No valid passport? See whether the ARB can get you home to Brazil.
The Brazilian consulate may issue an Authorization to Return to Brazil (Autorização de Retorno ao Brasil, or ARB) to someone who needs to go back and cannot obtain a passport. It is not a fast-track passport: it is valid for a single trip home, must be requested in person, and is subject to the consulate's review. Cartório BR confirms whether your case calls for an ARB or a passport and prepares the documents on the consulate's checklist.
- Your case reviewed before you go to the consulate
- Form, 2x2 photo, and statements handled in Bothell
- Serving Brazilians across the United States
Many people in a hurry to get home learn the ARB rules at the consulate counter.
Your passport was lost or stolen. Or it expired and the new one will not be ready in time. Or you are missing a document you need to apply for a new one. And you need to go back to Brazil: an illness in the family, a permanent move, a situation that cannot wait.
At that moment, many people hear about the ARB and assume it is a temporary passport, faster and simpler to get. It is not. In its 2026 FAQ, the Consulate General of Brazil in San Francisco makes clear that the ARB is not an optional substitute for a passport. It is granted only in exceptional cases and depends on the Vice Consul's review.
If you show up at the consulate without the right documents, or with a case that does not qualify for an ARB, you may waste the trip and, in some cases, miss your scheduled flight.
The ARB only gets you back to Brazil. It cannot be used for a vacation, for travel to another country, or to return to the United States.
The ARB takes you to Brazil and is collected when you arrive.
Brazil's Federal Police (Polícia Federal) keep it at immigration. It does not allow you to return to the United States or travel to any other country; for that, you will need a passport issued in Brazil. So before asking how to apply for an ARB, ask whether it is truly the right document for you.
What is the Authorization to Return to Brazil?
The ARB is a Brazilian travel document established by the Travel Documents Regulation (Regulamento de Documentos de Viagem), alongside the passport and the laissez-passer. Consulates issue it to people who need to return to Brazil and do not meet the requirements for a passport.
It is valid only for the trip home. When you land in Brazil, Federal Police immigration officers collect it. The federal government's Service Charter (Carta de Serviços) describes its validity as limited to the minimum needed for the return. The ARB page of the Consulate General in San Francisco does not set a specific number of days.
Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) sets the conditions for granting an ARB, and each consulate publishes its own document checklist and procedure. If you live in Washington State, Oregon, Alaska, or Northern California, you are served by the Consulate General in San Francisco. According to that consulate's ARB page, the document is intended for people returning to Brazil permanently and can only be requested in person.
According to the federal government's Service Charter, the ARB is free of charge. The decision to issue it always rests with the consulate.
Who may qualify for an ARB
Your passport was lost or stolen
First, report the loss or theft, either with a police report from your local U.S. police department or with the consulate's form for lost, stolen, or destroyed travel documents. If your passport was still valid and was stolen, file a police report: in Brazil, the Federal Police charge only the standard fee for a new passport when you present that report with a sworn translation. If you cannot gather the documents for a new passport, the consulate may consider issuing an ARB.
Your passport expired and you are moving back for good
If you are leaving the United States for good and do not meet the requirements for a new passport, you may apply for an ARB.
You have no Brazilian documents at all
The Consulate General in San Francisco may accept a statement from two Brazilian witnesses with valid Brazilian IDs confirming the applicant's nationality and personal information. If the witnesses cannot appear at the consulate, they can sign before a notary public within the consulate's jurisdiction.
You are returning with a minor child
A child or teenager may also receive an ARB, provided they have a Brazilian birth certificate and authorization from both parents. The Regulation makes an exception when one parent has died or has lost parental authority, or when the birth certificate lists only one parent. A child born in the United States must first have their birth registered at the consulate.
The problem shows up when your trip home already has a date.
Almost nobody looks into the ARB with time to spare. It comes up when a passport goes missing the day before a trip, when a relative falls ill in Brazil, or when the decision to move back for good has been made and the new passport will not be ready in time.
That rush is when mistakes happen: people arrive at the consulate without a plane ticket, without a signed form, without a photo that meets the standard, without a police report, or, for a minor child, without one parent's signature. The application may stall, and you may have to travel to San Francisco again.
It is also in that rush that many people book a flight with a connection that requires entering another country, as if the ARB worked like a passport. It does not.
The ARB paperwork is not long, but every item has to be right on the day of your appointment. With guidance, everything is ready before you go to the consulate. Done at the last minute, it may cost you a second trip.
Without the right travel document, any of these can be held up:
- Boarding your flight to Brazil
- Going home to care for a sick relative
- Your planned permanent move back
- Bringing home a minor child who has no passport
- A plane ticket you already bought
- A flight with a connection that requires entering another country
- Leaving Brazil again without a passport
The ARB is set out in Brazil's Travel Documents Regulation. The consulate decides each case.
The Travel Documents Regulation is the annex to Decree No. 1,983/1996, as amended by Decree No. 5,978/2006 and later decrees, including Decree No. 8,374/2014. This regulation establishes the ARB and defines who it is for, how long it is valid, and who sets the conditions for granting it.
Those conditions are set by Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the document checklist and procedure may differ from one consulate to another. This page follows the rules of the Consulate General of Brazil in San Francisco, which serves Washington State, Oregon, Alaska, and Northern California.
The rule itself is short, but the application calls for attention to detail: which document counts as proof of identity, who signs for a minor, and what to do when there is no Brazilian document at all. Those details are where Cartório BR helps.
The authorization to return to Brazil is listed among Brazilian travel documents, alongside the passport and the laissez-passer.
The authorization to return to Brazil is the travel document issued by consular offices to a person who, in order to return to Brazilian territory, does not meet the requirements for a passport or a laissez-passer.
The conditions for granting the authorization to return to Brazil are set by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The authorization to return to Brazil is valid for the duration of the return trip and is collected by the Federal Police immigration control upon arrival in Brazil.
Unless the minor's legal incapacity has ended as provided by law (for example, through emancipation), no travel document may be issued to a minor under 18 without the express authorization of both parents or the legal guardian. Authorization from one parent is enough if the other has died or has lost parental authority (poder familiar), as shown by a death certificate or by a Brazilian court decision or a legalized foreign court decision, or when only one parent appears on the birth certificate or ID. If the parents disagree, a court decision is required.
Documents the consulate requires
Adults 18 and older
- The original and one copy of a Brazilian document: a previous passport, an RG (Brazilian state ID card) issued by a Department of Public Security, a professional ID card (from the Brazilian Bar Association, OAB, or another professional board), a Brazilian driver's license (CNH) with photo, or a Brazilian birth or marriage certificate together with another photo ID
- The travel document form, completed online, printed, and signed by hand
- One 2x2-inch photo taken within the last 6 months, facing forward, with nothing covering the head, a white background, and a neutral expression
- A plane ticket to Brazil
- If your passport was lost or stolen: the police report or the consulate's form for lost, stolen, or destroyed travel documents. In case of theft, choose the police report: in Brazil, the Federal Police charge only the standard fee for a new passport when you present a police report.
Minors under 18
- The original and one copy of the Brazilian birth certificate or Brazilian RG
- The parents' Brazilian photo IDs (a non-Brazilian parent presents their passport)
- The minor's previous passport or, if it was lost or stolen, the police report
- The printed travel document form, signed by both parents in front of a consular officer; a parent who cannot attend signs the form before a notary public
- One 2x2-inch photo taken within the last 6 months, facing forward, without glasses, with nothing covering the head, and with a white background
- A plane ticket to Brazil
Applicants with no Brazilian documents
- A statement from two Brazilian witnesses with valid Brazilian IDs confirming the applicant's nationality and personal information, made at the consulate or signed before a notary public within the consulate's jurisdiction (acceptance is at the consulate's discretion)
How Cartório BR prepares you for the consulate
You tell us about your situation
The team asks what happened to your passport, why you need to go back, whether the move is permanent, when you plan to travel, and which Brazilian documents you have. Based on your answers, we determine whether your case calls for an ARB or a passport.
The team prepares your documents
The team fills out the travel document form for you to sign, takes your 2x2 photo to the consulate's standard, and gathers the police report or the consulate's form for lost, stolen, or destroyed travel documents. When needed, the witnesses sign their statement, or the parent who will not attend signs the form, before a notary public.
You go to the consulate
You request the ARB in person at the Consulate General of Brazil in San Francisco, with your original documents (or certified copies) and your ticket to Brazil. According to the consulate's 2026 FAQ, passport applications first go through a screening on e-Consular, the online consular services system. For the ARB, the consulate's page mentions only an in-person request, and the team confirms the current procedure before you go. At the appointment, the Vice Consul reviews your case, may ask for additional documents or an interview, and decides whether to issue the ARB.
You travel and hand in the ARB in Brazil
The ARB is valid for the trip back, and the Federal Police keep it when you arrive. The team explains what you will need later, in Brazil, to get a passport if you want to travel again.
Why work with Cartório BR?
Experience with consular services
Francisco Harto has lived in the United States since 2016 and has volunteered at Brazil's mobile consulates since 2017. Cartório BR has served the Brazilian community in the U.S. for more than five years, mainly in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco.
A review before your trip to the consulate
The first thing the team does is confirm whether the ARB is really the right document for you or whether a passport is the better solution. That way, you go to San Francisco knowing what to ask for and what to expect. The decision to issue the ARB always rests with the Vice Consul.
Form, photo, and statements in one place
The team fills out the travel document form with the correct spelling and takes your 2x2 photo to the consulate's standard. Witnesses or the absent parent sign before a notary public at our office in Bothell.
Guidance for after you arrive
The ARB is collected when you arrive. The team explains what you will need to get a passport in Brazil and, for a minor child, to leave the country again in the future.
Common mistakes when applying for an ARB
Thinking the ARB is a quick passport for a vacation. It is granted only in exceptional cases and, in San Francisco, it is for people returning permanently.
Assuming a ticket you have already bought makes your case urgent on its own.
Filling out the online form and waiting for an answer without applying at the consulate.
Going to the consulate without the police report or the consulate's form for lost, stolen, or destroyed travel documents when the passport was lost or stolen.
Requesting an ARB for a child born in the United States whose birth has not yet been registered at the consulate.
Bringing authorization from only one parent, without a court order, without proof that the applying parent holds parental authority alone (sole custody), and outside the exceptions in the Regulation.
Booking a flight with a connection that requires entering another country, as if the ARB worked like a passport.
Forgetting that, once in Brazil, you will need a passport to come back to the United States.
The consulate sets the processing time.
The ARB page of the Consulate General of Brazil in San Francisco, published in 2022, states that the maximum processing time is 3 business days. For comparison, the same consulate's 2026 FAQ estimates about 15 days for the e-Consular screening and about 50 days to process a regular passport. Cartório BR does not control the decision or the timing. What you and the team control, from the first contact, is the review of your case and the preparation of your documents. The sooner you reach out, the more time there is to resolve any pending issue before your flight.
Frequently asked questions
No, not as a matter of preference. The Consulate General in San Francisco states that the ARB is not an optional substitute for a passport: it is an exceptional document, subject to the Vice Consul's review, for people who need to return to Brazil and do not meet the passport requirements. If you plan to come back to the United States, a passport is the way to go.
First, report the loss or theft, either with a police report or with the consulate's form for lost, stolen, or destroyed travel documents. If your passport was still valid and was stolen, file a police report: in Brazil, the Federal Police charge only the standard fee for a new passport when you present that report with a sworn translation. With the report in hand, you can apply for a new passport. If you lack the documents for a passport and need to return to Brazil, the consulate may consider issuing an ARB. The team helps you understand your options and gather the paperwork.
No. The ARB is only for the trip back to Brazil, and the Federal Police collect it when you arrive. To return to the United States later, you will need to get a passport in Brazil. If your old passport was still valid and was stolen, the Federal Police charge the standard fee when you present the police report. Because the police report is in English, it needs a sworn translation. If the passport was simply lost, damaged, or destroyed, the fee is higher, even if you returned with an ARB.
For the duration of the return trip, as stated in Article 39 of the Travel Documents Regulation. Brazil's federal government describes its validity as limited to the minimum necessary, and the ARB page of the Consulate General in San Francisco does not set a specific number of days. That is why you request the ARB with your ticket to Brazil in hand.
The ARB is valid for the return trip to Brazil. According to the Brazilian federal government's Service Charter, when there is a layover or transit, the consulate notes on the ARB the city you will pass through. The consulates in Orlando and Chicago treat a layover at an international airport as a direct trip, as long as the passenger stays in the airport's international transit area. The Consulate General in San Francisco does not publish this rule. A connection that requires entering another country is not covered. Before you buy your ticket, the team checks your itinerary with the consulate that will review your application.
You may apply if the child has a Brazilian birth certificate and authorization from both parents, but the decision rests with the consulate. The Travel Documents Regulation prohibits issuing a travel document to a minor under 18 without that authorization, except when a parent has died or has lost parental authority, or when the birth certificate lists only one parent. If the child was born in the United States and the birth has not yet been registered at the consulate, registration comes first. To leave Brazil later, the child will need a passport. If the child is not traveling with both parents, they will also need a notarized authorization from the absent parent (or from both parents, if the child travels alone or with someone else), as required by Resolution No. 131/2011 of Brazil's National Council of Justice (CNJ). This authorization can be recorded in the passport itself.
The Consulate General in San Francisco may accept a statement from two Brazilian witnesses with valid Brazilian IDs confirming your nationality and personal information. They sign at the consulate or, if they cannot appear in person, before a notary public within the consulate's jurisdiction. Cartório BR prepares the statement, and the witnesses can sign it before a notary public at our office in Bothell.
As a rule, yes. The ARB page of the Consulate General in San Francisco states that it can only be requested in person, and the federal government's Service Charter also requires you to appear before the consular authority. The team checks with the consulate whether another option exists, such as a mobile consulate, prepares the documents on the consular checklist in advance, and tells you what to expect.
No. Cartório BR is a private document services company in Bothell, Washington; it is not a consulate, a Brazilian civil registry office (cartório), or a government agency. The Brazilian consulate reviews the application and issues the ARB, and Brazil's Federal Police collect the document on arrival.
Before you go to the consulate, find out whether the ARB is really the right path for you.
If you need to return to Brazil and do not have a valid passport, Cartório BR checks whether the ARB is right for you or whether a passport is the better option. Then we organize the documents the consulate requires, so you arrive at your appointment with confidence.
Remote service for Brazilians in the United States, with a team in both countries.