Government of Canada services and information in São Paulo, Brazil

Refer to International adoption.

See below the general requirements for adoption process in Brazil:

• The candidate has to be 18 years old or older
• Present yourself to a Vara da Infância e Juventude (Youth Court)
• File out an application with personal information and supporting documents
• Criminal and judicial records check are required for the applicant(s).
• After information is submitted, a judge will analyse the application to ensure the legal requirements were met. The candidates will be called for an interview and, if approved, will be included in a National Registration list which is organized in chronological order. The candidate can adopt in any part of Brazil through the unique registration list. When a child or teenager is eligible for adoption, the couple registered will be called.
• The time frame may vary significantly from case to case. It will depend mostly on the characteristics they chose for the child (age, sex, siblings).

Adoption by a foreigner:

• Impossibility of adoption by proxy
• The probationary phase must be accomplished in Brazil. If the adoptive parents reside abroad and child is minor than 2 years old, the term will be set in 15 days, at least. Should the child be older, the term will set in a minimum of 30 days.
• The adoptive parent must present a document issued by the authorities of his/her domicile country, attesting his/her capability and non-impediment to adopt, and that the adoption is in accordance with the law in his/her country.
• The adoptive parent must present a psychological/sociological study prepared by an accredited and specialized agency from his/her country of origin.
• All documents in a foreign language have to be translated to Portuguese by a sworn translator and authenticated by the consular authority and in compliance with International Treaties and Conventions.
• The exit of the minor from Brazil will be authorized only after the conclusion of the adoption process.

Surrogacy:

In Brazil there are no laws regarding surrogacy. There are in place certain provisions from the local Medical Council and National Justice Council. The procedure is called Solidarity Belly (“Barriga solidária”) as it can not be charged and the process can only be done involving relatives until 4th degree (mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunts until 3rd degree and cousins until 4th degree). For any different situation an authorization from the Medical Council is needed. The couples who are interested in such procedures have to look for a lawyer and submit documents such as consent terms regarding the biopsychosocial aspects, risks during pregnancy and puerperal period and legal aspects of filiation. A medical report with the psychological profile of all involved is required. A consent from the spouse of the surrogate will be needed, should the surrogate be married

Refer to Children born outside of Canada.

Registration has to be completed with local notary public/Civil Registry for every child born in Brazil. A birth certificate is issued in Portuguese. The first original is issued at no cost.

The Brazilian Constitution provides that all born in Brazil are Brazilian citizens even when the parents are foreigners (Jus Soli – nationality is acquired based on the territory where the individual was born). The exception for this rule is if parents are in Brazil working for their countries (such as accredited diplomats).

Applying for a Canadian citizenship certificate from outside Canada and the United States

If you are required to submit a paper application, please mail it to the following address:

Consulate General of Canada – A/C Consular Section
Av. das Nações Unidas, 12901 16o.andar
Torre Norte – CENU
São Paulo, SP
04578-000
Brazil

Please note that citizenship applications cannot be submitted in person. All paper applications must be sent by mail to the address above.

Refer to Marriage abroad.

The local notary publics/Civil Registries are responsible for registering marriages in Brazil. As there may be variation between the requirements from one notary to another, we encourage clients to approach the notary public closest to their residence for a list of required documents.

The Consulate General of Canada in São Paulo provides limited notarial and authentication services.

The Consulate General does not provide notarial services that can be performed by local notaries (cartórios) or lawyers in Brazil. Consular notarial services are offered only where a Canadian consular function is specifically required. This includes Canadian public documents or documents intended for official use in Canada or under international conventions. Contact spaloconsular-consulaire@international.gc.ca to confirm if services can be provided for your situation.

If your documents are eligible, the Consulate General of Canada in São Paulo provides:

Apostilles

An apostille is a certificate that confirms a public document issued in one country (such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or court document) is genuine and can be accepted for official use in another country. Apostilles are used between countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention, of which Canada is a member. For more information, see Authentication of documents.

The Consulate General can authenticate some documents by issuing an apostille for:

1. Original birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates (except for wallet size certificates) issued in all provinces in Canada.
2. Original Criminal Record Checks that are issued only by the RCMP in Ottawa.
3. Public documents issued or notarized inthe following provinces: Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island and Yukon.

The Consulate General cannot issue apostilles for:

• Documents not listed above and documents issued (other than original vital statistics documents) or notarized in these provinces: Ontario, Quebec, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan.
  • For documents issued or notarized in these provinces, contact the competent provincial authority in Canada.

Send your scanned document to spaloconsular-consulaire@international.gc.ca to verify if the Consulate can issue an apostille.

Note: In-person appointments are not required for apostille services.

Processing time: About 5 business days. Does not include shipping.

Affidavits, power of attorney, declarations

A consular officer can witness or attest your signature on a document to be presented either in Canada or in Brazil, by appointment only. Contact spaloconsular-consulaire@international.gc.ca to see if you are eligible for this service. If eligible, you can then book an appointment online.

The Consulate General of Canada in São Paulo provides passport services to Canadian citizens located in any State except for Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santos and Minas Gerais, which are covered by the Consulate General in Rio.

How to apply

Passport applications must be sent by Sedex to:

Consulate General of Canada – A/C Consular Section
Av. das Nações Unidas, 12901 16o.andar
Torre Norte – CENU
São Paulo, SP
04578-000

Regular passports will be returned by Sedex to the mailing address indicated on the application forms.

Check passport processing times. The Consulate General will not respond to application processing update requests. Processing begins only once a complete application package has been received at our office. If any information is missing, our office will contact you by the phone number or email provided on the application. Applications with significant missing information, or where there is no response to follow up inquiries, will be returned to the applicant.

Note: Canadians with urgent travel (within 20 business days) or accessibility needs should contact spalo.ppc.ctp@international.gc.ca for guidance.

Only those with an appointment will be accepted for in-person services.

Lost / Stolen passports

If your Canadian passport has been lost, stolen, damaged, becomes inaccessible, or is later found, you must report the situation as soon as possible and apply for a replacement. Once a passport is reported lost or stolen, it is automatically cancelled and cannot be used, even if later recovered.

If your passport is lost or stolen, contact us at spalo.ppc.ctp@international.gc.ca. Provide your next destination and expected travel date and we will advise you on the best way to apply for a new passport. If you are contacting us outside of the Consulate’s office hours, please contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre.

Note: As soon as you report the loss or theft of your Canadian passport, it is automatically cancelled. If you find it, you will not be able to use it.

Refer to Retiring abroad.

Refer to Students and youth and EduCanada.

Refer to Travel documents – Visas.

• Apply to travel, study, work or immigrate to Canada.
• Find a visa application centre (VAC) to book an appointment to give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo).
• Submit an enquiry using the IRCC web form to contact a visa office.

Permanent residents of Canada: Find out how to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD).

Refer to Voting in an election while outside Canada.