VisaVenezuelans in Brazil should apply before their two-year residence permission expires
The conversion application has its own documents and a 90-day filing window; public guidance on free documentation needs a category-specific check.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Check the two-year permission before preparing conversion
Venezuelans holding Brazil’s two-year residence permission under Interministerial Ordinance 19/2021 should prepare a separate application for residence of indefinite duration before their current permission expires. This current-rule guide concerns people already on that route; it does not describe a new visa or automatic conversion after two years. Article 5 allows the application during the final 90 days of the two-year period, subject to the criminal-record and livelihood requirements.
Someone considering this residence route while an asylum application remains pending should pay particular attention to Article 6: obtaining the residence authorisation and registering with the Federal Police entails renunciation of the asylum application. Seek advice on the protection claim before changing routes. The article does not establish that merely booking an appointment extends expiring residence; ask the Federal Police what evidence of a timely application and continuing status applies to the individual case.
Use the conversion checklist rather than the initial checklist
The Federal Police country-border residence checklist distinguishes initial applications, code 273, from conversion to permanent residence, code 299. For conversion it lists the completed electronic application, printed and signed by the applicant or legal representative; the existing migrant registration card, known as the CRNM; criminal-record certificates or equivalent judicial documents covering the places lived during temporary residence; a declaration concerning Brazilian criminal records; livelihood evidence; and applicable fee receipts. The criminal declaration is waived for applicants under 18.
This differs from first registration, for which the same page accepts even an expired identity card or passport and ordinarily uses a declaration about criminal history during the preceding five years. Do not assume those simplified initial documents replace the conversion certificates. The page says acceptance of criminal certificates outside the 90-day validity period is at the competent authority’s discretion. A recent colour 3-by-4-centimetre photograph may be requested if the police biometric system is unavailable. Use the code-299 list when assembling the appointment file.
Match livelihood evidence to the household
The Federal Police FAQ provides several ways to demonstrate lawful means of support, rather than requiring everyone to produce an employment contract. Its examples include a current contract or employment-book entry, a services contract, payslips, pension receipts, business ownership documents, active professional registration, registration as an individual microentrepreneur, income-tax records, investments or sufficient assets. It also links a model declaration of lawful and sufficient means for the applicant and family.
For a legally dependent relative, the FAQ allows a dependency declaration accompanied by evidence of the responsible person’s livelihood. Its categories include spouses or partners, certain children, parents and siblings unable to support themselves, and people under guardianship. These are financial-evidence categories, not a promise that every relative automatically qualifies for immigration permission. For example, a self-employed applicant can identify the relevant business or services evidence rather than searching only for salaried employment records. The FAQ warns that a single listed document does not guarantee acceptance: the authority may seek additional evidence or investigate the information.
Separate published charges from a fee exemption
The Federal Police residence service publishes the general charges as R$168.13 for processing and assessment, revenue code 140066, and R$204.77 for issuing the CRNM, code 140120. Its sequence is to complete the appropriate application, arrange an appointment and attend the police unit responsible for the applicant’s place of residence. The service page marks appointment booking and attendance themselves as free. It says the card is delivered through the servicing unit and advises applicants to keep contact information updated so the application can be followed.
UNHCR’s information page for Venezuelans, however, describes documentation services as free. That broad public-information wording should not be treated as proof that every conversion applicant owes nothing: the police checklist expressly qualifies payment with “when applicable”. Before paying, ask the police unit which exemption applies to the applicant and what declaration or evidence is needed. UNHCR also warns against paying someone promising faster unofficial documents; migrant documentation is issued by the Federal Police. Its page directs people needing assistance to the Federal Public Defender’s Office and partner organisations.
