕵

It's been a few years (4 to be exact) since I was going through the application process for the then-new retirement visa.  The most time-consuming aspect was figuring out exactly what I needed, in what form, collecting the documents I needed to submit to the consulate, and getting them apostilled.   It was just as the pandemic was getting started, so many offices were understaffed.  "My" consulate was Chicago, was closed to the public just as I was ready to schedule my in-person interview in mid-January.  We ended up doing everything by email and snail mail, but the staff there was very accommodating and promptly answered all my questions, from my initial inquiries in August 2020 through the reception of the visa at the end of January 2021.  It was a new process for them as well, so sometimes they had to get back to me after checking "up the chain."

Since I planned for an arrival date in March and there was a 90-day window for the FBI report, I did what I could before the holidays, including making a trip to Brazil in November to arrange an apartment.  I submitted all the paperwork to Chicago in January and the visa was issued on January 22nd.  I needed a CPF to get my dog shipped and the consulate referred me to another office.  I was able to apply online on January 29th, and I received an email with a copy of my CPF card and a couple of bureaucratic documents attached to the email  (a copy of the registration form and the proof of registration [no, I didn't understand it either, but I had the card and the number]) so all was good.  I left home on March 4th (marching forth, get it?), made a road trip to Texas where I dropped off the dog for shipping and landed in Brazil on March 10th. 

So, yeah, I began serious planning in early September, with the initial tracking down of my certified birth certificate, marriage andJane divorce records, getting them apostilled in 3 different states, arranging health insurance, finding a way to get the dog to Brazil, and getting my proof of retirement and income from Social Security, I had that all done before Christmas.  That just left the FBI clearance to do in early January, within the 90-day time frame.  Waiting for the consulate was the least of it.

Hope that gives you an idea of the what my experience was like.  All the best to those of you in the process !

Janet

While I won't be submitting my retirement visa application to the consulate in San Francisco until the end of March, I figured I would run through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa application form to see if I might encounter any surprises.

The instructions are lacking on the non-required elements of the application and I welcome any insights from this group:

Planned Stay

Options are in days or months. Put 24 months in alignment with hoping for 2 years? Put Or my next planned trip out of Brazil after I'm issued the visa?

Profession or Occupation (including income)

This seems irrelevant since I'll be retired? Or put "Retired" and the pension amount?

Contact in Brazil

Any reason to include or not include a friend or two here?

Scanned Documents

Do I need to upload Passport, Birth Certificate, Air Ticket, etc. here in addition to what I physically send to the consulate?

Thanks as always!

02/06/25 @thetravelfox. 

Planned stay -- yes, 24 months is a good idea; There's nothing wrong with "indefinite", either, if the space allows it.

Profession or occupation -- yes

Contact in Brazil -- if you include anyone, I'd only include one person, and clear it with the person first.  I've always believed in presenting the MRE/PF as small a window for questions as possible, while still being compliant. 

Scanned documents -- yes, you do.  The paper documents that you present will be used to verify the scans and be returned to you, while the scans will be kept as a permanent record. 

Check carefully to see whether they require a scan of your whole passport, or just the identification pages, and give them exactly what they require.  Keep a copy of your scans so that if necessary, you can just resend without having to rescan.

Good morning all,

My day to submit my final retirement visa application to the consulate in San Francisco is approaching quickly -- I'll get my first pension check on the 31st, and am good to go on all documentation except...

the letter from the bank proving their ability to send at least $2,000 to my account in Brazil on a monthly basis.

Chase says nope; only certain pre-formatted letters showing account balance, history of transfers in, etc..  I don't have an account with Banco do Brasil Americas, but saw someone's advice earlier that they were successful, but when I wrote to them, they said only a form letter too that wouldn't meet this need.  I had a conversation with a teller at my Citibank a while back and they said no -- I'll try to talk to the branch manager but am not optimistic about that either.

The Visas email at the San Francisco consulate is being pretty non-responsive -- I have been trying to see what they recommend / if there are any alternatives for the past several weeks.  I'll try a phone call soon; just dug up their number.

I think I saw somewhere that simply submitting proof of a recent transfer of $2,000+ from a US bank to a Brazilian account was possibly an acceptable substitute.  Has anyone had luck with this route? Or any other ideas?

Thanks as always.

Getting nervous about this last (somewhat ridiculous) missing piece.

@thetravelfox

Way way back in 2009 when I submitted my paperwork for my retirement visa, I recall giving them my last 3 bank statements which showed consistent cash flow into my account. That was all I gave them about showing financial independence.

@thetravelfox

I dont know if it would help but maybe a letter from the place you get your pension from might work??

Thanks - I’m good on everything else required including proof of the pension /

it’s just this bank letter requirement.  I guess I’ll do a literal bank transfer of $2,000 (instead of the usual wise routine) and provide a copy of that / see if that works, but still welcome suggestions.

03/19/25 Thanks - I’m good on everything else required including proof of the pension /it’s just this bank letter requirement. I guess I’ll do a literal bank transfer of $2,000 (instead of the usual wise routine) and provide a copy of that / see if that works, but still welcome suggestions. - @thetravelfox

Good morning.  I try to avoid suggestions that aren't based on anything more than gut feel and this one is, but since you're welcoming suggestions, I'll venture it.  My guess is that this requirement is trying to address one or both of two concerns:  that the  retiree's funds are legal, and that s/he has the capacity to make legal transfers.  Sounds like you have the first one covered. 

Face-to-face is my favored way of addressing any unusual request to a bank anywhere, so to address the second one I'd sit down with the branch manager at my bank in the US, explain my situation, and ask him/her how to address it.  I'd have a simple model letter with  me to offer that said something along the lines of "Mr. Travelfox is a longstanding client of this bank, and the bank is fully capable of transferring funds from his account here to his account in Brazil at his request, compliant with United States and Brazilian law.", with the bank's IBAN and SWIFT information below the text.   Ask the manager to put it on bank letterhead and have it notarized.  There's a good chance that the Consulate will be satisfied.

Transfers through Wise ARE recorded through the Banco Central so you should have no problem with that, but I'd make the first couple of transfers once you move through SWIFT, just to establish a record.

Having come out the other side of my bank letter odyssey, I thought I'd share some of my experiences for others encountering issues in the future.

As noted by others, getting a customer letter from the big banks was impossible or next to possible.  For me, it was a non-starter with Chase and Citibank.

Having failed on that front, I went the State Department Federal Credit Union as suggested above, and got some good traction only to learn at the last minute that they have a 30-day waiting period for wire transfers and any letter of the sort requested by the consulate.

After that I went into throw everything at the wall and see what sticks mode and contacted several credit unions in San Francisco.  All seemed open to the letter, and one (Redwood Credit Union) came through within a day after I sent up and funded an account.

And voila, I'll be mailing my visa application off today.

*next to impossible.  was typing too fast.  must have been overly excited to have this silly letter in hand.

*next to impossible. was typing too fast. must have been overly excited to have this silly letter in hand. - @thetravelfox

April 5, 2025

Congratulations.  I used to have an account with Wells Fargo a long time ago - in fact so long that the branch that I originally opened in Campbell is no longer there.... I no longer bank at any large banks any more....

I have no problems with Starone Credit Union (the old IBM employee bank) with wires, bank to bank transfers, etc. and has a fantastic human customer support team.  An actual person picks up the phone after one or two rings - and they are all locally based.

The only issue that I have is that 1) it would probably be expensive to do ATM withdrawals in non credit union affiliated machines - which is probably everywhere outside the US and 2) if you need to show movement of large amount of money (i.e. > 10K) outside the country, this is not typically what they are used to.   

For movement of $ to Brazil and for full traceability, I had no problem with Money Corp and, as previously mentioned, Wise.

When banking with any Credit Union, I would recommend keeping an ATM card from some bank or brokerage that can cover those emergency cash needs when outside the country.  For me I have an ATM fee refund card from Schwab for this purpose.

Of course when you finally settle in Brazil and open a bank account there, all those problems above should be resolved.

Keep us posted on your progress so that we can celebrate your success together.

I am happy to report that my retirement visa was approved about a week and a half after submitting my materials. While the printing of it seems to have become lost in the ether for a while, I had a friend contact their friend who worked at the consulate on my behalf, and after being told to race down there in the next hour before closing time at 1pm, I had my passport and visa in hand three weeks after sending everything in.  (Just in time for my flight the next morning!)

04/27/25 @thetravelfox.  Congratulations, and boa viagem!

@thetravelfox Congratulations...I had a friend contact their friend who worked at the consulate on my behalf,

The friend of a friend at the Brazilian Consulate worked for me too in getting my Brazilian Permanent Residency. I never cease to recommend a who you know Brazilian for getting things done in Brazil.

Roddie - part-time under the rock - In Retirement🕵