Mercosur residency in Brazil for South Americans

Nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay can live and work in Brazil for two years on nationality alone. In the 90 days before those two years end, you can ask for indefinite residence. The two Polícia Federal fees total R$ 372.90 (about US$73, checked Oct 2026).

This page covers South American nationals. US, UK, Canadian and Australian citizens cannot use this route; compare their options on Brazil visas and residency: every route.

Why this route matters

The Mercosur route is the simplest way for most South Americans to live in Brazil. You need no job offer, no university place, no minimum income and no investment for the first two years. You can work, study, start a business or simply live in Brazil, with the same labor rights as Brazilians.

It also leads to indefinite residence after two years, and from there to naturalization if you want it. For many people from neighboring countries, it is the main reason Brazil is an easy place to move to.

The legal basis

The route rests on the Mercosur Residence Agreement, signed in Brasília on December 6, 2002. Brazil promulgated it twice in 2009:

• Decreto 6.964 of September 29, 2009, for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
• Decreto 6.975 of October 7, 2009, for the same states plus Bolivia and Chile.

The Migration Law lets Brazil grant residence to anyone who “benefits from a treaty on residence and free movement” (Lei 13.445, art. 30, II, a).

The Polícia Federal lists eight countries under the agreement: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Check before you go: if you are Colombian, Ecuadorian or Peruvian, ask the Polícia Federal unit that covers your address to confirm which legal basis to select on the form before you pay the fees. The rights and documents are the same, but the form must match.

Who qualifies

You qualify if you are a national of one of the eight countries and have no criminal record from the last five years. You do not need a job, a study place or a set income for the first two years. The Mercosur Citizenship Statute says nationality is enough, with no need to prove the activity you will do.

You can apply from inside Brazil, whatever your entry status. Article 3 of the agreement covers people already in the host country, and also people who apply at a consulate before they travel.

If you prefer to apply before you travel, contact the Brazilian consulate that serves your address. It will tell you the visa process, documents and fee for a Mercosur residence visa. Most people find it simpler to enter as a visitor with their ID card or passport and apply in Brazil.

What the residence gives you

The agreement sets these rights (Decreto 6.975, arts. 7 to 9):

• Work. You can work as an employee or on your own account, on the same terms as Brazilians (art. 8, 2).
• Movement. You can enter, leave and travel inside Brazil (art. 8, 1).
• Equal rights. You and your family get the same civil, social, cultural and economic rights as Brazilians (art. 9, 1).
• Labor law. Pay, working conditions and social security must be no less favorable than for Brazilians (art. 9, 3).
• Family. Relatives who are not nationals of a member state get residence for the same period as you (art. 9, 2).
• Schools. Your children have equal access to public schools, even if your status is irregular (art. 9, 6).
• Money. You can send income and savings home under Brazilian rules (art. 9, 5).

Documents

Article 4 of the agreement lists the documents for temporary residence:

1. A valid passport, national identity card, or nationality certificate from your country’s consulate.
2. A birth certificate and proof of marital status. In practice, the birth or marriage certificate is needed mainly when your passport does not show your parents’ names.
3. A criminal record certificate from your country, and from any country you lived in, for the five years before you arrived or applied.
4. A sworn statement that you have no international criminal or police record.
5. A Brazilian criminal record certificate, if you apply from inside Brazil. Get the federal certificate (it needs a CPF) and the certificate from the state where you live.
6. Proof that you paid the fees.

Article 4 also allows a medical certificate where the host country’s law requires one. Ask the Polícia Federal unit where you will book whether it wants one, so you do not arrive without it.

Apostille and translation

Foreign documents usually need an apostille, or consular legalization if your country is outside the Hague Convention. Some also need a sworn translation. Mercosur agreements waive part of this:

• Translation. Mercosur rules waive translation of passports, ID cards, birth and marriage certificates and criminal records for visa, stay and residence requests (Decision CMC 44/00). Brazil applies this through Decretos 5.851 and 5.852 of 2006, the second covering Bolivia and Chile too, and Decreto 6.736 of 2009 for Argentina. Peru has also adhered to the waiver.
• Legalization. The agreement with Uruguay (Decreto 9.089 of 2017) waives both legalization and translation.
• One rule set. When an agreement applies, you follow that agreement alone and cannot mix rules.

Brazil can still ask for a translation if it has well-founded doubts about a document (Decreto 5.852, art. 4). Documents in Spanish are usually accepted under the waiver; documents in other languages may need a sworn translation.

Fees

The Polícia Federal charges two fees for residence and the CRNM card:

You pay by GRU through PagTesouro, which accepts Pix, card, digital wallet or boleto. Scheduling, the appointment and card pickup are free.

If you cannot afford the fees, you can file a declaration of economic hardship (declaração de hipossuficiência). False declarations carry penalties. Plan to pay both fees unless you qualify for that waiver.

How to apply inside Brazil

The Polícia Federal process has four steps:

1. Fill in the online form and pay the GRU. About 20 minutes. On the form, choose “Acordos e Tratados” in the “Tipo” field.
2. Book an appointment online. Free.
3. Go to the Polícia Federal unit that covers the place where you live. Bring the printed GRU and proof of payment, along with originals and copies of every document.
4. Collect the CRNM card. It takes about 30 business days. The PF tells you when it is ready.

The whole service can take up to 180 calendar days. Your protocol keeps your rights under the Migration Law for up to 180 days, and the PF can extend it at no cost. Keep the protocol with your passport or ID card, and show it to employers, banks and landlords while you wait for the card.

Appointment slots in large cities such as São Paulo can be booked weeks ahead. Check the system often, because cancellations open new slots.

From temporary to indefinite residence

You can turn the temporary residence into permanent residence (Decreto 6.975, art. 5). File with the Polícia Federal in the 90 days before the two years end. Bring:

1. Your temporary residence document (the CRNM).
2. A valid passport, ID card or consular nationality certificate.
3. A Brazilian criminal record certificate.
4. Proof of lawful means of support for you and your family.
5. Proof that you paid the fee.

Proof of means of support can be a work contract, pay slips, a business registration or bank statements. Check before you go: ask the Polícia Federal unit for the current conversion fee and the service name in its system before the 90-day window opens, so you can file early in the window.

Watch long trips abroad. A resident who spends more than two years outside Brazil can lose the residence, unless they justified the absence.

Venezuelans: a parallel route

The agreement is not in force for Venezuela. Venezuelans use Portaria Interministerial MJSP/MRE 19 of March 23, 2021, published in the Diário Oficial on March 25, 2021. It covers nationals of a neighboring country where the Mercosur agreement is not in force: Venezuela, Suriname and Guyana. Its terms are close to the Mercosur route:

• Two years of temporary residence, filed at a Polícia Federal unit whatever your entry status.
• An ID card or passport is accepted even if it has expired.
• A sworn statement of no criminal record in Brazil or abroad for the last five years.
• Indefinite residence in the 90 days before the two years end, with no criminal record in Brazil and proof of means of support.

The portaria sets no end date (art. 11), and it revoked the earlier Portaria 9 of 2018 (art. 10).

After you get the CRNM

• Get a CPF if you do not have one. See how to get a CPF.
• Open a bank account. See opening a Brazilian bank account.
• Renew the CRNM on time. You can request renewal up to 90 days before it expires, in person at a PF unit in Brazil.
• Plan for taxes. See Brazil tax residency for foreigners.
• Register with the SUS at your local health post, and get a work card (carteira de trabalho digital) if you will be employed.

Naturalization comes later and has its own rules. See Brazilian citizenship.

Common mistakes

• Expired criminal records. Certificates often have a validity window. Order them close to your application date.
• Missing countries. You need a record from every country you lived in during the last five years, not only your home country.
• Wrong unit. You must go to the Polícia Federal unit that covers your address. Other units may turn you away.
• Missing the conversion window. Mark the date 90 days before your two years end. If you miss it, you may have to start a new process.

Before you apply

Check that your nationality is on the PF list of eight. Order criminal record certificates for every country you lived in during the last five years. If you are arriving soon, read the entry rules for South Americans and registering with the Polícia Federal. Ask the Polícia Federal unit that covers your address about any document you are unsure of.