Criminal Record / Citizenship

You will need a record from all counties in which you lived in the last 5 years
It is true you can enter on a tourist visa. Get all documents before coming and apply,  As to the record, how long of time and offense may be the key and could go forward.

If your son is still a minor, it is still possible for you to obtain permanent residency in Brazil.  If he's an adult, it will be more difficult.  So, if he's approaching 18, the time to do it is NOW.

To obtain a Brazilian passport, you will need to be naturalized.  To accomplish this, you will need to:


-- be a permanent resident;
-- live in Brazil continuously for one full year, counting from the date that your new grant of permanent residency is approved;
-- take and pass CelpeBras, a comprehensive examination of reading, writing, speaking, and understanding Portuguese
-- provide refreshed versions of all the documents that you had to present to obtain permanent residency.

Most permanent resident aliens in Brazil do not find this process to be worth their while.  I did it, so I know that it can be done, if you want it enough.  But Brazil is very firm about not issuing passports of convenience, so anyone who wants a Brazilian passport has to do all the work of becoming a Brazilian citizen.

What abthree said and I forgot is the age of the son. Brazil is flexible with a dependant that is a citizen. (If majority age remember he still cal be called into military service.
Now be prepared to answer and few questions:
Why did you allow CRNM (what it is called now) to expire? Why now coming to BR?
Do you have a residence?
As said refresh, the documents and you have a better chance in son is underage.

Hi both of you, thanks for your responses.

To answer your questions:

-My son is 5 years old, so plenty of time
-I never lived in the USA, so wouldn't have to show a police record from there. Just from Europe, where my record is clean.
- Why Brazil? Well, I have always wanted to leave Europe and move somewhere else (off-grid/more quiet life). Brazil attracts me for various reasons, although the language is not one of them
- Due to family circumstances & corona, I had to be in Europe and it was not possible/easy to travel to Brasil with or without my son. Therefore I lost my PR. It seemed too risky flying to Brazil in the past year, with constantly changing travel restrictions.

Does any of you know, if they require an Interpol check, or if they will do one themselves when applying for citizenship? Or will they only look at police records from you home country?

Thank you again!

You are required to provide an official background check from any country where you have lived over the past five years.  If Brazil is one of those countries, the background checks, both state and federal, can be obtained online.  For your current country of residence, check the Visa page of the nearest Brazilian Consulate for that country under the requirements for a VITEM XI visa:  the background check shown for that visa is the same one that will be required when you apply for permanent residency.

If the country or countries issuing the documents that you'll be presenting are all parties of the Hague Convention, the documents are legalized by obtaining apostilles from the relevant authority of the issuing country.  For any countries not parties to the Hague Convention, documents must be legalized at the Brazilian Consulate.

You have good answers for entry,
Do not know for sure about Interpol, but they do check sometimes.

Thanks everyone for your answers!

@Texanbrazil

"As to the record, how long of time and offense may be the key and could go forward"

This.

Wife and I were married in Brazil in 2008.  She lived here for some years and due to ailing family went back, I stayed behind.  Now I have my packet ready to be scanned and send to the Brazilian consulate in Houston,TX.  I have arrest from 2006 on my fbi background.  I am assuming this does not automatically disqualify me from attaining a vitem xi visa?  If not, what are my best choices?  Should I send an additional document explaining the circumstances?  If I send this and get denied, is that the end?

11/26/22 @blakerogerdale.  If an arrest this old becomes an issue at all, Brazil's main concern will be the disposition of the charge.  Have that information available to respond to any questions before your appointment at the Consulate, and bring the documentation with you to your interview, but only offer it if requested. 

@abthree thank you.  The fbi document has the disposition listed.  Ok.  I will move forward and take your advice and bring documents just in case.

Thank you again.

I have another question, if you may.

Needed documents have arrived and now my packet is ready to fo.  The E-mail I received states I can call to make an appointment or I can send by USPS (I live a two hour drive from them) and this is ideal for me. Considering my above concern, would mailing this packet be a bad idea?

01/23/23 @blakerogerdale.  I don't see a problem with mailing them.  Make sure that you have scans of everything, and spring for Express or Priority Mail, to make sure that you can track what you send, and you should be good to go.  Please let us know how it goes .

Thank you, I was wondering if there would be an actual interview or not.

Should I send an extra page with an explanation (the actual police report) or not?  The concern of mine is to be denied without at least showing that the situation really isn't bad

01/23/23 Thank you, I was wondering if there would be an actual interview or not.
Should I send an extra page with an explanation (the actual police report) or not? The concern of mine is to be denied without at least showing that the situation really isn't bad
-@blakerogerdale

I would go ahead and send it.  I wouldn't direct their attention to an old charge unless they ask for further details.

@abthree welp, I got a vitem xi in hand, thank you for your help.

Now to start on a long to do list before heading out.

02/22/23 @blakerogerdale. Congratulations - I'm glad that it worked out for you!

Everyone has their own recipe for success in an international move. Here's how I saved my sanity: checklists!

Checklists for what I wanted to bring, checklists for what I wanted to get rid of, checklists for travel arrangements, checklists for all the documents that was going to need, checklists for settling accounts, checklists for interim accommodations. As I remembered things, I added them to the appropriate list. And as I ticked things off, I stopped thinking about them.

Understand that "saving my sanity" in this context is a relative term: for the last month before the move I dreamed about checklists every night, and that can't be normal. 😂 But the move was a success.

Bom dia expats!

I am confused about how to obtain Police Clearance Certificate for naturalization.

As far as I know I have to obtain one from Brazil and one from India. From last 5 yrs I have just lived in Brazil and India.

-To obtain from Brazil I have to request it to polícia federal of my city?

-For India my country embassy will help me?

- is there a specific way I have to make it or something specific needs to be mentioned?

I am gonna apply for naturalization so if anyone can share their experience with police Clearance Certificate it will be a great help.

Thank you.

05/02/24 @Shahbaz Shaikh786.  See response in this thread:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1068453