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title: "Brazil Residency by Marriage: 1-Year Citizenship Path"
description: "Married to a Brazilian? You get residency by family reunion, not citizenship. No income test, full work rights, and naturalization after one year, not four."
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og_title: "Brazil Residency by Marriage: 1-Year Citizenship Path"
og_description: "Married to a Brazilian? You get residency by family reunion, not citizenship. No income test, full work rights, and naturalization after one year, not four."
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crawl_date: 2026-09-10
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author: "Camila Araujo Mota"
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reviewed_by: "Camila Araujo Mota"
publisher: "GetBrazilVisa"
source: "https://getbrazilvisa.com, Path B build-time prerender"
---
Last updated: September 9, 2026

# Brazil Residency by Marriage: What You Actually Get, and When

For the foreign husband, wife or partner of a Brazilian citizen. Written by an OAB-licensed Brazilian immigration lawyer, with the fees named and the timelines given honestly.

## Quick Answer

**Brazil does not grant citizenship through marriage.** Marrying a Brazilian, or registering a *união estável* with one, entitles you to a **residence authorization for family reunion** under Article 37 of the Migration Law. There is **no income requirement** and no job offer requirement, and once your CRNM card is issued you can work for Brazilian employers without restriction. You can file from inside Brazil through MigranteWeb, including on a tourist entry, or apply for a VITEM XI visa at a consulate abroad. What marriage does change is the citizenship clock: naturalization normally requires **four years** of residence, and Article 66 reduces that to **one year** for the spouse or companion of a Brazilian.

![Camila Araujo Mota, OAB-licensed Brazilian immigration lawyer](https://getbrazilvisa.com/assets/camila-headshot-BJfahbXt.webp)

Written and reviewed by Camila Araujo Mota

OAB-Licensed Brazilian Immigration Lawyer · [OAB/CE 50.065](https://cna.oab.org.br/)

If you want it handled for you

USD 599, paid once

One flat fee covering the whole application end to end, on either route. No second payment on approval, no separate consultation fee. Government fees, apostilles and translations are paid directly to those bodies and are itemised below.

Ask Camila if your case qualifies

Fala português? [Leia o guia em português sobre reunião familiar](https://getbrazilvisa.com/reuniao-familiar-migranteweb).

## Citizenship by Marriage Does Not Exist in Brazil

This is the single most common misunderstanding among people searching for how to stay in Brazil with a Brazilian spouse, and a lot of the material online quietly encourages it by using "citizenship" and "residency" as though they were the same thing. They are two separate statuses, granted by two different authorities, years apart.

**Residency** is what marriage gets you, and it gets it quickly. It is granted by the Ministry of Justice, through the Federal Police, on the basis of the family tie itself. **Citizenship** is naturalization. It is a separate application, made later, with its own requirements including a Portuguese language assessment. Marriage does not grant it. What marriage does is shorten the residence period you must complete first, from four years to one.

That is a genuinely large benefit, and it is worth being precise about what it is. Brazil's reduced naturalization period for spouses of citizens is among the shortest in the world. But it is a shortened queue, not a bypass.

**The one-year period is a residence period, not a marriage period.** Time spent married to a Brazilian while living outside Brazil does not count toward it. The clock starts when you are resident in Brazil, and it is the reason "Brazilian citizenship by marriage without living in Brazil" has no real answer.

## What the Family Reunion Authorization Actually Gives You

The legal basis is **Article 37 of the Migration Law (Lei nº 13.445/2017)**, which grants a visa or residence authorization for family reunion to, among others, the "cônjuge ou companheiro, sem discriminação alguma": the spouse or companion, without any discrimination. Article 45 of the implementing Decree 9.199/2017 sets out the full list of qualifying relatives. Underneath both sits Article 226 of the Constitution, which makes the family the base unit of society and protects it from being split by the state.

| What you get | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| No income requirement | Nothing to prove about your own earnings. The qualifying fact is the relationship. This is the sharpest contrast with the VITEM XIV digital nomad visa, which requires US$1,500 per month in foreign-source income. |
| Full work authorization | Once the CRNM is issued: any Brazilian employer, Brazilian clients, a CLT contract, MEI registration, or your own company. |
| Term of residence | Granted on the basis of the family tie rather than for a short fixed window, and conditional on that tie continuing. It is not a two-year cap that expires the way VITEM XIV does. |
| Access to SUS | Residents may use the public health system. Private insurance is a choice, not a legal condition, once you are resident. |
| CPF and Brazilian banking | Residency plus a CRNM makes the CPF and a Brazilian bank account routine rather than a workaround. |
| Naturalization after 1 year | Article 66 of the Migration Law, against the four years of Article 65. |

The work authorization deserves emphasis because it is what people most often get wrong when comparing options. A [VITEM XIV digital nomad visa](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa) holder may not take on a Brazilian employer or Brazilian clients at all: doing so is one of the fastest routes to losing the status. A family-reunion resident has none of those restrictions. If you are already in Brazil on the nomad visa and you marry a Brazilian, moving across is an expansion of your rights, not a lateral step.

## Married, or União Estável? The Distinction That Decides Your File

Both qualify. Brazilian law treats the stable union as a family entity under **Article 1.723 of the Civil Code**, and the Migration Law's "cônjuge ou companheiro" language covers both without ranking them. The difference is not legal standing. It is evidence, and it is where most self-filed applications run into trouble.

### If you are married

Your proof is one document: the marriage certificate. If the marriage was performed in Brazil, get a recent certified copy from the cartório rather than using the original you were handed on the day. If it was performed abroad, it must be apostilled under the 1961 Hague Convention, or consularized if the issuing country is not a party, and then sworn-translated into Portuguese.

Registering a foreign marriage in Brazil, at a consulate or at the 1º Ofício de Registro Civil, is not required for the residency application, but it is worth doing. It gives you a Brazilian marriage record, which makes every later dealing with banks, the Receita Federal and the Federal Police simpler.

### If you are in a stable union

A stable union exists in law when cohabitation is public, continuous and lasting, with the intention of building a family. There is no minimum number of years in the Civil Code, contrary to a widely repeated claim. But an unregistered stable union is a fact you have to prove, and a registered one is a document you can hand over.

The strongest single instrument is an **escritura pública de união estável**, drawn up at a Brazilian cartório with both partners present. It is inexpensive, usually done in a single visit, and it converts the whole evidential problem into one certificate. If you are choosing between routes and you are in Brazil, do this before you file.

Where a public deed is not possible, the file has to be built from supporting evidence instead: a joint lease or property deed, joint bank accounts, one partner named as the other's dependent for health insurance or tax, utility bills at a shared address across a span of time, correspondence, and photographs across the relationship rather than from one occasion. Quantity matters less than range: several kinds of evidence spread over time read as a life together, while twenty photographs from one trip do not.

A foreign stable-union or civil-partnership certificate can be used, apostilled and sworn-translated, but it is weaker than a Brazilian escritura because the Federal Police reviewer may not recognise the instrument. Where both are available, use the Brazilian one.

## Same-Sex Couples: Settled Law, Identical Process

Same-sex marriages and same-sex stable unions carry exactly the same immigration effect as opposite-sex ones. This is not a policy that varies by office or an area where you should expect to argue your case.

The Supreme Federal Tribunal decided it in 2011 in **ADI 4.277 and ADPF 132**, reading the Civil Code's stable-union framework as applying equally to same-sex couples. **CNJ Resolution 175/2013** then obliged every registry office in the country to perform same-sex marriages and to convert same-sex stable unions into marriage. The Migration Law's own wording, "sem discriminação alguma", was drafted against that background.

In practice this means the document list on this page applies unchanged. Where a couple married in a jurisdiction that recognises same-sex marriage, the certificate is apostilled and translated like any other. Where a couple is coming from a country that does not recognise the relationship at all, the Brazilian escritura pública de união estável is the route, and it can be executed in Brazil regardless of what the country of origin recognises.

## Inside Brazil or at a Consulate: Picking the Right Door

This is the first real decision, and it is the one that determines your document list, your costs and how long you spend apart. Both routes end in the same place: a CRNM card and residency. They differ in where you are standing when you file.

|  | MigranteWeb (inside Brazil) | Consulate (VITEM XI, abroad) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who it suits | Couples already together in Brazil, including where the foreign partner entered as a tourist | Couples where the foreign partner is abroad and wants status settled before moving |
| Filed | Online through the MigranteWeb portal | In person or by post at the Brazilian consulate with jurisdiction over your residence |
| Health insurance | Not required | Generally required by the consulate |
| Typical decision time | 60 to 120 days | 30 to 90 days after a complete file is received |
| You must be | Within your authorized stay when you file | Outside Brazil, in the consulate's jurisdiction |
| After approval | Federal Police appointment, then CRNM | Enter Brazil on the visa, register with the Federal Police within 90 days, then CRNM |

**Health insurance is a consular requirement, not a Brazilian legal requirement.** If you are filing from inside Brazil through MigranteWeb you do not need to buy a policy for the application. Our [health insurance guide](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa-health-insurance) covers what consulates actually accept when you do need it.

A point worth being blunt about: filing from inside Brazil on a tourist entry is legitimate and common, and it is not a loophole. The Migration Law contemplates it. What is not fine is letting your authorized stay run out while you assemble documents. Overstaying carries a fine of **R$100 per day up to a maximum of R$10,000**, and while an overstay does not by itself sink a family-reunion application, it turns a clean file into one that needs explaining.

If you hold a US, Canadian or Australian passport, remember that entry itself now requires a [Brazilian eVisa](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-evisa-vs-digital-nomad-visa-for-us-citizens), reinstated on April 10, 2025 at around US$81. It is unrelated to your residency application and is easy to overlook when planning the trip on which you intend to file. The [consulate finder](https://getbrazilvisa.com/find-brazilian-consulate) will tell you which post has jurisdiction over you if you are going the consular route.

## Documents, Split by Whose They Are

Most guides present one undifferentiated list, which is not how couples actually work through it. In practice one of you is chasing Brazilian paperwork and the other is chasing foreign paperwork, usually in different time zones, so here it is split the way you will divide it.

### The Brazilian spouse or partner provides

| Document | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| RG or valid Brazilian ID | Legible copy. A CNH is usually accepted where the RG is unavailable. |
| CPF | Must be in regular standing with the Receita Federal. Check it before filing rather than after a rejection. |
| Proof of address | A recent utility bill in their name, generally within the last three months. |
| Certidão de nascimento or casamento | A recent certified copy, not a decades-old original. |
| Declaration of the relationship | Where the file rests on a stable union rather than a marriage certificate. |

### The foreign spouse or partner provides

| Document | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| Passport | Full copy of the biographical page and of the entry stamp where filing from inside Brazil. Should have comfortable validity remaining. |
| Birth certificate | Apostilled and sworn-translated. |
| Marriage certificate or union deed | Apostilled and sworn-translated if issued abroad. The escritura pública needs neither if issued in Brazil. |
| Criminal record certificate | From the country of nationality and from any country you have lived in over roughly the last five years. Apostilled and sworn-translated. |
| Photograph | Recent, to the standard specification. |
| Health insurance | Consular route only. |

**Criminal record certificates expire faster than anything else in the file, typically at 90 days.** Order them last, not first. Applicants routinely obtain them early along with everything else, then spend three months on apostilles and translations and file with a certificate that is already stale. Our [FBI background check guide](https://getbrazilvisa.com/fbi-background-check-for-brazil-visa) covers the US process, which is the slowest of the common ones.

Every foreign-language document needs a **tradução juramentada** from a translator registered with a Brazilian state Junta Comercial. A translation you commissioned abroad from a certified translator is generally not accepted; the sworn translator has to be on a Brazilian register. Our [apostille and translation guide](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa-apostille-guide) sets out the sequence, which matters: apostille first, then translate, because the translation has to cover the apostille as well.

## What It Costs, Itemised

Almost no page in this area publishes numbers, so here they are, separated into money that goes to a government or a notary and money that would come to us. Figures are indicative and vary by consulate, by state and by document count.

| Item | Paid to | Typical cost |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GRU federal fee (residence authorization) | Brazilian government | Around R$168 |
| CRNM card issuance | Polícia Federal | Around R$204 |
| Consular visa fee (consular route only) | Brazilian consulate | US$100 to US$290 depending on post and nationality |
| Escritura pública de união estável | Brazilian cartório | Roughly R$150 to R$500 by state |
| Apostille, per document | Issuing country's authority | US$10 to US$50 |
| Sworn translation, per document | Tradutor juramentado | R$80 to R$200 per page |
| Criminal record certificate | Issuing country | US$18 to US$60 |
| eVisa, US / CA / AU passports | Brazilian government | Around US$81 |
| GetBrazilVisa full service | GetBrazilVisa | USD 599, paid once on signing |

A couple handling everything themselves from inside Brazil, with a marriage already registered and a modest document set, generally spends somewhere in the region of R$800 to R$2,500 on government and notary costs. The consular route costs more, mainly because of the visa fee and the insurance requirement. Neither figure includes our fee, and both are worth knowing before you decide whether you want help.

Our [full visa cost breakdown](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa-cost-2026) goes through the same ground for the other visa categories if you are comparing options.

## Timeline: Filing to CRNM to Citizenship

Realistic ranges, not best cases. The variance between them is mostly document preparation and Federal Police appointment availability, neither of which is under the reviewer's control.

| Stage | Typical duration | What decides it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Assembling documents | 3 to 10 weeks | Apostille turnaround in the country of origin, and how quickly criminal record certificates are issued |
| Registering the union, if applicable | 1 day to 2 weeks | Cartório scheduling. Usually a single appointment. |
| Decision on the filing | 60 to 120 days (MigranteWeb), 30 to 90 days (consulate) | Completeness of the file. Exigências (requests for more documents) restart the clock. |
| Federal Police appointment | 2 weeks to 3 months | Appointment availability in your city, which is the least predictable step in the whole process |
| CRNM card issued | 30 to 90 days after the appointment | Production and delivery to the local PF unit |
| Naturalization eligibility | 1 year of residence | Article 66, with the relationship intact |
| Naturalization decision | 12 to 24 months after filing | Ministry of Justice processing |

The Federal Police appointment is the step that most often stalls, because slots in busy cities are released irregularly and taken within minutes. We built [Vagalerta](https://vagalerta.com) for exactly this problem: it watches the PF scheduling system and alerts you when a slot opens in your unit. Our [Federal Police registration guide](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa-rnm-federal-police) covers what happens at the appointment itself.

Note the 90-day rule if you came in on a consular VITEM XI: you must register with the Federal Police within 90 days of entry. Missing it does not void your visa but it does create an administrative problem that is tedious to unwind.

## The One-Year Naturalization Route, Precisely

Ordinary naturalization is governed by **Article 65 of the Migration Law**. It requires civil capacity, four years of residence, the ability to communicate in Portuguese, and the absence of a disqualifying criminal conviction.

**Article 66** reduces the residence requirement to a minimum of one year for several categories, including an applicant who "tenha cônjuge ou companheiro brasileiro e não estar dele separado legalmente ou de fato": who has a Brazilian spouse or companion and is not separated from them legally or in fact. Having a Brazilian child produces the same reduction independently.

| Requirement | Standard (Art. 65) | With a Brazilian spouse (Art. 66) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence in Brazil | 4 years | 1 year |
| Portuguese ability | Required | Required |
| Clean criminal record | Required | Required |
| Civil capacity | Required | Required |
| Relationship intact | Not applicable | Required, in law and in fact |

Three things people get wrong about this. The reduction applies to the residence period only: every other requirement stays. The Portuguese assessment is real but proportionate, judged on whether you can communicate rather than on formal certification. And Brazil does not require you to give up your existing nationality, so for most applicants naturalizing means holding both.

If naturalization is the actual goal rather than a nice eventual option, it is worth reading our [permanent residency guide](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-permanent-residency-path), which compares this route against the investor, work and retirement routes for people weighing which long-term status to build toward.

## Where These Applications Actually Fail

Family reunion is one of the more forgiving categories in Brazilian immigration law, and outright refusals on the merits are uncommon. What is common is delay: an *exigência*, a formal request for something missing, which sends the file back and adds months. Nearly all of them are avoidable.

| What goes wrong | How to avoid it |
| --- | --- |
| Missing apostille | Every foreign public document needs one. The certificate you were given at a wedding is not apostilled by default. |
| Translation done in the wrong order | Apostille first, then translate. A translation that predates the apostille does not cover it and gets sent back. |
| Expired criminal record check | The 90-day window is short. Order it last. |
| Name mismatches | A maiden name on a birth certificate against a married name on a passport needs a documented chain. Fix it before filing, not in response to an exigência. |
| Thin stable-union evidence | Photographs alone do not establish a stable union. Get the escritura pública. |
| Sponsor's CPF irregular | A CPF in pending or suspended status stalls the file. Check it at the Receita Federal first. |
| A very recent marriage with little shared history | Not disqualifying, but it attracts closer scrutiny. Present the relationship's real history rather than only the certificate. |

On that last point, since it worries people more than it should: the Federal Police do look at whether a relationship is genuine, and they have the power to interview. In practice this is a documentary review, not an investigation, and couples with an ordinary shared life have nothing to manage beyond presenting it clearly. Where scrutiny does increase is where the marriage is very recent, where the couple have never lived in the same country, or where there is a prior immigration history that raises questions. In those cases the answer is a fuller evidential file, prepared in advance.

Our [rejection reasons guide](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa-rejection-reasons) covers the same ground for the nomad visa, where the failure modes are quite different because that process turns on income evidence rather than civil documents.

## Already on the Digital Nomad Visa and Now Married?

This is a more common situation than it sounds, and it is the single best outcome available to someone in it.

The [VITEM XIV digital nomad visa](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa) runs for one year, renewable once, and then stops. It does not convert into permanent residency, whatever you may have read. At the end of two years the holder either moves to another category or leaves. Family reunion is the most common of those exits in practice, and if you have married or entered a stable union with a Brazilian during your time here, it is available to you now rather than at the end.

Moving across is a genuine upgrade, not a sideways move:

|  | VITEM XIV (digital nomad) | Family reunion |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Income requirement | US$1,500 per month, foreign-source | None |
| Brazilian employers or clients | Prohibited | Fully permitted |
| Maximum duration | 2 years, then it ends | Tied to the family relationship, not a fixed cap |
| Path to permanent status | None | Yes |
| Naturalization clock | Does not lead there | 1 year |
| Dependent partner's work rights | Restricted | Full, in their own right |

You do not need to leave Brazil or wait for your current status to expire. The new application is filed through MigranteWeb from inside the country. If you are in this position, our [couples guide](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa-couples) and [renewal guide](https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-digital-nomad-visa-renewal) cover the alternatives, but for a couple where one partner is Brazilian, this is nearly always the better path.

Have an OAB-licensed lawyer handle the whole file

Full Service: **$599**, paid once when you sign. Camila, our OAB-licensed immigration lawyer, personally handles your case.

Ask Camila on WhatsAppSee what's included

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I live in Brazil if I marry a Brazilian?

### Does marrying a Brazilian give me Brazilian citizenship?

### Can I get Brazilian citizenship by marriage without living in Brazil?

### Can my spouse work in Brazil on this status?

### Do I have to be married, or does união estável count?

### Are same-sex couples eligible?

### Does a marriage performed outside Brazil count?

### Can I apply from inside Brazil while on a tourist entry?

### How long does it take?

### Do I need health insurance?

### What happens to my residency if we divorce?

### Do I need to speak Portuguese?

### Do I still need an eVisa to enter Brazil?

### Can my children from a previous relationship come with me?

### How much does GetBrazilVisa charge to handle this?

## Sources and Primary References

-   **Lei nº 13.445/2017 (Lei de Migração)**, Art. 37: visa and residence authorization for family reunion, covering "cônjuge ou companheiro, sem discriminação alguma".
-   **Lei nº 13.445/2017**, Art. 65: ordinary naturalization, four years of residence, Portuguese language ability, no disqualifying conviction.
-   **Lei nº 13.445/2017**, Art. 66: reduction of the residence period to one year for an applicant with a Brazilian spouse or companion, not separated in law or in fact, or with a Brazilian child.
-   **Decreto nº 9.199/2017**, Art. 45: the list of family relationships qualifying for family reunion.
-   **Código Civil**, Art. 1.723: recognition of the união estável as a family entity.
-   **Constituição Federal**, Art. 226: the family as the base of society, under the protection of the state.
-   **STF, ADI 4.277 and ADPF 132 (2011)**: equal recognition of same-sex stable unions.
-   **CNJ Resolução 175/2013**: registry offices obliged to perform and convert same-sex marriages.
-   **Convenção da Apostila de Haia (1961)**: apostille requirements for foreign public documents.
-   Portal de Imigração and MigranteWeb, Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública, for procedural requirements and fee schedules.

This page is written and reviewed by [Camila Araujo Mota](https://getbrazilvisa.com/camila-araujo-mota), an immigration lawyer licensed by the Brazilian bar association (OAB/CE 50.065). It is general information about Brazilian immigration law and not advice on your individual case. Fees and processing times change; the date at the top of this page is when it was last checked against source.

## Not sure whether your case is straightforward?

Most family reunion applications are. Some are not: a recent marriage, an unregistered stable union, a previous refusal, an overstay, or children from an earlier relationship all change how the file should be built. Tell Camila which of those applies to you and she will tell you what your case actually involves, before any money changes hands.

Message Camila on WhatsAppSend a message instead

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In fact, I felt compelled to pay her more than our original agreement because I was so impressed with the value she provided.\n\nCamila kept my applications organized, ensured everything was filed on time, secured and prepared me for my appointments with the Federal Police, and made sure I had every document I could possibly need. Thanks to her, I successfully obtained both my visitor visa extension and my resident visa.\n\nShe even went above and beyond by covering my appointment fees when I couldn’t pay with PIX as a foreigner.\n\nThis was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with a lawyer. Camila genuinely cares about her clients and stands with you every step of the way. If you need immigration assistance in Brazil, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":5,"bestRating":5},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"DJ"},"reviewBody":"I moved to Brazil from Denmark on the digital nomad visa in October of 2025 with the help of Camila. She was very professional and even when I had to delay my arrival she accomodated and made sure I was taken care of. From preparing my documents to getting my Brazilian ID card, she helped me with every step. Thank you!"},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":5,"bestRating":5},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Mikael Mäkinen"},"reviewBody":"I was working from USA running my company and wanted to try a year in Brazil. The digital nomad visa process looked manageable on paper but once I started dealing with getting my documents apostilled through the DVV and figuring out what the Brazilian consulate actually needed, I hit a wall. Camila sorted everything out and was super patient with my million questions. If you plan on moving to Brazil, I highly recommend their service."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":5,"bestRating":5},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Mehdi Bouabbane"},"reviewBody":"Can't recommend Camila enough. You can tell she genuinely knows Brazilian immigration law, not just the basics. She caught that my proof of income letter was missing a specific clause the consulate requires and had me fix it before submitting — I never would've caught that on my own. Incredibly professional from start to finish. Already told everyone in my coworking space in Pipa about her."},{"@type":"Review","reviewRating":{"@type":"Rating","ratingValue":5,"bestRating":5},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Arthur Ampen"},"reviewBody":"Camila made the digital nomad visa process painless. I shopped around a few immigration lawyers before hiring her and she was easily the most affordable — and honestly the most knowledgeable too. One other firm quoted me nearly double for basically the same service. Approved in about three weeks and I'm now set up in Rio de Janeiro. Worth every penny."}],"address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressCountry":"BR","addressLocality":"Fortaleza","addressRegion":"CE"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#webpage","url":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage","name":"Brazil Residency by Marriage: 1-Year Citizenship Path","description":"Married to a Brazilian? You get residency by family reunion, not citizenship. 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Marriage or a registered stable union with a Brazilian citizen entitles you to a residence authorization for family reunion under Article 37 of the Migration Law (Lei nº 13.445/2017). There is no income requirement and no job offer requirement. You can file from inside Brazil through MigranteWeb, including while you are there on a tourist entry, or apply for a VITEM XI visa at a Brazilian consulate before you travel."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#faq-2","name":"Does marrying a Brazilian give me Brazilian citizenship?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. Brazil grants no citizenship by marriage. Marriage gets you residency, and it shortens the wait for naturalization. Ordinary naturalization under Article 65 of the Migration Law requires four years of residence. Article 66 cuts that to one year for an applicant who has a Brazilian spouse or companion and is not separated from them in law or in fact. 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The practical difference is evidential, not legal: a marriage is proved by one certificate, while a stable union has to be registered, most reliably by an escritura pública de união estável drawn up at a Brazilian cartório."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#faq-6","name":"Are same-sex couples eligible?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, on identical terms. The Supreme Federal Tribunal settled this in 2011 in ADI 4.277 and ADPF 132, which read the Civil Code's stable-union provisions as applying equally to same-sex couples, and CNJ Resolution 175/2013 obliged every Brazilian registry office to perform and convert same-sex marriages. The documents required and the process followed are the same."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#faq-7","name":"Do I need health insurance?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Only on the consular route. Brazilian consulates generally require proof of health coverage as part of a VITEM XI application. A MigranteWeb filing from inside Brazil does not require it. Residents are entitled to use the SUS public health system regardless."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#faq-8","name":"How long does it take?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A MigranteWeb filing from inside Brazil typically receives a decision in 60 to 120 days. A consular VITEM XI application abroad usually takes 30 to 90 days once the post has a complete file. The CRNM residence card is issued after a Federal Police appointment, which adds roughly 30 to 90 days depending on how quickly appointments open in your city."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#faq-9","name":"How much does GetBrazilVisa charge to handle this?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"USD 599, paid once when you sign, covering the whole application end to end on either route. There is no second payment on approval and no separate consultation fee. Brazilian government fees, apostilles, sworn translations and cartório costs are paid to those bodies directly and are not included, and they are itemised on this page so you can see the full picture before you commit."}}]},{"@type":"HowTo","@id":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#howto","name":"How to Get Brazilian Residency Through Marriage to a Brazilian","description":"Step-by-step process for the foreign spouse or stable-union partner of a Brazilian citizen to obtain a family-reunion residence authorization, from inside Brazil or at a consulate abroad.","totalTime":"P120D","estimatedCost":{"@type":"MonetaryAmount","currency":"USD","value":"599"},"step":[{"@type":"HowToStep","position":1,"name":"Establish the relationship on paper","text":"Either a marriage certificate, or an escritura pública de união estável registered at a Brazilian cartório. A foreign marriage certificate must be apostilled and sworn-translated.","url":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#married-or-uniao-estavel"},{"@type":"HowToStep","position":2,"name":"Choose the route","text":"File through MigranteWeb from inside Brazil, or apply for a VITEM XI visa at the Brazilian consulate with jurisdiction over your residence abroad.","url":"https://getbrazilvisa.com/brazil-residency-by-marriage#which-route"},{"@type":"HowToStep","position":3,"name":"Assemble both sides of the file","text":"The Brazilian spouse provides RG, CPF and proof of address. 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