Proof of life, certificate of residence, and certified copies in the format Brazil requires.
Proof of life for the INSS (Brazil's National Social Security Institute), a certificate of residence for your move back, a certified copy in place of the original: each situation calls for a different document. Cartório BR identifies which one you need, reviews your paperwork, and tracks your request. The certificates and certified copies are issued by the Brazilian consulate; our job is to make sure everything is complete and in order.
- The right route: consulate or notary public
- Documents reviewed before anything is sent
- A team in the United States and in Brazil
A certificate seems like a small detail until the day you need it.
INSS beneficiaries must complete proof of life every year, in the month of their birthday. If the INSS does not receive it, the law allows the agency to withhold payment until the situation is resolved. The money you count on every month can be held up by a single piece of paper.
If you are moving back to Brazil, the duty exemption on furniture and household goods requires proof of more than one year of residence abroad. Without it, your shipment arrives in Brazil with the exemption at risk.
Then come the most common mistakes, which are procedural: requesting the wrong certificate for the agency, apostilling the form after the deadline, or proving residence with a document the consulate does not accept. Each mistake means a new request, another round of mail, and more weeks of waiting.
The document itself is simple. Getting it accepted depends on three things: the correct type, the required format, and the deadline.
For a Brazilian agency, the truth is not enough. It has to be proven in the format the agency accepts.
What each document is
The proof of life certificate (atestado de vida) shows the INSS, or any other Brazilian agency that pays a retirement or survivor's pension, that you are alive. There are two routes: appear in person at the consulate, or sign the INSS form before a notary public. On the second route, the form is then apostilled by the state authority (usually the Secretary of State; in Alaska, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor).
The certificate of residence (atestado de residência), issued by the consulate, certifies how long you have lived abroad. It is most often used when moving back to Brazil for good: together with your proof of address, it shows Brazil's Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal) that you meet the time requirement for the duty exemption on your household goods. The Receita Federal may ask for additional proof.
With consular authentication, the consulate compares a copy of a Brazilian document with the original and certifies that it is a true copy. The consular registration card (carteira de matrícula consular), in turn, is a Brazilian ID in English, issued by the consulate to people who live within its jurisdiction.
Without the right document: your proof of life never reaches the INSS, your shipment lands in Brazil with no proof of your time abroad, and the institution rejects a plain copy.
With the right document: your proof of life reaches the INSS on time, your shipment travels with the certificate of residence, and a certified copy takes the place of the original, which stays with you.
Who this service is for
People who receive a retirement or survivor's pension from Brazil.
INSS beneficiaries, as well as retirees and pensioners of Brazilian government agencies, must provide proof of life periodically. If you live in the United States, you can do it through the consulate or with the form signed before a notary public.
People moving back to Brazil.
The duty exemption on furniture and household goods requires more than one year of residence abroad. To bring work tools, you must also prove the profession you practiced outside Brazil. The consulate's certificate of residence is one of the most widely used forms of proof.
People who need a certified copy or a consular ID.
Has a bank, a Brazilian notary office (cartório), or another institution asked for a certified copy of a Brazilian document? Do you need a Brazilian ID in English? Both requests go to the consulate, and a certified copy means you don't have to send the original.
What the law says
Law No. 8,212 of 1991 requires benefit recipients to complete proof of life every year, in the month of their birthday. Until it is done, the INSS may withhold payment. For those living abroad, the INSS accepts a proof of life certificate issued by a Brazilian consulate or embassy, or the agency's own form, signed before a notary public and apostilled. According to the official INSS page, this document is valid for 90 days from the date of the apostille, which must be issued within 30 days after the signature is notarized.
The apostille comes from the Hague Convention, promulgated in Brazil by Decree No. 8,660 of 2016: it is the only formality that may be required to certify the notary public's signature. The Convention does not, however, apply to documents issued by consular officers: a certificate issued at the consulate is already a Brazilian public document and is valid in Brazil without an apostille. Article 18 of the Law of Introduction to the Norms of Brazilian Law (LINDB) gives the consulate authority to perform notarial acts for Brazilian citizens, such as authenticating copies.
When you move back to Brazil, the Customs Regulations (Regulamento Aduaneiro) exempt the furniture and household goods of anyone who has lived abroad for more than one year. For tools, machines, and work instruments, the exemption also requires prior proof of the activity carried out abroad (Article 162, § 1). The consular registration card is governed by the Travel Documents Regulations, which define it as a travel document owned by the Brazilian federal government, issued to Brazilians who live within the consulate's jurisdiction, to serve as Brazilian identification in the language of the country where they live.
Anyone who receives a benefit shall complete a proof of life every year, in the month of the beneficiary's birthday, preferably through electronic service using biometrics, or by another means defined by the INSS that ensures the unequivocal identification of the beneficiary, implemented by the financial institutions that pay the benefits (...)
The INSS may withhold payment of the benefit sent to the financial institutions until the beneficiary completes the proof of life.
Notarial acts and official certifications of signatures are public documents for the purposes of the Convention, and the apostille is the only formality that may be required to certify the signature; the Convention does not apply to documents executed by diplomatic or consular agents.
A Brazilian who has stayed abroad for more than one year is entitled to an exemption on furniture and other household goods and on tools, machines, devices, and instruments needed to practice their profession, whether new or used.
In the case of Brazilian citizens, Brazilian consular authorities are competent to perform their marriages and other civil registry and notarial acts.
The consular registration card is issued by consular offices to Brazilians residing or domiciled within their jurisdiction, to provide a Brazilian identification document in the local language; its use in place of a passport to travel to Brazil depends on agreements between the governments.
In dealings between government agencies and citizens, authentication of copies of documents is waived, and the government employee, after comparing the original with the copy, certifies its authenticity.
What to have ready for each request
- Proof of life: a valid Brazilian photo ID (passport or RG, Brazil's national identity card)
- Proof of life: a birth or marriage certificate, depending on your current marital status (if you are divorced, the marriage certificate with the divorce already annotated on it, known as averbação)
- Proof of life: CPF number (Brazil's individual taxpayer number), occupation, purpose of the certificate (INSS or another agency), paying agency, benefit number, full address in the United States, phone number, and email
- Certificate of residence: a valid Brazilian passport and an original Brazilian photo ID
- Certificate of residence: a certificate proving your marital status or a naturalization certificate, CPF number, occupation, email, and date of arrival in the United States
- Certificate of residence: original proof of the period you lived abroad, such as a lease, water or electricity bills, school transcripts, and car insurance
- Consular authentication: the original Brazilian document and the copy to be authenticated (for a passport, the pages with your photo and signature), your CPF number, and proof of your current address (a driver's license works if the address is up to date)
- Consular registration card: a valid Brazilian passport or an RG issued within the last 10 years, plus a birth or marriage certificate
- Consular registration card: original proof of residence showing the same address the card will be mailed to, and a recent 2 x 2 inch photo
- Consular registration card: email, height, and two reference contacts, one in Brazil and one in the United States (name, address, phone, email, and relationship)
How it works, step by step
Tell us what you need the document for.
Whether it is for the INSS, another paying agency, the Receita Federal when you move back to Brazil, a bank, or a cartório, the team identifies which document the recipient requires and the best route for you (the consulate, or the form with a notary public and an apostille).
Send your documents for review.
The team reviews every document before anything is sent and prepares the form. Then we guide you through filing the request on e-consular, the consulate's official system, using your gov.br account. This lowers the risk of your request being returned for a missing or nonconforming document.
The team handles the next step.
If you choose the notary public route, the team arranges the signature and the apostille within the deadlines the INSS requires. If you go through the consulate, the team advises you on appearing in person or applying by mail and tracks the request until the consulate responds.
You receive the document ready to use.
Once you have the certificate, certified copy, or consular registration card in hand, you will know exactly where and how to submit it: through Meu INSS (the INSS online portal), or by mail to the INSS, to the Receita Federal, or to the institution that requested it.
Why choose Cartório BR?
The right document for the right agency.
A proof of life certificate and a certificate of residence may sound alike, but they are not the same. The consulate itself points out that, for Brazil's Social Security, the correct request is the proof of life certificate. You won't waste time or pay a fee for the wrong document.
Deadlines managed from start to finish.
With the INSS form, the apostille must be issued within 30 days after you sign before the notary public, and the document is valid for 90 days from the apostille. The team plans every step around these deadlines so your proof of life reaches the INSS while it is still valid.
Hands-on knowledge of the consulate.
Francisco Harto started in 2017 as a volunteer on the Brazilian consulate's mobile missions and knows from experience what the consulate and Brazilian agencies require.
A team in the United States and in Brazil.
Here in the United States, the team assists you, reviews your documents, guides you through the notary public step, and tracks your request on e-consular. In Brazil, our team knows what Brazilian agencies require. You don't have to face forms, apostilles, and mailing rules on your own.
Support until delivery.
You get clear guidance at every step and always know where your request stands, until the document reaches you or whoever will use it.
Mistakes that delay the request or lead to rejection
Requesting a certificate of residence when the INSS needs a proof of life certificate.
Apostilling the INSS form more than 30 days after signing before the notary public, or sending it after the 90-day validity period.
Sending the proof of life by email, a channel the INSS itself asks people not to use.
Proving residence abroad with bank statements or cell phone bills, which the Consulate General in San Francisco does not accept for this certificate.
Signing before a notary public from another state and requesting the apostille in Washington: the Washington Secretary of State only apostilles documents notarized by a Washington notary public.
Putting off your proof of life until your payment has already been withheld.
How long it takes and when to apply
It depends on the document and the route you choose. According to the official pages of the Consulate General in San Francisco, the proof of life certificate is issued on the day of your in-person appointment, after your request is validated and scheduled. The certificate of residence, requested by mail, takes an average of 10 business days from receipt of the complete documentation. As of our last check, on October 13, 2026, processing times for the consular registration card were temporarily suspended. On the notary public route, an apostille from the Washington Secretary of State usually takes 7 to 10 business days with standard service. During the initial review, the team gives you an estimate for your case. If you are moving, request the certificate of residence well in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Not necessarily. The Consulate General in San Francisco, which serves Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Northern and Central California, issues the proof of life certificate when you appear in person. The INSS also accepts its own form, signed before a notary public and apostilled, so you do not have to go through the consulate.
No. The consulate's guidance is clear: for Brazil's Social Security, the document is the proof of life certificate. The certificate of residence proves how long you lived abroad, mainly when you move back to Brazil for good.
According to the INSS, the certificate is valid for 90 days. With the form signed before a notary public, that period runs from the date of the apostille, which must be issued within 30 days after the signature. You send the certificate to the INSS once a year, in the month of your birthday.
Through Meu INSS, using the service "Acordo Internacional: Solicitar Atualização de Atestado de Vida" (International Agreement: Request a Proof of Life Update) with the document attached, or by mail to the INSS international agreements office designated for the country where you live. The INSS asks that the document not be sent by email.
No. The consulate only authenticates copies of Brazilian documents. A U.S. document for use in Brazil follows a different route: the apostille. And if you can present the original to a Brazilian government agency, the law waives authentication: the agency employee checks the copy against the original.
In practice, no. It is classified as a travel document, but its use in place of a passport to travel to Brazil depends on agreements between the two governments. In the United States, it serves as Brazilian identification in the local language, and each institution decides whether to accept it.
Don't let a certificate hold up your benefit or your move.
Whether it is your INSS benefit, your move back to Brazil, or a certified copy, Cartório BR identifies the right document, reviews your paperwork, and tracks your request until it is ready.
Remote service for Brazilians in the United States, with a team in both countries.