VITEM XI - Family Reunion
TEMPORARY VISA XI (VITEM XI) - FAMILY REUNION
a) General rules
- Based on the Interministerial Ordinance No. 12/2018 and specific instructions from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- A foreign national who's in Brazil under a family reunion visa cannot call their relatives on family reunion grounds.
- This type of visa applies to those who are:
I - spouse or partner of a Brazilian citizen, without any discrimination, under the terms of the Brazilian legal system;
II - child of a Brazilian citizen or of an immigrant beneficiary of a residence permit;
III - stepchild of a Brazilian citizen or of an immigrant beneficiary of a residence permit, provided that he/she is under eighteen years of age, or up to twenty-four years of age, if proven to be a student, or of any age, if economically dependent on the relative who lives in Brazil;
IV - parent of a Brazilian child;
V - parent of an immigrant child who is a beneficiary of a residence permit;
VI - ascendant up to the second degree of a Brazilian citizen or immigrant beneficiary of a residence permit;
VII - descendant up to the second degree of a Brazilian citizen or immigrant beneficiary of a residence permit;
VIII - sibling of a Brazilian citizen or an immigrant who is beneficiary of a residence permit, provided that he/she is under eighteen years of age, or up to twenty-four years of age, if proven to be a student, or of any age, if economically dependent on the relative who lives in Brazil; or
IX - guardian or curator of a Brazilian citizen.
- Important: in accordance with the current legislation, the visa cannot be granted if the marriage was celebrated by power of attorney (see information here).
- Foreign nationals who are already in Brazil can apply for residence on the grounds of family reunion directly with the Federal Police. Therefore, if the applicant is in Brazil in order to get married, there will be no need to return to Syria to get a visa. For instructions on how to apply in Brazil, contact the Federal Police.
b) Length & extension of stay
Validity period: up to 1 year, at the discretion of the Consular authority
(Limit/expiry date until which the first entry in Brazil must take place – counted from the date of issue of the visa)
Initial period of stay: up to 1 year
(How long the individual is allowed to remain in Brazil – counted from the date of first entry in the country – that will be confirmed at the moment of residence registration with the Federal Police)
Residence period: indefinite
(Determined at the moment of residence registration with the Federal Police – indicates the effective period during which the foreigner will be allowed to reside in Brazil)
Please note: if applying as the spouse of a foreign national who is the beneficiary of a residence permit in Brazil for a definite period of time, both will be granted the same residence period.
c) Required documents
Please note: the original documents listed below must be presented.
Documentation |
Comments |
|
1 |
Applicant's valid passport |
Must have at least two blank pages. Please note that pages reserved for amendments cannot be used for visa purposes. |
2 |
One standard-sized passport photo |
The photo must be recent, with white background. Click here to check if your photo complies with the regulations. |
3 |
Visa application form |
Must be filled in online (click here). Print and bring the Visa Request Form Receipt (RER) to the appointment. It is very important to fill in the parents' full names, as displayed in the applicant's birth certificate. Please note: the Consulate will only accept applications in which the required documents listed on this table have been uploaded to the form. |
4 |
Police check (applicants aged over 18 years old) |
Police checks are valid for up to 3 months from the date of issue. Please note: if the applicant has lived in multiple countries within the last 12 months, a police check from each country of residence must be provided. They must also be duly legalised (contain an apostille) by the competent authority in the issuing country and, if necessary, translated by a certified translator. |
5 |
Original full birth certificate |
In the absence of the full birth certificate, the applicant may submit another official document that contains the parents’ full names. Please note: if the document has been issued in a country other Syria, it must be legalised by the authority of the issuing country and by the Brazilian Consular authority in such country. If not in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French, it must also be translated by a "sworn translator". |
6 |
Hardcopy of the inbound ticket to Brazil |
The applicant must submit either a booking confirmation (paid ticket or e-ticket) or a booking reservation (or letter from a travel agent on the applicant's behalf), containing the complete itinerary, flight numbers and arrival / departure dates. |
7* |
Original marriage certificate or Civil partnership certificate or Sentença Declaratória de União Estável issued by a Brazilian Family Court or equivalent foreign judicial authority. |
a) If married in Brazil (regardless of spouses’ nationalities): the applicant must submit the full form marriage certificate (“certidão de casamento de inteiro teor”) issued in Brazil. Presenting the full form (“inteiro teor”) is mandatory so as to attest that the marriage was not celebrated by power of attorney. b) If married outside Brazil to a Brazilian national: the marriage must be registered at a Brazilian consular authority. The applicant may submit either the consular marriage certificate or, if already transcribed in Brazil, the definitive Brazilian marriage certificate. c) If married outside Brazil to a foreign national who is the beneficiary of residence permit in Brazil or who is obtaining a temporary visa (VITEM) to Brazil: the foreign marriage certificate must be legalised by the competent authority in the issuing country. |
8 |
Original identification document of the relative living in Brazil |
The following documents will be accepted: a) If Brazilian: original Brazilian ID card (RG) or Brazilian passport. b) If foreign national who is already the beneficiary of residence permit in Brazil: valid foreign passport, valid Brazilian visa, and National Registry of Foreigners card (RNE) – if available, in case the registration with the Federal Police has already been concluded. c) If foreign national who is in the process of obtaining a temporary visa (VITEM) to Brazil: valid foreign passport. If the relative is in Brazil, certified copies of these documents will be accepted. |
9 |
Both the applicant and the relative who resides in Brazil must sign the declaration, under penalty of perjury of law, stating that they already reside or are planning to reside in Brazil. If couple: Both the applicant and the partner must sign the declaration, under penalty of perjury of law, stating that they are a couple in a factual and legitimate union, and that they already reside or are planning to reside in Brazil. Please note: the declaration must be signed in person at the Embassy, before the consular agent. Alternatively, the signature may be certified by a notary public. |
|
10 | Individual civil record issued by the Syrian authority |
Only for citizens registered in Syria. The document must be legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and translated by sworn translator. |
11 | Family civil record |
Only for citizens registered in Syria. The document must be legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and translated by sworn translator. |
12 |
Expression of Will for Family Reunion Visa purposes from CONARE |
If the relative living in Brazil is a refugee, the applicant must present a letter from CONARE accepting their expression of will for family reunion visa purposes. |
*In the absence of one of the documents listed on item 7 above, stable union can be attested by submitting the following documentation (1 + 2 + 3):
1 |
Deed + Certificate attesting the stable union |
This item consists of a combination of two documents, necessarily issued in Brazil. a) Public Deed of Stable Union (“Escritura Pública Declaratória de União Estável”), drawn up in a notary public (“Cartório de Notas”) in Brazil. b) This deed must be subsequently registered at a Civil Registry Office (“Cartório de Registro Civil”), which will then issue the Stable Union Certificate (“Certidão de União Estável”). Please note: the Embassy will not accept documents issued by power of attorney. The partners must register the stable union in person in Brazil. |
2 |
Declaration signed by the parts and two witnesses |
The declaration must attest, under the penalties of law, to the existence of the stable union. Please note: if not signed before the consular authority, the signatures must be previously certified by a notary public or solicitor. |
3 |
At least one of the following documents |
a) Proof of dependency issued by the tax authority or equivalent agency in Syria; or b) Religious marriage certificate; or c) Proof that one part is the legal beneficiary in his/her partner’s will; or d) Life insurance policy in which one of the partners is the policy holder and the other is the beneficiary; or e) Proof that both partners are listed as joint owners of a property or that both are listed as tenants in a rental/lease contract; or f) Joint bank account; or g) Birth certificate of the couple’s child. |
d) Registration with the Federal Police
Holders of this type of visa must register with the Federal Police within 90 days from first entry in Brazil. Contact the Federal Police directly (click here) to learn how to register.
The Embassy anticipates that, among other documents, the applicant will have to present the Visa Application Form (FPV) provided upon issue of the visa, as well as his/her original full birth certificate, containing the parents' full names.
Please note: the certificate must be legalised by the competent authority in the issuing country. Documents issued in Syria are legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After being legalised, the document will have to be translated into Portuguese by a sworn translator ("tradutor juramentado") and legalised by the Embassy.