Before you start

An approved visa from a Brazilian consulate, or an eligible basis for applying from inside Brazil
Birth certificate and criminal record certificate, apostilled at source
Sworn Portuguese translations by a tradutor público juramentado
CPF
Proof of a Federal District address

Step-by-step

1
Get the CPF before departure
Receita Federal issues it online and through consulates to applicants with no visa and no Brazilian address. It gates the bank, the phone, the lease and every interaction with the Federal District government, and the lease is what proves your address to the Federal Police.
OnlineWho: YouBefore departureFree through a consulate
2
Apostille and translate before you travel
Birth and criminal record certificates need an apostille from the issuing country followed by a Brazilian sworn translation. Apostille turnaround abroad is the slowest link and regularly eats a third of the 90-day window on its own.
In personWho: You2–3 months ahead
3
Note the date on your arrival stamp
The 90 days attach to your entry under that visa. Do not assume leaving Brazil and re-entering restarts the clock — the deadline belongs to your admission on that visa, not to your latest stamp.
In personWho: You
4
Book the Federal District superintendency appointment early
Schedule through the Polícia Federal system and pay the GRU fees in advance; without the receipts the appointment cannot proceed. Being in the capital does not shorten the queue, though it does mean the directorate that sets the policy is a short drive away if something goes wrong.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
5
Attend for biometrics and submission
In person for fingerprints, photograph and the document file. Bring originals and copies of everything including the apostilled and translated certificates and your proof of address.
In personWho: YouWithin 90 days of entry
6
Use your own embassy while you are here
Brasília holds one of the largest concentrations of diplomatic missions anywhere, so document legalisation, replacement passports and consular certificates that would mean a flight from Curitiba or Florianópolis are a taxi ride away. It is a genuine practical advantage of living in the capital.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport with the Brazilian visa
CPF
Apostilled and sworn-translated birth certificate
Apostilled and sworn-translated criminal record certificate
Proof of a Federal District address
Employment contract, mission accreditation or income evidence for the relevant route
Paid GRU fee receipts

Things most newcomers don’t know

Federal and Federal District public sector jobs require Brazilian nationality, and that is most of the local labour market.

The nationality bar is statutory rather than constitutional — Emenda Constitucional 19/1998 rewrote art. 37, I of the Constitution to open public office to foreigners 'na forma da lei', but the enabling law for the federal civil service, Lei 8.112/1990, still requires Brazilian nationality at art. 5, I. The only real opening is art. 5 §3, added by Lei 9.515/1997, which lets federal universities and scientific and technological research institutions appoint foreign professors, technicians and scientists. In a city whose economy is the state, that leaves foreigners with embassies, multilaterals, law firms, regulatory consulting and the private sector serving them.

Source: Constituição Federal art. 37, I (EC 19/1998) and Lei 8.112/1990, art. 5, I and §3

The 90-day clock runs from your entry, and a border hop is not a reset button.

The obligation attaches to your admission on that visa, so do not plan around a fresh entry stamp buying a fresh deadline — nothing in Decreto 9.199/2017 promises it. Missing the deadline leaves you legally resident but unregistered, without a CRNM — which means no lease, no salaried employment, and nothing to renew when your first period of residence expires. Residence granted from inside Brazil runs on a tighter 30-day clock from publication in the Diário Oficial.

Source: Lei 13.445/2017 and Decreto 9.199/2017

The CPF has no immigration prerequisite, and since 2023 public bodies must accept it as sufficient identification.

Lei 14.534/2023 made it the single sufficient identification number in public-service databases and barred public bodies from demanding another document for registrations and forms. It is issued to people with no visa, no address and no presence in the country. Given how much of daily life in Brasília is transacted with a government system, arriving with it already in hand is worth more here than almost anywhere else in Brazil.

Source: Lei 14.534/2023 and Receita Federal — CPF for residents abroad

Living in the capital genuinely shortens consular and legalisation problems.

Replacing a passport, legalising a document, getting a consular certificate or apostilling something for use abroad all require your own diplomatic mission, and in Brasília every mission is within a few kilometres. From any other Brazilian city those tasks mean a flight or a courier and a fortnight. It is a small advantage that compounds across a multi-year stay.

Source: Ministério das Relações Exteriores — missions in Brasília

Common mistakes to avoid

Moving here expecting to work for the Brazilian state, which requires Brazilian nationality under Lei 8.112/1990.
Believing a re-entry restarts the 90-day registration deadline.
Leaving apostilles and sworn translations until after arrival.
Booking the Federal Police appointment after the flat hunt rather than before it.
Using an unsworn translator — only a tradutor público juramentado is accepted.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.