Family Reunion (on the Grounds of Civil Union/Partnership) (VITEM XI)

Item

Observation

 Valid Passport

• Original passport signed by the applicant, with at least two contiguous blank pages left. Please note that pages reserved for amendments cannot be used for visa purposes. If your passport has run out of pages, you must obtain a new one before applying for a visa to Brazil.
• Your passport must be in good condition in order to be accepted as a valid document. It must not be torn, wet, damp, stained, cut, punctured, excessively dirty, etc.

• Adults must sign their passports. Passports of minors do not need to be signed. *Very few countries have passports that do not require signatures. Check your passport and ensure it is signed if there is a field for it.

 Photo 2x2 inches (specifications)

• Provide a printed photo with your application along with the upload of a digital copy of your photo, signature, and other supporting documents to your application process. (Please note that the upload and a hard copy of your photo are mandatory). *Photos must be printed on photo-quality paper that can be either matte or glossy on a white background.

Complete the online Application Form (read carefully before applying)

• Complete the online form. There is no printable version available for download.
• Enter complete information – please note that some fields are mandatory.
• Parents' names must be entered in full (name and surname), exactly as displayed on the applicant's birth certificate.
• Click the "Complete Application" button to generate the Visa Request Form Receipt (RER).
• Print and sign the RER; affix your photo on the indicated field.
• Upload the digital copies of all documents listed below on the E-Consular platform. Applications without uploaded documents will not be accepted.

Proof of Immigration Status in the United States

(if not American national)

• Valid green card or visa. WE ONLY ACCEPT ORIGINAL GREEN CARDS, NOT COPIES, EVEN NOTARIZED ONES.
• If you're an American citizen with double citizenship applying for a visa with a non-American passport, you must present proof of your American citizenship, for instance, your American passport or certificate of citizenship, apostilled.

Background check

•  FBI Background Check issued within 90 days. When mailing the documents to the Consulate, it'll be necessary to send the original colored logo watermarked criminal record, obtained, among other FBI channelers, at Accurate Biometrics: 134 N La Salle St Ste 2060, Chicago, IL 60602 (https://accuratebiometrics.com/illinois/services/fbi-personal-background). The PDF received from the FBI is not accepted.
• If the applicant has lived in the United States less than 1 year, he/she will need to provide a criminal record in all the countries where he/she has lived in the last 12 months, dully apostilled by the competent authority in the issuing country, and, if necessary, translated.
• It's necessary to apostille the FBI background check to register the visa with the Federal Police in Brazil.

Proof of residence

• To corroborate the information on the FBI criminal record, applicants must show where they have lived in the last 12 months. For this purpose, it's possible to upload statements or bills, which contain the applicant's address and are in his/her name.

  As an example: if the FBI was issued in May, the applicant can upload 5 bills: May, August and November from the previous year + February and May of the presetn year.

Original birth Certificate

• If the birth certificate was not originally issued in the US, it must be apostilled by the appropriate government institution in the country where it was signed and translated into English in the US, The translator's signature needs to be notarized and the notary's signature has to be apostilled at the Secretary of State. If it was issued in the US, it's necessary to apostille it to register the visa with the Federal Police in Brazil.

Proof of civil union/partnership

• At least one of the following documents ("a" or "b") must be presented:

a) Domestic Partnership registration or Civil Union license or Certificate issued and signed by the competent authority in the United States, notarized and apostilled at the Secretary of State.

b) Sentence confirming the civil union/partnership ("Sentença Declaratória de União Estável") issued by a public notary in Brazil or equivalent foreign judicial authority, duly apostilled by the competent authority in the issuing country and, if necessary, translated. If translated in the US, it has to be notarized and the notary's signature needs to be apostilled at the Secretary of State.

In the absence of the documents above ("a" or "b"), a civil union/partnership can be attested by submitting the following documentation (1 + 2 + 3): 

Original identification document of the Brazilian or immigrant beneficiary of the residence permit

• The following documents of the spouse will be accepted:
• If Brazilian: original Brazilian ID card (RG) or Brazilian passport.
• If a foreign national who is already the beneficiary of a residence permit in Brazil: valid foreign passport, valid Brazilian visa, and National Registry of Foreigners card (RNE) or Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório (CRNM) – if available, in case the registration with the Federal Police has already been concluded.
• If a foreign national is in the process of obtaining a temporary visa (VITEM) to Brazil: a valid foreign passport. If the spouse is in Brazil, certified copies of these documents will be accepted and retained by the Consulate.

Declaration of Residence

• Declaration, under penalty of law, that the Brazilian national or immigrant beneficiary of the residence permit resides or will reside in Brazil, with a notarized signature, and apostilled if it is a document signed in the United States. A sample of this declaration is available here.

Joint Statement

• It is necessary to present a joint statement, of both spouses or partners, under the penalties of the law, regarding the continuity of effective union and coexistence, with a notarized signature, and apostilled if it is a document signed in the United States. A sample of this declaration is available here.

Consular Fees (non-refundable)

• The Consulate General in Chicago ONLY accepts payments by Postal Money Order issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS), payable to "Consulate General of Brazil in Chicago." 
• Personal checks, credit cards, or other forms of payment are not accepted.
• Please note that the payment of the consular fee does not guarantee that the visa will be granted.