Registering Your Marriage in Brazil | Brazil Counsel (2024)

FAQs

Registering Your Marriage in Brazil | Brazil Counsel? ›

To take effect in Brazil, the marriage must be registered in a Brazilian consular office and the registration must be later transcribed in a Brazilian registry. For consular registration of marriage, the presence of both spouses at the Embassy is required.

To take full legal effect in Brazil, the marriage must be registered with Brazilian authorities. There are two ways to register: at the Embassy (with subsequent transcription at 1st Registry Office (Cartório de 1o Ofício) in Brazil or directly at a 1st Registry Office (Cartório de 1o Ofício), in Brazil.

The United States has no national registration of marriages, foreign or domestic. U.S. states recognize marriages performed in other states and in other countries. If your marriage was legally performed in the country or state where you got married, then the marriage is recognized in the United States.

MARRIAGE IN BRAZIL

For individuals of foreign nationality intending to marry in Brazil, their valid passport serves as the form of identification throughout the entire marriage procedure, irrespective of their country of origin.

Having immediate family ties entitles you to Brazilian citizenship within one year. That means citizenship by marriage is possible, just as it is by giving birth or adopting a child. Simply being married to a native Brazilian can be equally beneficial for claiming a second passport.

In general, marriages which are legally performed and valid abroad are also legally valid in the United States. Inquiries regarding the validity of a marriage abroad should be directed to the attorney general of the state in the United States where the parties to the marriage live.

Apply for the license: To apply for the marriage license, you will need to go to the local county clerk's office or other designated office in the jurisdiction where you plan to get married. You will need to fill out an application and provide the necessary documents.

If you were married abroad, you will need to check the U.S. Department of State's website for the name of the issuing authority of the country where your marriage took place, as well as the current fee and procedures for obtaining an official copy.

Does Brazil allow dual citizenship with us? ›

That is, the national legal system allows Brazilians to have dual or multiple nationalities ONLY if the other nationality(ies) arise from birth in a foreign territory (original nationality), of foreign ancestry (original nationality) or naturalization by imposition of a foreign rule.

Children born in Brazil to American parents, except those in diplomatic or official status, acquire Brazilian Citizenship at birth as well as a possible claim to American Citizenship.

In 2021, Brazil saw a record number of divorces, with 80,573 official separations, according to the Association of Registrars of Natural Persons, which records registry data. This represents an almost 4-percent increase compared to 2020, which itself was a record year. Out of every 100 marriages, nine broke up.

Birth, marriage, and death records may be found by contacting or visiting local civil registration offices or district and state civil archives in Brazil. The present location of records depends on whether the local office has sent its records to the higher jurisdiction.

Once the required documents have been filed and the fee paid, there is a waiting period of about 30 days before the marriage license is approved. At this point, the marriage license is valid for three months during which time you may legally get married.

You may execute such an affidavit at a U.S. embassy or consulate. The U.S. embassy or consulate cannot attest to your marital status. However, most countries will accept a statement from you regarding your ability to marry if your signature on the affidavit has been notarized by a U.S. consular officer.