DSC consular EIB (Embaixadas e Itamaraty)

Statutory synthesis: the operational procedure for descent registration at Brazilian consulates consists of assembling the required documentation, apostille legalization, and consular analysis.

Authorities: the Brazilian Foreign Ministry's Consular Manual (MRE Manual Consular) and CF Art 12 I b/c.

Operative status as of 2026-05-17: the route is in force under the current constitutional era (the Nova República framework inaugurated by the 1988 Constitution) and the ongoing reform period — including, where applicable, the EC 131/2023 relaxation of dual-nationality rules relevant to reacquisition.

Key instruments: the Federal Constitution of 1988 (CF/88); CF Art 12; Decreto 9.199/2017; Portaria MJ 623/2020.

Constitutional and legislative framework (as of 2026): the Federal Constitution of 1988 (promulgated 1988-10-05), Art 12, establishes a tripartite taxonomy: Brazilians by birth (Art 12 I a/b/c), naturalized Brazilians (Art 12 II a/b), and a sui generis status for indigenous and quilombola communities (ADCT Art 68 for quilombolas, protected through a four-layer framework: CF Arts 215/216; Decreto 4.887/2003; ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, ratified via Decreto 5.051/2004; and INCRA ordinances Portarias 57/2009, 128/2022 and 130/2023). The contemporary legal architecture rests on Lei 13.445/2017 (Migration Law, in force 2017-11-21), which repealed Lei 6.815/1980 (the dictatorship-era Foreigner Statute), together with Decreto 9.199/2017 (its implementing regulation); Lei 818/1949 (the original naturalization statute) has been partially repealed. Constitutional Amendment EC 131/2023 (of 2023-09-22) relaxed the dual-nationality rules of Art 12 §4 II. Portaria MJ 623/2020 — not the earlier Portaria 11/2018 — regulates ordinary naturalization. The Federal Supreme Court's final "Marco Temporal" (time-limit doctrine) decision of 19/12/2025 (ADC 87 together with ADIs 7582/7583/7586, rapporteur Justice Gilmar Mendes) held that doctrine inapplicable to indigenous lands, and STF Tema 1.253 of 12/03/2026 (RE 1163774, rapporteur Justice Cármen Lúcia) consolidated the post-ruling doctrine. The Lusophone agreements form a triple layer: (1) the Brazil–Portugal Treaty of Friendship of 2000; (2) the Equality Statute (Estatuto Igualdade, Decreto 3.927/2001); and (3) the Brazil–Spain Nationality Convention of 1957 (Decreto 41.535/1957). At the apex of the judiciary, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) exercises concentrated constitutional review under Art 102; the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) harmonizes federal law under Art 105; and the five regional federal appellate courts (TRFs) hear administrative appeals. PEC 48/2025 (a proposed constitutional amendment arising from the dispute between Congress and the STF) is still pending in the legislature.

Governing authorities: the Brazilian Foreign Ministry's Consular Manual (MRE Manual Consular) and the Federal Constitution of 1988, CF Art 12 I b/c.

Detailed criteria (cumulative):

• (a) Be the child of a Brazilian parent, whether Brazilian by birth (nato/nata) or naturalized. Under STF Tema 1.253 (RE 1163774, judgment of 12/03/2026, rapporteur Justice Cármen Lúcia), adopted children are treated equally for this purpose.
• (b) Either consular birth registration, or — following Constitutional Amendment EC 54/2007 — residence in Brazil plus election (opção) of Brazilian nationality upon reaching majority, in accordance with CF Art 12 I c.
• ADCT Art 95 (transitional constitutional provision) provides a remedial mechanism reaching children born abroad in the 1994–2007 interval.
• There is no formal generational limit: scholarly interpretation of CF Art 12 I c recognizes extension to the third generation and beyond, although case law on this point remains limited.

Key instruments: the Federal Constitution of 1988 (CF/88); CF Art 12; Decreto 9.199/2017 (implementing decree of the Migration Law); Portaria MJ 623/2020 (Ministry of Justice ordinance).

Constitutional and legislative framework (as of 2026): the Federal Constitution of 1988 (promulgated 1988-10-05), Art 12, establishes a tripartite taxonomy: Brazilians by birth (Art 12 I a/b/c), naturalized Brazilians (Art 12 II a/b), and a sui generis status for indigenous and quilombola communities (ADCT Art 68 for quilombolas, protected through a four-layer framework: CF Arts 215/216; Decreto 4.887/2003; ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, ratified via Decreto 5.051/2004; and INCRA ordinances Portarias 57/2009, 128/2022 and 130/2023). The contemporary legal architecture rests on Lei 13.445/2017 (Migration Law, in force 2017-11-21), which repealed Lei 6.815/1980 (the dictatorship-era Foreigner Statute), together with Decreto 9.199/2017 (its implementing regulation); Lei 818/1949 (the original naturalization statute) has been partially repealed. Constitutional Amendment EC 131/2023 (of 2023-09-22) relaxed the dual-nationality rules of Art 12 §4 II. Portaria MJ 623/2020 — not the earlier Portaria 11/2018 — regulates ordinary naturalization. The Federal Supreme Court's final "Marco Temporal" (time-limit doctrine) decision of 19/12/2025 (ADC 87 together with ADIs 7582/7583/7586, rapporteur Justice Gilmar Mendes) held that doctrine inapplicable to indigenous lands, and STF Tema 1.253 of 12/03/2026 (RE 1163774, rapporteur Justice Cármen Lúcia) consolidated the post-ruling doctrine. The Lusophone agreements form a triple layer: (1) the Brazil–Portugal Treaty of Friendship of 2000; (2) the Equality Statute (Estatuto Igualdade, Decreto 3.927/2001); and (3) the Brazil–Spain Nationality Convention of 1957 (Decreto 41.535/1957). At the apex of the judiciary, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) exercises concentrated constitutional review under Art 102; the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) harmonizes federal law under Art 105; and the five regional federal appellate courts (TRFs) hear administrative appeals. PEC 48/2025 (a proposed constitutional amendment arising from the dispute between Congress and the STF) is still pending in the legislature.

Fase 2 — Submissão: (a) se nascido no exterior → registro consular junto ao MRE (~170 consulados operativos via Manual Consular) OR opção maioridade ante Cartório de Registro Civil + Juízo Federal; (b) se nascido no Brasil → registro automático Cartório CRC.

Fase 3 — Análise: verificação documental + match filiação + (se opção) prazo 4 anos a partir da maioridade para apresentação.

Fase 4 — Saída: averbação como brasileiro nato no registro civil + emissão certidão nacionalidade + RG + Passaporte.

Executive and operational bodies:

• Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública, MJ) — Migration Policy Coordination, operating under the framework of Portaria MJ 623/2020 (Ministry of Justice ordinance).
• Federal Police — Department of Maritime, Airport and Border Policing (Polícia Federal, Departamento de Polícia Marítima, Aeroportuária e de Fronteiras, DPMAF) — responsible for residence analysis and criminal-record checks.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministério das Relações Exteriores, MRE — "Itamaraty") — approximately 170 operating consulates handling consular registration of citizenship by descent and Equality Statute (Estatuto Igualdade) matters.

Judicial authorities:

• Federal Supreme Court (Supremo Tribunal Federal, STF) — constitutional review of CF Art 12.
• Superior Court of Justice (Superior Tribunal de Justiça, STJ) — harmonization of sub-constitutional federal law.
• Federal Courts (Juízos Federais) — hear the nationality election (opção) made upon reaching majority in descent cases.

Specialist bodies for related matters: for indigenous and quilombola questions, FUNAI (National Indigenous Peoples Foundation), INCRA (National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform) and FCP (Palmares Cultural Foundation); for bilateral-treaty pathways, the MRE bilateral departments covering Brazil–Portugal relations, the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries) and Brazil–Spain relations; for restoration and indigenous-related issues, the Federal Supreme Court's final "Marco Temporal" (time-limit doctrine) ruling, decided in the Virtual Plenary session of 19/12/2025, rapporteur Justice Gilmar Mendes.

Key instruments: the Federal Constitution of 1988 (CF/88); CF Art 12; Decreto 9.199/2017 (implementing decree of the Migration Law); Portaria MJ 623/2020.