Brazil Residency by Marriage: What You Actually Get, and When
Brazil does not grant citizenship through marriage. Marrying a Brazilian, or registering a união estável with one, entitles you to a residence authorization for family reunion under Article 37 of the Migration Law. There is no income requirement and no job offer requirement, and once your CRNM card is issued you can work for Brazilian employers without restriction. You can file from inside Brazil through MigranteWeb, including on a tourist entry, or apply for a VITEM XI visa at a consulate abroad. What marriage does change is the citizenship clock: naturalization normally requires four years of residence, and Article 66 reduces that to one year for the spouse or companion of a Brazilian.
Married or União Estável
Both qualify. Brazilian law treats the stable union as a family entity under Article 1.723 of the Civil Code, and the Migration Law's "cônjuge ou companheiro, sem discriminação alguma" language covers both without ranking them. The difference is evidential: a marriage is proved by one certificate, while a stable union is best proved by an escritura pública de união estável drawn up at a Brazilian cartório. Same-sex marriages and stable unions carry identical effect following STF ADI 4.277 and ADPF 132 (2011) and CNJ Resolution 175/2013.
Routes, Costs and Timeline
A MigranteWeb filing from inside Brazil typically receives a decision in 15 to 30 business days and does not require health insurance. A consular VITEM XI application abroad takes 4 to 26 weeks, varies by consulate, and generally does require it. Government and notary costs run roughly R$800 to R$2,500 on the in-country route, covering the GRU fee of around R$168, CRNM issuance of around R$204, apostilles and sworn translations. GetBrazilVisa handles the whole application end to end for USD 599, paid once on signing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I live in Brazil if I marry a Brazilian?
Yes. Marriage or a registered stable union with a Brazilian citizen entitles you to a residence authorization for family reunion under Article 37 of the Migration Law (Lei nº 13.445/2017). There is no income requirement and no job offer requirement. You can file from inside Brazil through MigranteWeb, including while you are there on a tourist entry, or apply for a VITEM XI visa at a Brazilian consulate before you travel.
Does marrying a Brazilian give me Brazilian citizenship?
No. Brazil grants no citizenship by marriage. Marriage gets you residency, and it shortens the wait for naturalization. Ordinary naturalization under Article 65 of the Migration Law requires four years of residence. Article 66 cuts that to one year for an applicant who has a Brazilian spouse or companion and is not separated from them in law or in fact. You still have to apply, demonstrate you can communicate in Portuguese, and have no disqualifying criminal conviction.
Can I get Brazilian citizenship by marriage without living in Brazil?
No. The one-year reduced period in Article 66 is a residence period, not a period of being married. It has to be spent living in Brazil as a resident. Time spent married while living abroad does not count toward it.
Can my spouse work in Brazil on this status?
Yes, without restriction. Once the CRNM residence card is issued, a family-reunion resident can work for any Brazilian employer, sign Brazilian service contracts, register as a MEI sole proprietor, or open a Brazilian company. This is the sharpest practical difference from the VITEM XIV digital nomad visa, whose holder may only earn foreign-source income and may not take on Brazilian clients or employers.
Do I have to be married, or does união estável count?
União estável counts, on equal footing with marriage. The Migration Law says "cônjuge ou companheiro, sem discriminação alguma", and Article 1.723 of the Civil Code recognizes the stable union as a family entity. The practical difference is evidential, not legal: a marriage is proved by one certificate, while a stable union has to be registered, most reliably by an escritura pública de união estável drawn up at a Brazilian cartório.
Are same-sex couples eligible?
Yes, on identical terms. The Supreme Federal Tribunal settled this in 2011 in ADI 4.277 and ADPF 132, which read the Civil Code's stable-union provisions as applying equally to same-sex couples, and CNJ Resolution 175/2013 obliged every Brazilian registry office to perform and convert same-sex marriages. The documents required and the process followed are the same.
Do I need health insurance?
Only on the consular route. Brazilian consulates generally require proof of health coverage as part of a VITEM XI application. A MigranteWeb filing from inside Brazil does not require it. Residents are entitled to use the SUS public health system regardless.
How long does it take?
A MigranteWeb filing from inside Brazil typically receives a decision in 15 to 30 business days. A consular VITEM XI application abroad takes 4 to 26 weeks once the post has a complete file, varies by consulate. The CRNM residence card is issued after a Federal Police appointment, which adds roughly 30 to 90 days depending on how quickly appointments open in your city.
How much does GetBrazilVisa charge to handle this?
USD 599, paid once when you sign, covering the whole application end to end on either route. There is no second payment on approval and no separate consultation fee. Brazilian government fees, apostilles, sworn translations and cartório costs are paid to those bodies directly and are not included, and they are itemised on this page so you can see the full picture before you commit.
See the full Brazil residency by marriage guide → | Versão em português →
GetBrazilVisa Google Reviews (5/5 across 11 verified reviews)
Verified Google reviews of GetBrazilVisa's Brazil Digital Nomad Visa (VITEM XIV) service. Reviews sourced live from Google Places API; snapshot updated 2026-10-09.
Ethan Emick ★★★★★ a month ago
Best experience with a Lawyer I have had, successfully allowed me to get my Digital Nomad residence in Brazil. I applied with her for the Brazil digital nomad visa from in-country as a US Citizen with W2 employment.
Camila is an expert, very diligent, and responsive. Feels like a personal service in comparison to other experiences I have had with immigration attorneys in other countries.
I will reuse Camila for my renewal or changing my residency type. I am happy to have found a fair and trustworthy lawyer here in Brazil! I highly recommend Camila (and GetBrazilVisa) for all immigration matters in Brazil.
Thanks Camila!!
Seth Rush ★★★★★ 3 months ago
I can’t recommend Camila highly enough. Her rates were extremely reasonable, and the level of care, responsiveness, and professionalism she provided was exceptional.
I initially hired her to help me obtain a Digital Nomad Visa, but during the process I decided to switch to a Family Visa and apply for residency instead. Even though the scope of the work changed, she remained just as attentive and supportive throughout. In fact, I felt compelled to pay her more than our original agreement because I was so impressed with the value she provided.
Camila kept my applications organized, ensured everything was filed on time, secured and prepared me for my appointments with the Federal Police, and made sure I had every document I could possibly need. Thanks to her, I successfully obtained both my visitor visa extension and my resident visa.
She even went above and beyond by covering my appointment fees when I couldn’t pay with PIX as a foreigner.
This was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with a lawyer. Camila genuinely cares about her clients and stands with you every step of the way. If you need immigration assistance in Brazil, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.
DJ ★★★★★ 4 months ago
I moved to Brazil from Denmark on the digital nomad visa in October of 2025 with the help of Camila. She was very professional and even when I had to delay my arrival she accomodated and made sure I was taken care of. From preparing my documents to getting my Brazilian ID card, she helped me with every step. Thank you!
Riley Eusden ★★★★★ 2 months ago
without the help of camila and her legal team, I surely would have failed this visa process. The forms and requirements, And all the documents are so complicated you really need a legal advisor to help you do it correctly. I wish I had hired her at the start of the application instead of halfway through.
Mikael Mäkinen ★★★★★ 6 months ago
I was working from USA running my company and wanted to try a year in Brazil. The digital nomad visa process looked manageable on paper but once I started dealing with getting my documents apostilled through the DVV and figuring out what the Brazilian consulate actually needed, I hit a wall. Camila sorted everything out and was super patient with my million questions. If you plan on moving to Brazil, I highly recommend their service.
All reviews collected via Google Places API. Source: Google Business Profile for GetBrazilVisa (Fortaleza, Brazil).