How to give birth in Brazil to obtain Brazilian citizenship for your family

Why give birth in Brazil?

Your child will be a Brazilian citizen from the moment of birth, and your entire family can enjoy benefits by association, such as:

• A Brazilian passport grants visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 170 countries, constituting expansive travel freedom
• Brazil is a member of MERCOSUR: you can enjoy streamlined temporary residency pathways in the vast majority of South American countries
• Brazil is a founding member of BRICS
• The parents of a child born in Brazil can easily obtain permanent residency in Brazil
• The child’s four grandparents, as well as the child’s siblings, can also obtain permanent residency under family reunification pathways
• Members of your family obtaining permanent residency this way can also take advantage of expedited naturalization

To summarize, by giving birth to your child in Brazil, your child secures a powerful and useful second passport for their future life, and your entire family earns permanent residency in a high-quality Plan B destination, with a call option on citizenship.

Obtaining Brazilian citizenship and residency documents after childbirth

Upon receiving the child’s birth certificate, you can immediately begin navigating the bureaucratic process to obtain documents for the child and your family, with the help of Francisco, our Brazilian agent on the ground.

It is important to note that getting a passport issued for a child born in Brazil may take up to three months, so you should plan to remain in country for an extended period.

The parents of a child born in Brazil can immediately apply for permanent residency in Brazil. Obtaining permanent residency and the associated documents for the parents and other family members may take up to 12 months. That said, the parents are considered to be legally residing in Brazil from the time their application is submitted.

To obtain permanent residency, each parent must provide their apostilled birth certificate and a criminal background report.

It is not necessary for both parents to be married for them to be eligible for permanent residency.

Applying for citizenship as a permanent resident in Brazil

After just one year of permanent residency and nine months of physical presence in Brazil, parents may apply for naturalization.

The naturalization process will take 8 to 10 months, and includes a personal interview and ceremony, therefore it is advisable to remain in Brazil during this time, or at least be able to easily return to the country.

Proficiency in Portuguese (level B2) or enrollment in a Portuguese language program is required to naturalize as a Brazilian citizen.

Mexico is also a solid option for birth tourism

You can also take advantage of accelerated pathways to permanent residency and citizenship in Mexico by giving birth there. Click here to view our Full Guide to Birth Tourism in Mexico.

Services in Brazil:

• How to obtain residency in Brazil: 6 Key Pathways

Articles on Brazil:

• Residency in Brazil and taxes in Brazil
• How to give birth in Brazil to obtain Brazilian citizenship for your family

Transcript of “How to Give Birth in Brazil and Obtain Brazilian Citizenship for Your Family”

LADISLAS MAURICE: Hello everyone, Ladislas Maurice from thewanderinginvestor.com. So today we are two men that shall be discussing birth tourism in Brazil. Francisco, how are you?

FRANCISCO: Yeah. Good to be with you, Ladislas.

LADISLAS MAURICE: Cool. So I personally did some birth tourism in Mexico. I now have a Mexican child. I really like the program. I’ve made content on on the Mexican option, but there’s also the Brazilian option, whereby if you have a child in Brazil, the child gets immediate Brazilian citizenship. So Francisco, you help clients of yours go through the whole process from arriving, taking care of them, paperwork, choosing hospitals, doctors, etcetera, etcetera.

How to give birth in Brazil to get residency and citizenship in Brazil

LADISLAS MAURICE: So can you take us through the process? Let’s say I call you with my partner and we tell you we want to make a Brazilian baby. How does this work and how can you help?

FRANCISCO: So, in the case of Brazil, as mentioned, if the parents give birth to a child in Brazil, even if the parents are tourists, the child immediately gets the Brazilian citizenship. Then, the parents, the grandparents can apply for permanent residency immediately under family reunification.

LADISLAS MAURICE: Brothers and sisters of the baby.

FRANCISCO: Brothers and sisters of the baby under 18, or if they’re students, up to 24 years old. Or if economically dependent, then whatever age. The birth process itself can be coordinated in top-tier private hospitals. You can expect to pay anywhere between three, maximum like 5K, depending on where you do it. S√£o Paulo, of course, is more expensive than, let’s say, Florian√≥polis, but all of these are top-tier, high-quality hospitals. I myself am Brazilian, and when I want to do my healthcare, I usually go back to Brazil because I know it’s a fair price.

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, what about the the different birth options? Uh, some people want to have an at-home birth, natural birth, others want a C-section. Um, are there options for for everyone?

FRANCISCO: Yes. So, you can do a natural birth in the hospitals, you know, there’s, there’s many, uh, doctors that will suggest a C-section, but you can do a natural birth. We also have contacts and connections with doulas, if you want to do a home birth, it’s also a possibility. When the child is born, there is a child immunization schedule in Brazil, but you can simply tell your doctor that you’d like to have your child immunized in your home country or that you already have a pediatrician abroad, and that you’ll take care of that outside. So, I’ve already, uh, had personal experiences where you just tell and you don’t, uh, have to do it in the country at that moment.

And then getting the child’s paperwork takes a little bit of time, as everything in Brazil. It can take some months until you have all of the papers sorted out. But once you get into Brazil, you know, even as a tourist, if you have to extend that time, you can do an extension for once. And then when you apply for the permanent residency, doesn’t matter how long that takes, you can still remain in the country legally while it’s being processed.

The processing time can go anywhere from, you know, several weeks up to a whole year. Uh, really is for the PR.

LADISLAS MAURICE: For the PR. Do you need the kid’s passport by then, or can you just have the birth certificate to use that as a basis?

FRANCISCO: Exactly, you use the birth certificate.

LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay. So essentially, baby born, a week later, you can be applying for PR.

FRANCISCO: When the baby’s born, you get the, the child’s documents, and then you can already apply for PR. And then if you want, you can also apply for the, for the baby’s passport, but that is not a requirement for the PR.

What documents are required to get residency in Brazil after childbirth?

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, and I need to bring, I’m assuming my apostilled birth certificates.

FRANCISCO: And criminal records.

LADISLAS MAURICE: Criminal background checks.

FRANCISCO: Exactly.

LADISLAS MAURICE: The parents don’t need to be married.

FRANCISCO: The parents don’t have to be married. If they’re giving birth to a child, there’s no need to have a marriage at all. What you have in Brazil also is what’s called a stable union, so that also suffices for all intensive purposes.

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, baby born, a week later I apply for PR. You say it takes a few months to get PR, depending on where we apply. A few months pass, I get PR.

When can I apply for citizenship in Brazil as a permanent resident with a Brazilian child?

LADISLAS MAURICE: When can I apply for citizenship?

FRANCISCO: If you’re the father of a Brazilian national, or mother, then you can qualify for an accelerated citizenship. In just one year of permanent residency, you can go and apply for citizenship. Now, for this one year, you have to spend nine months of that period in Brazil, meaning you can travel for three months, but you should stay nine months out of that out of that time in Brazil, so you can qualify for the citizenship application.

Physical stay requirements to apply for citizenship in Brazil

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, a few months, one year, then I apply. How long until I actually get the citizenship, and do I need to stay in Brazil, uh, during that waiting period?

FRANCISCO: For the citizenship process, it’s one of the fastest in South America. It it can be as fast as eight months, but can take up to 12 months, you know, a year, uh, in general. So we generally say, you know, although it’s a one-year qualification time, the actual duration is going to be about two years and so until you have the Brazilian passport in your hands.

LADISLAS MAURICE: Do I need to be in Brazil during these eight to 12 months?

FRANCISCO: You don’t have to be in Brazil all the time, but they will call you for the, for the interview and for the ceremony. So, if you’re not in Brazil the whole time, at least be close, because if they’re calling you and you’re not there, then that can delay the process for months. So we recommend, stay on the ground, or at the very least be a direct flight away, so you can, you know, make sure you attend all the, all the ceremonies.

Language requirements for Brazilian citizenship

LADISLAS MAURICE: Okay. Are there any language requirements?

FRANCISCO: Yes. So, even for parents of nationals, there is a B2, uh, language requirement, just conversational Portuguese. There’s a possibility of doing this oral test where you, you prove your language skills, but if you haven’t come to that level yet, then there’s some workarounds so you can qualify. So, for example, if you enroll in a Brazilian Portuguese course and you finish that, then that can substitute the interview. So, it’s an option. In one year, you can learn sufficient Portuguese, especially doing a course, so that you can qualify for the citizenship.

LADISLAS MAURICE: I mean, and let’s face it, it’s uh, Brazilians like to talk a lot, so. It’s pretty easy to You’ll be immersed with a lot of Yeah, it’s pretty easy to find people to talk to in Brazil. That’s uh yeah, it’s not like moving to Switzerland and having to learn, you know, Swiss German and just trying to even interact with people. Cool.

FRANCISCO: Exactly.

MERCOSUR passport advantages

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, what about little known benefits of the Brazilian passport? Because we all know it’s a great travel document, EU access, blah blah, neutral country, BRICS, that’s for Westerners specifically, a a Brazilian passport is a fantastic compliment. Um, are there other little benefits that people don’t necessarily know about?

FRANCISCO: The main benefit I would mention is that Brazil is a full Mercosur member. So, Mercosur being the economic settlement block of South America. This means that I as a Brazilian national can request residency in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina, just by showing my birth or naturalization certificate in this case, and proof of no criminal record. So, there’s no need for showing passive income, investment, opening a company, having a job, showing professional qualifications. Just don’t be a criminal and be Brazilian is enough to apply for TR in all of these countries. And then after two years, the Mercosur residency upgrades to PR in all of these countries as well.

LADISLAS MAURICE: And what about the arrangement amongst Portuguese-speaking countries?

Simplified residency in CPLP community for Brazilian citizens

FRANCISCO: There is a similar advantage there. Since 2022, the CPLP signed an immigration treaty creating the CPLP visas and CPLP residencies. So, again, there is this very simplified residency that by now is available in almost all of the Portuguese-speaking countries. Portugal, when they launched it, over 200,000 Brazilians applied on the first month. Uh, so that’s been very popular. The EU is, is suing Portugal on it, so it’s unclear where it’s going to stand, but

LADISLAS MAURICE: Did they get their residency?

FRANCISCO: Yes.

LADISLAS MAURICE: No wonder property prices are through the roof in Portugal. They’re not building that much housing.

FRANCISCO: Yes. Assuming that even if Portugal has to take that out because the EU is suing them, even the regular requirements for, for the other residencies have been lowered for CPLP citizens. For example, as a CPLP citizen, you don’t have to show, uh, that you have insurance, that you have return tickets when you’re getting the residencies in Portugal. So, overall, makes the process simpler. You don’t have to do any translations also. If at a, at a later point you want to naturalize in Portugal, you don’t have to do the Portuguese exam, because you’re already from a Portuguese-speaking country. So, it gives you a number of benefits in all the Portuguese-speaking countries, most notably Portugal and maybe Cape Verde, Angola and Mozambique if, if that matters to you if you’re looking into Africa. And at the same time, all of South America, except Venezuela and the Guianas.

Tax residency in Brazil

LADISLAS MAURICE: Fascinating. Now, let’s go into the the negative aspects of Brazil, namely taxation. Because if you’re going to be a permanent resident of Brazil, living there, working towards citizenship, you’re going to be paying taxes.

FRANCISCO: Exactly. So, when you become a permanent resident of Brazil, you immediately become a tax resident. However, there are some options to pay less tax in Brazil. Legally, there’s no way to pay zero tax, but the tax burden is still going to be much lower than in most of the Western world. So, first of all, there is the Simple Nacional companies. There is this simplified regime for small businesses that earn up to 4.8 million reais a year, so about 800,000 USD. In this regime, you pay tax on your turnover, not on the profit. So, all that you earn, no deductions. And for most people that are earning between 100 to 300K USD a year, you’re going to be between three to 15 percent tax. And then when you have this company, when you distribute the dividends, there is no additional taxation, because Brazil has no taxation of Brazilian dividends. So, that’s already a pretty good taxation level. Most remote entrepreneurs, digital entrepreneurs, service providers, uh, use this, this company regime. And then additionally, since the beginning of 2024, there is the offshore law that went into effect that gives a 15% flat tax on offshore company profits that are attributable to you. So, if you live in Brazil and you have a US LLC that is, you know, disregarded entity, not paying any tax in the US, then you pay 15% tax on the profits of that entity that belong to you on a personal level, distributed or not. So, if the profits stay in the company, you pay the 15 anyway, and then when you distribute the profits, you don’t have to pay it again, or if you distribute it, you pay 15 right then.

LADISLAS MAURICE: So, subjectively, it’s not that bad. Um, just paying a bit of taxes for essentially two years to get an amazing passport and getting to live in Brazil, you know, I think there are worse decisions that one can make in life than that, for sure.

FRANCISCO: I like to joke that, uh, people pay a minimum of 15,000 euros per year to access this amazing 15% flat tax regime of Malta and call it a tax haven. But then when you have the same in Brazil and you have no minimum tax to pay, it’s a tax hell. So, it’s a, it’s a funny, funny anecdote, yeah.

LADISLAS MAURICE: Yeah, and there’s probably more to do in Brazil.

FRANCISCO: And way more to do in Brazil than in Malta. Yes. And the, an important thing is, so you have these two years, you become a Brazilian citizen, and then it’s very easy to stop being a Brazilian tax resident because there is a simplified, uh, tax departure mechanism. You only file a partial year tax filing, there is no exit tax, and Brazil doesn’t even require you to prove that you already have a new tax residence by the time you leave. You can just leave, like I’m, oh, I’m going to this country or this country, but you don’t have to show a tax certificate so they accept your departure. You depart and then later on you can decide which country you want to become a tax resident of.

LADISLAS MAURICE: Interesting. Also, I think it’s important to warn people that if you have permanent residency in Brazil, even if you do not live in Brazil, you are considered a tax resident, correct?

FRANCISCO: Exactly. So, Brazil uses the six-month rule, the 183-day rule for temporary residents. So, under TR, if you spend over six months, you become a tax resident. But for PRs, the moment you step in Brazil with a permanent residency, you count as a tax resident and then have to declare all of your worldwide income and worldwide assets. But again, properly structured, you can expect a 15% tax during this, this two-year period.

LADISLAS MAURICE: This is not tax advice, but generally speaking, if you live in a country that has an active double tax treaty agreement with Brazil, and you genuinely live in that other country and pay taxes in that other country, then that tax treaty would protect you and Brazil would not be able to make you pay taxes in spite of you having permanent residency.

FRANCISCO: In any case, it’s important to note that Brazil does recognize taxes paid abroad to credit Brazilian taxes, even for countries that don’t have a tax treaty. So, for example, in the case of the US, right, if you have taxes being paid in the US, you can credit it against your Brazilian income tax. So, this is very common for Brazilians, let’s say who are investing in US stocks, when they receive the dividends and there’s the 30% withholding, there’s the withholding in the US, and zero tax to be paid in Brazil because our top rate is 27.5. So, they’re crediting the 30 and they, they pay zero additional tax on that. So, especially if you have rental income, if you have income that is already being taxed at the country of origin, you’re not going to double-pay that in Brazil, even if there’s no tax treaty.

How to contact Francisco

LADISLAS MAURICE: Great. So, if you’re interested in finding out more about birth tourism in Brazil, there’s a link below with more information, and then you can get in touch with Francisco and his team for the whole process, choosing the hospitals, the doctors, all the paperwork, and the tax aspect as well. Francisco, thank you very much for your time. Really appreciate it.

FRANCISCO: Thank you, Ladislas. It was a pleasure.

LADISLAS MAURICE: Make sure to download my free ebook, 12 mistakes to avoid when investing in international real estate, which you can find on my website, link below, and feel free to follow me on Instagram @thewanderinginvestor. I look forward to hearing from you.