Frequently asked questions
1) Why and when is a travel authorisation for a minor Brazilian child to leave national territory necessary?
This is a legal requirement. Minor children require written authorisation with signature authentication of the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) when:
a. Travelling abroad unaccompanied by the parents or legal guardians;
b. Travelling abroad in the company of either parent or legal guardian; and
c. Travelling abroad in the company of a third party.
2) Is it necessary to submit a travel authorisation when entering Brazil?
No. The authorisation is required only when leaving Brazil.
3) My child is travelling to Brazil, but his/her Brazilian passport is expired. Can he/she travel with a foreign passport? Will he/she still need to submit a travel authorisation when leaving Brazil?
Yes. Your child can enter and leave Brazil with a foreign passport, as long as the travel authorisation is submitted when leaving national territory.
4) What if the foreign passport holds a written authorisation for the minor child to travel abroad? In this case, is the Brazilian authorisation still required?
Yes. There have been cases in which the Federal Police required the authorisation, even with the written authorisation registered in the foreign passport.
5) When applying for my child's new Brazilian passport, I requested a written travel authorisation in his/her the travel document. Do I still have to submit a separate travel authorisation for him/her to leave Brazil?
No. Passport submission will suffice. The written authorisation in the passport substitutes the separate authorisation.
Observe whether the written authorisation in the passport allows the child to travel with either parent or unaccompanied or in the company of a third party.
Please note: if the written authorisation in the passport allows the minor child to travel only in the company of either parent and he/she needs to travel unaccompanied or in the company of a third party, the separate written authorisation is necessary (click here).
6) There is no written travel authorisation in my child's Brazilian passport. How can I request it?
Written travel authorisations on passport page can only be requested when applying for a passport.
Please (click here) to request it in the United Kingdom, at the Consulate General of Brazil in London.
Please (click here) to request it in Brazil, at the Federal Police.
7) Is it necessary to submit the authorisation to foreign authorities when leaving another country's territory?
Please contact the competent foreign authorities directly.
8) I have already bought a ticket to travel to Brazil with my child, but I do not as yet hold the other parent's authorisation that I must submit when leaving Brazil. When consulting the Consulate's website, there were no appointments available prior to the date planned for the trip. How should I proceed?
Alternatively, it is possible to request the service by post. The application shall be processed in up to 5 working days from receipt of the documentation at the Consulate. Please click here to learn how to request the service by post.
9) What if there is also not enough time for the service by post to be processed before I travel?
In such cases, we recommend you go ahead with the trip, since the authorisation is not required to enter Brazilian territory. When the other parent gets the authorisation - either by booking an appointment or by post - the document must be mailed to Brazil.
10) I am spending little time in Brazil. Therefore, there will not be enough time for the other parent's authorisation to reach Brazil in time before the date of my return to the UK. What should I do?
In such cases, an emergency appointment at the Consulate may be authorised. The applicant must contact the notary section by e-mail notarial.cglondres@itamaraty.gov.br and prove that (by presenting a copy of the ticket):
- the departure from the United Kingdom will take place no later than one week from the request date; and
- the return from Brazil to the United Kingdom will take place less than one month following the request date.
11) Can the foreign parent (who is/will be in Brazil and wishes to authorise the child to travel abroad) have his/her signature authenticated by a Brazilian notary public?
Generally yes, upon identification with the foreign passport. It is advisable, though, to check previously with the chosen notary public.
12) Does the parent who holds legal custody of the minor child still require the other parent's authorisation for the child to leave Brazil and travel abroad?
Yes. Although the other parent does not hold the minor child's legal custody, he/she still has "parenting capacity", remaining as one of the child's legal guardians. Therefore, the other parent must always be consulted, so as to authorise the minor child to travel abroad.
13) If, by any reason, the other parent does not authorise the minor child to leave Brazil, what must the parent who wishes to travel with the child do?
- If the minor child resides/is domiciled in Brazil: the party concerned must request a court authorisation for the minor child to leave national territory.
- If the minor child resides/is domiciled abroad: it is possible that the other parent's authorisation may be substituted by the child's Residence Certificate, which attests where he/she lives, and can be issued by the Consulate (click here).
14) What if the other parent's whereabouts are unknown?
- If the minor child resides/is domiciled in Brazil: the party concerned must request a court authorisation for the minor child to leave national territory.
- If the minor child resides/is domiciled abroad: it is possible that the other parent's authorisation may be substituted by the child's Residence Certificate, which attests where he/she lives, and can be issued by the Consulate (click here).
15) If necessary, how can a court authorisation for a minor child to travel abroad be obtained?
The party concerned must contact the closest Child and Youth Court ("Vara da Infância e Juventude") or a Special Court office located at airports and interstate bus stations.
Those living abroad who do cannot afford hiring a solicitor can use the services offered by the Federal Public Defender's office ("Defensoria Pública da União"), as described in the Legal Advice for Brazilians Living Abroad Handbook ("Cartilha de Orientação para Brasileiros no Exterior" - Portuguese only).
16) Do the minor child's legal guardian and the person responsible for his/her tutelage, appointed in court by a custody agreement - and who are not one of the parents - need a court or the parents' authorisation to travel abroad with the child?
No, because they are regarded as the child's sole legal representatives. If the minor child is travelling unaccompanied or in the company of a third person, they are the ones who must authorise the journey.
17) What procedure should be followed in case one of the parents has had their parenting capacity suspended or revoked?
Parenting capacity can only be suspended or revoked by court decision. If that is the case, the authorisation from the parent whose parenting capacity has been suspended or revoked is not required, and the party concerned must provide proof of that circumstance by submitting the minor child's birth certificate containing the court sentence annotation which suspended or revoked the other parent's parenting capacity. The original document or a certified copy must be presented. A simple photocopy of the document, provided by the party concerned, shall be retained by the Federal Police.
18) What procedure should be followed in case one of the parents or legal guardians are deceased?
If one or both parents are deceased, the party concerned must provide proof of that circumstance by submitting the original death certificate or its certified copy to the Federal Police. A simple photocopy of the document, provided by the party concerned, shall be retained by the Federal Police.
19) What procedure should be followed in case of "intercountry adoption" of a child or adolescent?
In the case of "intercountry adoption" of a Brazilian child or adolescent who is leaving Brazil for the first time in the company of the adopter(s), a court order authorising the journey, pursuant to Law No. 12.010/09 (Children Act - "Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente"), §9, art. 52, must be submitted to the Federal Police at border control.
20) If the travel authorisation has to be issued in Brazil, where can I find the form and the information regarding the procedures to request authorisation for Brazilian minor children to travel abroad?
Brazilian residents can find information about issuing travel authorisation for minor children at the Federal Police Department website or at the National Justice Council (CNJ - "Conselho Nacional de Justiça") website, where one can also find: the CNJ Resolution No. 131/2011, guidebook, and educational video.
21) Can the parents' signatures be authenticated by similarity in the travel authorisation for minor children?
Parents' or legal guardians' signatures may be authenticated by similarity or authenticity.
22) Must the travel authorisation document have its period of validity fixed by the parents?
It is advisable that the period of validity is registered in the travel authorisation. If it is omitted, the authorisation shall be valid for two years.
23) If the Brazilian parent is present at departure, is there exemption from submitting a travel authorisation?
No. The travel authorisation at departure is required even if the parents or legal guardians are present before the transportation companies (by air, sea, or land).
24) Do authorisations drawn up abroad have to be bilingual?
Travel authorisation forms may be bilingual. If they are written only in a foreign language, the party concerned must also submit a certified translation done by a Brazilian sworn translator.
25) Do travel authorisations mentioned in the CNJ's Resolution No. 131/11 constitute authorisation for the minor child to reside permanently abroad?
No, except if otherwise stated in the authorisation.
26) Apart from minor children, are there situations in which a person of legal age needs to submit a travel authorisation?
Besides minor children, wards - including indigenous individuals not integrated to the national community - and incapacitated adults may only travel unaccompanied or in the company of a third party when authorised by their legal guardians or legal authority. In the case of indians, by the competent organisation.