Brazilian Document Apostille in the U.S. — 2026 Guide

Brazil has applied the Hague Apostille Convention since 14 August 2016, which replaced the old chain of consular legalisation. A U.S. public document used in Brazil needs an apostille from the Secretary of State of the issuing state, or from the U.S. Department of State for federal records — and then, almost always, a sworn translation.

Quick facts

The translation requirement is where money is wasted. Brazilian authorities accept translations made by a sworn translator registered with a Brazilian commercial board. A translation done in the United States by an unregistered translator is not accepted, however professional it looks.

Fees breakdown

Four categories escape the apostille entirely: passports, anything issued inside Brazil, purely private documents with no notarised signature, and documents from countries outside the Convention, which still need the old legalisation chain.

How to prepare a document for Brazil

1. Order a certified copy from the issuing authority. Never apostille a plain photocopy.
2. Notarise private documents first, since the apostille certifies the notary’s signature.
3. File with the Secretary of State of the issuing state, or the U.S. Department of State for federal records.
4. Send the apostilled original for sworn translation by a translator registered in Brazil.
5. Keep the original, the apostille and the translation together, since Brazilian offices expect the set.

Required documents

• Original certified copy, unaltered, with signature and seal.
• Completed state authentication request and payment.
• Prepaid return envelope for mail filings.
• Photo ID for in-person service.

What the consulate does instead

Consulates certify signatures, issue and regularise taxpayer numbers, keep the consular civil registry, draw up notarial powers, and issue return authorisations for Brazilians without a valid passport. They do not apostille U.S. records.

Additional notes

Brazilian documents going the other way

Brazilian public documents are apostilled inside Brazil by authorised notary offices, not by consulates abroad.

Portuguese-language documents

A document issued in Portugal or another Portuguese-speaking country still needs an apostille, even though no translation is required. The apostille validates the signature, not the language.

Passports are never apostilled

A travel document is accepted as it is by the federal police, the tax authority and banks. Some notary offices ask for a sworn translation of the data page, which is a different thing.

Order extra copies

Brazilian offices retain what they receive. Two apostilled originals cost little more than one and save repeating the chain from abroad.