The best way to become a Brazilian citizen is the way you personally qualify for.
There is no one "best way" to become a citizen of any country; the best way is the way you qualify for. Not all people can marry a Brazilian, not all people are born to a Brazilian, and not all people can obtain a permanent job in Brazil. The road to citizenship depends on your situation and status as a permanent resident. However, if you are the son or daughter of a Brazilian citizen, obtaining citizenship through birth right is undoubtedly the easiest, if not best, way to become a citizen.
Birth
Being born a Brazilian citizen is the easiest way to become a citizen. It requires no permanent residency, only an application. Children born to Brazilian citizens abroad should be reported as "births abroad" at the nearest Brazilian Consulate General to obtain a Brazilian birth certificate. Births can be reported to the Brazilian Consulate by the Brazilian parent any time until the child is 16 years of age. After 16, the child must be present at the application. If the child is older than 18 years of age, he can apply on his own.
For all cases, the application must be made in person at the consulate with a completed application form known as Requerimento de Registro de Nascimento (available at Brazilian consular websites), certified copy of the child's birth certificate and the original identification of the Brazilian citizen parent (driver's license, passport, national identity card). There is no fee for a birth abroad certificate. Before citizenship is officially granted to the applicant, the birth certificate issued by the consulate must be registered with the civil registry office (Cartório do Primeiro Ofício do Registro Civil). After registration, the applicant has full citizenship rights and can apply for a passport.
Marriage
Marriage, as in most countries, is a means to citizenship and not a right to it. Marrying a Brazilian does not automatically award the foreigner citizenship, as a period of (minimum) one year of legal residency must be fulfilled before the spouse can even consider applying. The marriage process in Brazil is a lengthy process. Following the bureaucratic procedures, myriad documents certified from both the foreign and Brazilian consulates, and actual marriage, the applicant must apply for permanent residency with the Federal Police. The applicant must prove residence and marriage over the course of the proceeding years (up to three) from the time of application by waiting for "surprise" visits from the Federal Police to verify that they are in fact residing in Brazil with a spouse. Once the visa is granted, the foreign spouse must reside in Brazil for one year with good behavior. Due to the amount of applicants per year, a permanent visa could take more than a year to issue. The legal residency period begins from the date the visa is granted and not from the date of the wedding.
Naturalization
As with marriage, naturalization through another means such as a permanent visa earned through work, retirement or investment requires a stage of fulfilled permanent residency. Fifteen years is the official length of residency required, however, there are exceptions for certain cases. An applicant who has a steady job, can read and write in Portuguese and has no criminal record can apply for citizenship after four years of residency. Any foreigner from a Portuguese speaking country requires only one year of residency, as does a parent of a Brazilian born child. Three years of residency are required for investors holding properties or businesses of a significantly high figure (one thousand times more than the highest tax reference value).
Tags: Brazilian citizen, become citizen, best become, birth certificate, born Brazilian
