Brazilian consulates act as civil registry offices. They register births, marriages and deaths that happen in their district, and the certificate they issue has full effect in Brazil. For a family living here, the consular birth registration is the document that opens everything else: passport, taxpayer number, school enrolment and inheritance.
Quick facts
One historical detail still causes real problems. Certificates issued under the rules in force in earlier decades carry a nationality annotation requiring the person to opt for Brazilian nationality at eighteen, and that option can only be exercised through a court in Brazil. Consulates cannot provide services — passports, registrations, military enrolment — to someone whose certificate carries it.
Fees breakdown
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Consular birth, marriage or death registration | Consular table | USPS money order, exact amount |
| Second copy of a consular certificate | Consular table | From the office that issued it |
| Taxpayer number | Consular table | Issued and regularised at the consulate |
| U.S. certificate plus apostille | $15–$50 plus $3–$25 | Where the file requires it |
All of it runs through the e-consular system, which reviews the scans before any original is posted.
How to file
- Open a request in e-consular under the consulate covering your state, choosing the right act.
- Upload the U.S. certificate of the event and the parents’ or spouses’ documents.
- Wait for the consulate to validate the upload, then send the physical documents as instructed.
- Include the money order for the exact fee and a prepaid return envelope.
- Receive the Brazilian certificate, which is valid in Brazil as issued.
- Have it transcribed at a Brazilian notary office when you next need to deal with authorities there in person.
Required documents
- Long-form U.S. certificate of the event, in original.
- Parents’ or spouses’ Brazilian identity documents and passports.
- Brazilian birth or marriage certificates of the Brazilian party.
- Proof of residence in the consular district.
- Taxpayer numbers where the act requires them.
- Both parents’ signatures for anything concerning a minor.
Where to file
With the consulate covering the place where the event happened, which is not always the one nearest your current address.
Consulate General of Brazil
View details →BostonConsulate General of Brazil in Boston
View details →ChicagoConsulate General of Brazil
View details →EdinburgHonorary Consulate of Brazil for South Texas
View details →HartfordConsulado-Geral do Brasil em Hartford
View details →HoustonConsulate General of Brazil
View details →Los AngelesConsulate General of Brazil in Los Angeles
View details →MiamiConsulate General of Brazil
View details →OrlandoConsulado-Geral do Brasil em Orlando
View details →OrlandoMister W Concierge - Orlando - Passaportes, Vistos, Apostilas de Haia, Consulado Brasileiro nos Estados Unidos
View details →ViennaBrazilian Army Commission
View details →WashingtonConsulate General of Brazil
View details →WashingtonEmbassy of Brazil in Washington, D.C.
View details →Additional notes
Transcription in Brazil
A consular certificate works as issued, but transcribing it at a notary office in Brazil makes day-to-day dealings there simpler, particularly for property and inheritance.
Second copies
Second copies come from the consulate that made the original registration, not from any office in the network.
Marriages
A marriage celebrated in the United States is registered at the consulate so that it takes effect in Brazil, with consequences for property regime and succession.
Keep the set together
The certificate, the taxpayer number and the passport form a chain. A gap in one of them blocks the next application.