Apostille and sworn translation: your US document, ready for Brazil.
A US birth certificate, diploma, power of attorney, or court decree is valid in Brazil only with an apostille and, in most cases, a sworn translation. Cartório BR handles both steps, in the right order, and returns everything ready to use. We also work in reverse, preparing Brazilian documents for use in the United States.
- Apostille and translation in one place
- Documents from any US state
- Remote service, no travel required
On its own, a US document is not valid in Brazil.
Many people living in the United States send a document to Brazil, as a copy or as the original, and expect the registry office, the university, or the judge to accept it.
They will not. A foreign document needs proof that its signature and seal are genuine. Since 2016, that proof has been the apostille, issued by the competent authority of the country where the document originated.
Because the document is in English, it also needs a sworn translation by a public translator, the only professional whose work carries official legal standing (fé pública) in Brazil.
People who learn this only after mailing the document waste time, miss deadlines, and often lose the document itself along the way.
Without the apostille, and without the sworn translation when it is required, a US document has no legal effect in Brazil.
The registry office will not record the certificate, the university will not accept the diploma, the notary will not execute a deed under the power of attorney, and the divorce will not be noted on the Brazilian marriage record. The same holds true in reverse: in the United States, a Brazilian certificate needs a Brazilian apostille and, when the agency asks for it, a certified English translation.
What is an apostille, and what is a sworn translation?
The apostille is a standard certificate created by the 1961 Hague Convention. It authenticates the signature on a public document, the capacity of the person who signed it, and its seal or stamp. It is issued by an authority of the country where the document originated: in the United States, for state documents, the Secretary of State of each state. In Washington, the responsible division (Corporations & Charities Division) accepts requests by mail in Olympia and serves walk-in customers in Tumwater and Cheney.
The apostille does not vouch for what the document says. It confirms that the signature and seal are authentic and that whoever issued the document had the authority to do so. Because the content will be read in Brazil, it generally needs to be translated into Portuguese.
A sworn translation (tradução juramentada) is one prepared by a public translator and interpreter registered with a State Commercial Registry (Junta Comercial) in Brazil. The law presumes it to be faithful and accurate, and it is the only translation with official legal standing before Brazilian registry offices and government agencies.
In the reverse direction, a printed Brazilian certificate is apostilled by the registry office in Brazil, through the system of Brazil's National Council of Justice. If the US agency asks for it, the certificate comes with a certified English translation. That set is accepted by schools, immigration authorities, insurers, banks, and courts in the United States.
A certificate, diploma, power of attorney, or court decree issued in the United States, in English, with no apostille.
The same document with an apostille from the Secretary of State and the sworn translation attached.
Who this service is for
A US birth, marriage, or death certificate
This is the most common case. You need it to record the certificate at a Brazilian registry office (transcription), to get your child's Brazilian passport, and for a divorce or probate in Brazil. The certificate must be a certified copy from the vital records office. If you do not have one, we request a first or replacement copy for you.
Diplomas, transcripts, and course certificates
You need them to revalidate your diploma, continue your studies, take a civil service exam, or work in Brazil. The apostille is mandatory. Whether a sworn translation is also needed depends on who receives the document: for revalidation, the rules of Brazil's Ministry of Education (MEC) waive it for documents in English; for an exam, a job, or other uses, it may be required.
A power of attorney signed in the United States
It allows someone to sell or buy property, manage a bank account, or represent you in probate or a lawsuit in Brazil. You sign the power of attorney before a notary in the United States, and it then receives the apostille and the translation.
A divorce, custody, or adoption decree
In a simple uncontested divorce, the decree goes straight to the Brazilian registry office, which notes the divorce on the marriage record (averbação). When the case involves custody, support, division of property, or adoption, the decree must first be recognized, that is, validated, by Brazil's Superior Court of Justice (STJ).
Other personal and business documents
This includes criminal background checks, affidavits, contracts, and corporate documents. If it was issued or notarized in the United States and is headed to Brazil, it needs an apostille and a translation.
A Brazilian certificate for use in the United States
We obtain the apostilled Brazilian certificate and the certified English translation, ready for you to present to a school, immigration authorities, an insurer, a bank, or a court.
The document comes back just when you need it most.
The registry office in Brazil receives your child's US birth certificate and sends it back: no apostille, no recording. The university returns the diploma: no apostille, no review. The notary returns the power of attorney: without an apostille or a translation, no deed. The registry office returns the divorce decree: no apostille, no divorce entry. And when the decree requires recognition, Brazil's Superior Court of Justice turns it down as well.
Every rejection costs weeks. The document travels back, the process stalls, and you learn that you have to start over with the apostille, here in the state that issued it.
One mistake causes even longer delays: believing the apostille replaces the transcription, which is the recording of the certificate in Brazil. It does not. The apostilled and translated certificate is precisely what the registry office requires to make that record, which is still necessary. The apostille is the first step, not the last.
Without the apostille and the translation, these processes can stall:
- Recording a US certificate in Brazil (transcription)
- A Brazilian passport for a child born here, when the birth is registered in Brazil rather than at the consulate
- Diploma revalidation
- Enrollment in a college or course in Brazil
- Selling or buying property through a power of attorney
- Recording a divorce in Brazil (averbação)
- Probate and the division of assets
- Registering a document at a registry office
- And, in the other direction, acceptance of a Brazilian certificate by a school, immigration authorities, an insurer, or a court in the United States
Brazilian law has required the apostille since 2016, and only a public translator's work carries official legal standing.
The Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, signed at The Hague on October 5, 1961, was promulgated in Brazil by Decree No. 8,660 of January 29, 2016, and entered into force for the country on August 14, 2016. Article 3 of the Convention provides that the only formality that may be required to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the signer, and the seal of a public document is the apostille, issued by the competent authority of the State of origin. Article 1 lists what counts as a public document: documents from a public authority or official, administrative documents, notarial acts, and official certificates placed on documents signed by private persons, such as signature certifications.
In Brazil, Resolution No. 228 of June 22, 2016, of the National Council of Justice (CNJ) implements the Convention. Article 2 provides that apostilles issued by countries that are parties to the Convention are accepted throughout Brazil in place of diplomatic or consular legalization. The sole paragraph of Article 1 defines legalization, which the apostille replaces, as the formality that certifies the authenticity of the signature, the office or position of the signer, and, where applicable, the seal or stamp. What the apostille certifies is set out in Article 3 of the Convention and in Article 8, § 2, of the Resolution itself.
For civil registration, Article 2, Paragraph 1, of Resolution No. 155 of July 16, 2012, issued by Brazil's National Council of Justice (CNJ), requires a foreign birth, marriage, or death certificate to be translated by a sworn public translator registered with a Brazilian State Commercial Registry before it is transcribed in Brazil. In other words, the apostille does not replace the translation, and the apostille with the translation does not replace the transcription. For certain uses, Brazil's Public Records Act (Law No. 6,015/1973, Article 129, item 6, and Article 148) also requires the foreign document and its translation to be registered with the Registry of Deeds and Documents (Registro de Títulos e Documentos) in Brazil; notaries often ask for this registration before executing a deed under a power of attorney signed abroad.
Sworn translation is governed by Law No. 14,195 of August 26, 2021, Articles 22 to 34. Article 26 makes the public translator and interpreter the only professional authorized to translate any document that must be submitted in another language to a government agency, a notary's office, or a registry of deeds and documents. Under Article 27, translations by a public translator are presumed faithful and accurate, and no translation has official legal standing unless it is made by one, with the exceptions the law itself provides. Article 24 ensures that a translator registered with one State Commercial Registry may work in any state. The former Decree No. 13,609 of 1943, which governed the profession, was repealed by that same law (Article 57).
In the United States, the apostille for a state document is issued by the Secretary of State of the state where the document was issued or notarized. In Washington, the office accepts an original or a certified copy issued by a state public entity, a certified court document, and a personal document notarized by a Washington notary with a complete notarial certificate (sos.wa.gov, Apostilles Program). A document from another state goes to that state's Secretary of State. Cartório BR knows each state's process.
Sources: Decree No. 8,660/2016 and the text of the Convention (planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2016/decreto/d8660.htm); CNJ Resolution No. 228/2016, Articles 1, 2, and 8, § 2 (the latter as amended by CNJ Resolution No. 392/2021; atos.cnj.jus.br/atos/detalhar/2299); CNJ Resolution No. 155/2012, Article 2, § 1 (atos.cnj.jus.br, consolidated text); Law No. 14,195/2021, Articles 22 to 34 and 57 (planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2019-2022/2021/lei/l14195.htm); Law No. 6,015/1973, Article 129, item 6, and Article 148 (planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l6015compilada.htm); Brazilian Code of Civil Procedure (CPC), Law No. 13,105/2015, Article 961, § 5 (planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2015/lei/l13105.htm); MEC Ordinance No. 1,151/2023, Article 11 and its sole paragraph.
The only formality that may be required to certify the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the signer, and the seal of a public document is the apostille, issued by the competent authority of the State of origin.
Apostilles issued by countries that are parties to the Convention are accepted throughout Brazil in place of diplomatic or consular legalization.
What you need to send
Apostille and translation of a US document
- The original document to be apostilled (certified copy of a certificate, diploma, power of attorney, court decree, or another public or notarized document)
- Photo ID of the document holder: a valid Brazilian passport, a US driver's license, or a US state ID
- How the document will be used in Brazil, so our team can confirm the type of translation and the number of pages
Printed Brazilian birth certificate with an apostille
- Photo ID of the certificate holder: a valid original Brazilian passport or a Brazilian ID card
- An older copy of the certificate (or the registration details: registry office, book, page, and entry number)
- Recent proof of address
- CPF number (Brazilian taxpayer ID), if you have one
Certified translation from Portuguese into English
- The Brazilian document to be translated, clearly legible, with every page (including the back and the apostille, if any)
First certified copy of a US birth certificate for a minor
- Hospital birth record
- Mother's valid passport
- Father's valid passport
- Proof of address for the parent making the request, if their driver's license is not up to date
Replacement copy of a US birth certificate for a minor
- The minor's US birth certificate, or the hospital birth record
- Mother's valid passport and a certificate showing her marital status (birth or marriage certificate)
- Father's valid passport and a certificate showing his marital status (birth or marriage certificate)
- US driver's license or state ID of at least one parent
- SSN or ITIN of the parent making the request
- Proof of address for the parent making the request, if their driver's license is not up to date
First or replacement copy of a US birth certificate for an adult
- SSN or ITIN
- The US birth certificate, if you have it
- US driver's license or state ID (if you have neither, your Brazilian passport)
You do not need to travel to Brazil or visit the Secretary of State.
You contact Cartório BR
Our team asks what the document is, where it was issued, and how it will be used in Brazil. With that information, we tell you whether it needs an apostille, a translation, or both, and whether the certificate you have will work or a new copy must be ordered.
You hand over the original document
The apostille is attached to the physical document. You can drop it off at our office in Bothell or mail it to us, following our team's guidance. Powers of attorney and affidavits must be signed before a notary. If the document is prepared with us, notarization is already included in the service.
Cartório BR handles the apostille and the translation
We send the document to the Secretary of State and track its progress. When it comes back apostilled, we forward the full set to a public translator for the sworn translation. If you are in a hurry, we request the office's expedited processing.
You receive the finished document
The apostilled document and the sworn translation come back to you, ready for the registry office, the university, or the court in Brazil. Our team explains how to send them where they need to go and, if the next step is transcribing the certificate, stays with you through that stage as well.
Why choose Cartório BR for your apostille and translation?
Experience in both Brazil and the United States
Francisco Harto has lived in the United States since 2016 and, since 2017, has volunteered with the Brazilian consulate's mobile missions. For more than five years, Cartório BR has served Brazilians living in the United States, mainly in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco.
Both steps in one place
An apostille in one place, a translator in another, the mail in between: that is how documents get lost. With us, you hand over your document once and receive the complete set, apostille and sworn translation, in the right order.
We know where your document is going
Every day, Cartório BR handles certificate transcriptions, passports, powers of attorney, and divorces bound for Brazil. We know what each destination will ask for, and we prepare your document to arrive complete.
Washington and every other state
A document issued in California, Oregon, Florida, or any other state goes to the right Secretary of State, without you having to track down each office's address, form, and fee.
Mistakes that get a document sent back
Sending the document to Brazil without an apostille, assuming a certified photocopy is enough.
Getting the apostille but skipping the translation, or using an ordinary translator whose work has no official legal standing in Brazil.
Translating before the apostille is added, which leaves the apostille itself untranslated.
Requesting the apostille in Washington for a certificate issued in another state.
Using the decorative birth certificate from the hospital instead of the certified copy from the vital records office.
Believing the apostille replaces transcription of the certificate at the Brazilian registry office.
Having the power of attorney signed before a notary who does not complete the full notarial certificate. The Secretary of State will reject it.
The timeline depends on the US agency and the sworn translation.
According to the official website of the Washington Secretary of State, standard processing generally takes 7 to 10 business days after the request is received and may take longer during high-volume periods. Expedited processing generally takes 2 to 3 business days. Same-day walk-in service is also available, subject to the office's hours and volume (sos.wa.gov, Apostilles Program, checked on 10/13/2026). Add to that the time in the mail and the sworn translation, which depends on the number of pages. For documents from other states, the timeline is set by that state's Secretary of State, and our team will let you know when we review your case. During that review, we also give you the timeline for an apostilled Brazilian certificate and for a first or replacement copy of a US certificate. The timeline for the US copy depends on the issuing office and, with express shipping, is usually around 5 days. The sooner you get started, the lower the risk that the transcription, the enrollment, or the case in Brazil is left waiting on it.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, when the document is public or was notarized in the United States and will have legal effect in Brazil. That includes birth, marriage, and death certificates, diplomas and transcripts, powers of attorney, court decrees, criminal background checks, and corporate documents. The apostille is issued by the Secretary of State of the state where the document originated. Federal documents follow a different route, and our team will guide you when we review your case.
In most cases, yes. The apostille certifies that the document is authentic; it does not translate anything. Because the document is in English, registry offices and government agencies in Brazil require a sworn translation by a Brazilian public translator and interpreter. For diploma revalidation, the rules of Brazil's Ministry of Education (MEC) waive the translation of documents in English, but the university may still ask for one.
No. The Brazilian registry office receives the US certificate with its apostille and translation, and only then carries out the transcription, the act that enters the birth, marriage, or death into Brazil's civil registry. Cartório BR handles both steps and stays with you until you have the Brazilian certificate.
No. The apostille is issued here in the United States by the state where the document originated. The sworn translation is done remotely by a Brazilian public translator. You drop off your document at our office in Bothell, or mail it to us, and receive everything ready to use.
No. Cartório BR submits the document to the Washington Secretary of State and tracks it through processing. If you are in a hurry, you can request expedited processing, which, according to the office's official website, generally takes 2 to 3 business days.
Yes. Each state apostilles its own documents, and Cartório BR sends yours to the Secretary of State of the correct state.
Cartório BR requests a first or replacement copy from the office that holds the record, follows up until it arrives, and then takes care of the apostille and the translation. The timeline depends on the issuing office; with express shipping, it is usually around 5 days. The certified copy from the vital records office is the only version the Secretary of State accepts.
We handle that too. The printed Brazilian certificate is issued and apostilled in Brazil, through the system of Brazil's National Council of Justice, and then delivered to you. If the US agency asks for it, we provide a certified English translation.
No. Cartório BR is a private document services company. The apostille is issued by the Secretary of State or by the Brazilian registry office, and the sworn translation is made by a registered public translator. We advise you, prepare your paperwork, and follow the process through.
Before you send your document to Brazil, find out whether it will be accepted.
Do you have a US certificate, diploma, power of attorney, or court decree that needs to be valid in Brazil? That document will need an apostille and, in most cases, a sworn translation. Bring it to Cartório BR: we take care of both steps, and you receive everything ready. Need the reverse, an apostilled Brazilian certificate or an English translation? We handle that too.
Remote service for Brazilians in the United States, with a team in both countries.