This is a difficult question to answer, but we can give you estimates. Please note that since the pandemic, there have been changes to these estimates. Details are below:

How soon to arrive: (at least 5 weeks before the birth, but the sooner the better)

• We recommend arriving before your 35th week of pregnancy, which means arriving about a month before your baby is born.
• Your arrival date in Brazil will most likely be determined by the rules of your airline. Please contact your airline to find out how late in the pregnancy you can fly. Also, remember that you will need to fly from Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo, so you need to be aware of the rules for the Brazilian airline you will be using too.

How soon you can travel afterwards: (updated Apr 2023)

• There were delays last year for permanent residency applications due to covid-19, however these have very much improved. It still takes time to get appointments at the Policia Federal, at the moment it is taking at least 2 months. You have 2 options:
  • you can either choose to give birth and apply for the baby’s passport (this should be in your hand within less than a month after the baby’s birth). This means you can then travel home. You can then apply for permanent residency at a later date, when you can return to Brazil and spend enough time in the country to get this process done;
  • or you can spend enough time in the country to have the baby, apply for the passport and then wait to attend your permanent residency appointments (this could mean staying in the country for more than 2 months after the birth).
• Whatever you decide, you will need to ensure that you have organised the necessary paperwork to ensure your Brazilian-born baby can return to your home country. (We do not handle this part of the process. You will need to contact your country’s embassy in Brazil.)
• From a Brazilian perspective, you can travel once you have your baby’s passport. We can collect your permanent residency visas on your behalf and can forward these to you in your next destination.
• Please ensure that you keep your contact details up to date with the Brazilian authorities.

The short summary – if you can be flexible with the amount of time you can spend in Brazil, we recommend you apply for permanent residency. If you are short on time, just get the baby’s passport and then come back another time. You will always be eligible to apply for permanent residency as the parent/sibling of a Brazilian baby.