Residency through a Brazilian spouse, partner or child

Brazil gives family reunification residence (reunião familiar) to the spouse, partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of a Brazilian or of a legal resident. The Migration Law sets no income or investment threshold (Lei 13.445/2017, art. 37). Inside Brazil, the fees are R$ 168.13 and R$ 204.77 (about US$73 together, checked Oct 2026).

This page covers US and UK citizens with a Brazilian spouse, partner or child. The rules are the same for every nationality. The visa step differs by consulate.

Why this route matters

Family reunification is the most direct path to living in Brazil if you have a Brazilian relative. You do not need to prove income, buy property or find an employer. You can work from day one, and a Brazilian spouse or child shortens the path to citizenship.

It also covers relatives of foreign residents. If your partner moves to Brazil on a work or retirement visa, you can join them under the same rules.

Who qualifies

Decreto 9.199 lists these family ties for the family reunification visa (art. 45). Article 153 repeats the same list for residence requested inside Brazil.

The Migration Law says the spouse or partner qualifies “sem discriminação alguma,” without any discrimination (art. 37, I). Decreto 9.199 adds “nos termos do ordenamento jurídico brasileiro,” under Brazilian law. Same-sex spouses and partners qualify on the same terms.

Extra conditions for some relatives

Spouses, partners and young children qualify on the tie alone; other relatives may need to prove dependence. An adult sibling over 18 must prove economic dependence on the Brazilian or resident relative (Decreto 9.199, art. 153, §3).

Consulates also apply age rules to children and stepchildren. They qualify if under 18, up to 24 if enrolled as students, or at any age if financially dependent. The same dependence conditions can apply to parents, grandparents and grandchildren. These rules come from Portaria Interministerial nº 12 of 13 June 2018.

Check before you go: if you are applying for an adult child, a parent or another relative beyond a spouse or minor child, ask the consulate or Polícia Federal unit that serves you which age and dependence rules it applies. Bring proof of dependence anyway, such as bank transfers or a declaration of financial support.

Dependence is checked. In 2020, the Polícia Federal in Minas Gerais refused a family reunification request for a relative over 30. He had not proved he could not support himself. The decision cited Portaria Interministerial nº 12 of 13 June 2018, art. 2, VIII.

Who can sponsor you

Your sponsor (chamante) is the Brazilian or resident relative. Three rules apply, all in Decreto 9.199:

• The sponsor cannot hold a family reunification visa or residence, or a provisional residence permit (art. 45, §5; art. 153, §2).
• You can file at the same time as your sponsor files their own request (art. 45, §4; art. 153, §8).
• When the sponsor is an immigrant, their residence must be granted before yours (art. 153, §9).

Two ways to apply

You can apply for a visa at a consulate before you travel, or for residence at the Polícia Federal once you are in Brazil.

From abroad: the family reunification visa. Consulates issue it as VITEM XI. Portaria Interministerial nº 12 of 13 June 2018 sets the detailed rules for family reunification visas. The Foreign Ministry may ask for an interview and more documents to prove the tie (Decreto 9.199, art. 45, §1).

Ask the Brazilian consulate that serves your address for the current VITEM XI fee and how to apply. UK applicants should ask the London consulate whether VITEM XI goes through its electronic temporary visa process. Fees differ by consulate and nationality.

Inside Brazil: residence at the Polícia Federal. You fill in the online form for your type of residence and pay two fees by GRU. Then you book an appointment at the Polícia Federal unit for your address, attend and collect your CRNM card.

Fees and times follow the gov.br residence service, last modified 23 July 2026.

If you enter on the visa, request registration within 90 days of arrival (Decreto 9.199, art. 64). If the residence is approved inside Brazil, register within 30 days of publication of the approval (art. 66). See registering with the Polícia Federal.

Documents

Most consulates ask for a similar core set. A typical VITEM XI list includes:

• Visa application form, printed and signed
• Passport with at least two blank visa pages
• A recent 4 x 5 cm color photo
• Flight itinerary or a travel agency statement
• Criminal record certificate issued within 90 days, with apostille (not for minors)
• Notarized declaration that your sponsor lives or will live in Brazil
• Your sponsor’s ID
• Proof of the relationship, translated, with apostille

For spouses and partners, proof of the relationship means a marriage certificate with apostille, or proof of the stable union (união estável). It also means a notarized joint declaration. Proxy marriages are not accepted.

Consulates set their own lists. Get the current list from the Brazilian consulate in the US or in London that serves your address, and follow it exactly.

For the Polícia Federal route, the document list sits on a separate Polícia Federal page linked from the gov.br service. Ask the Polícia Federal unit where you will book for its current list before your appointment. Bring originals and copies of everything above.

How long the residence lasts

Your residence term follows your sponsor’s, under Decreto 9.199, art. 153:

• Sponsor with indefinite residence: your residence is indefinite too (§4).
• Sponsor with fixed-term residence: yours expires on the same date as theirs (§5).

Article 153 does not set a term for the relative of a Brazilian citizen. Ask the Polícia Federal what term you will receive when you book, and note the expiry date on your CRNM.

Article 153 also has no paragraph on divorce or the end of a stable union. If your relationship ends, your residence may lose its basis.

Check before you go: before you file, ask the Polícia Federal what happens to family reunification residence if the relationship ends. If you are close to the four-year mark for naturalization or another residence route, plan your next step early.

Decreto 12.657 of 7 October 2025 amended many articles of Decreto 9.199. Article 153 is not among them and keeps its original 2017 wording.

Work and daily life

You may do any activity in Brazil, including paid work, on equal terms with Brazilian nationals (Decreto 9.199, art. 45, §3; art. 153, §10). You do not need a separate work permit.

With your CRNM you can get a CPF, open a bank account, sign a lease and register with the public health system (SUS). You can also be hired on a formal contract (carteira de trabalho) or work for yourself.

The shortcut to citizenship

A Brazilian spouse or partner you are not separated from cuts the residence needed for ordinary naturalization from 4 years to 1 (Lei 13.445/2017, art. 66, III). So does a Brazilian child (art. 66, II).

The count runs from the start of indefinite residence. Temporary or provisional residence does not count. Read Brazilian naturalization before you plan around the one-year rule.

Practical tips

Paperwork from abroad takes the longest. Start it early.

• Order the criminal record check first. It must be issued within 90 days of filing, so time it with your appointment.
• Apostille and translate together. Get apostilles in the issuing country, then sworn translations into Portuguese.
• Register a stable union formally. A union registered at a Brazilian notary (cartório) is far easier to prove than a set of photos and bills.
• Keep copies of everything. Officers may ask for documents you already submitted.

Who should skip this route

Family reunification is not the right fit in these cases:

• Your sponsor holds family reunification residence. They cannot sponsor you.
• Your sponsor’s own residence is not yet granted. Wait, or file at the same time.
• The relationship is new and undocumented. Build the paper trail first.
• You have your own route. A job, pension or Mercosur nationality may give you residence that does not depend on a relative.

Step-by-step checklist

1. Confirm your tie is on the list and your sponsor is not a family reunification holder.
2. Order a criminal record check and get an apostille.
3. Get your marriage or birth certificate with apostille, plus translations.
4. If you are in a stable union, gather proof and sign a notarized joint declaration.
5. Pick your route: VITEM XI at a consulate, or residence at the Polícia Federal in Brazil.
6. Pay R$ 168.13 and R$ 204.77 by GRU if you apply in Brazil.
7. Register within 90 days of entry, or 30 days from approval.
8. Note the date your indefinite residence starts, for naturalization later.

Related routes

If your relative is a temporary resident, your permit ends when theirs does. Check their route first, such as the retirement visa or the digital nomad visa. Compare every option on Brazil visas and residency: every route.