Certified Brazilian Document Translation

No. DoVisa provides certified translations for international use. Brazilian traduções juramentadas (sworn translations) are produced exclusively by tradutores públicos e intérpretes comerciais (public translators and commercial interpreters) who have passed a concurso público administered by the state Junta Comercial and are registered under Lei nº 14.195/2021, Chapter VII. These sworn translations are required by Brazilian domestic authorities including cartórios, courts, and the Polícia Federal. DoVisa's certified translations are designed for a different purpose: they are accepted by immigration authorities in the US (USCIS), UK (Home Office), Canada (IRCC), Australia (DHA), and other countries that do not require the Brazilian sworn translator system. If you need a tradução juramentada for a Brazilian authority, you must use a registered tradutor público.

A tradutor juramentado (or more precisely, tradutor público e intérprete comercial) is a translator officially appointed through a concurso público (competitive public examination) and registered with the Junta Comercial of their state. The profession is governed by Lei nº 14.195/2021, Chapter VII (Articles 18-27), which replaced the earlier Decreto nº 13.609/1943. The concurso includes written translation tests in both directions and an oral interpretation component. Under the 2021 reform, candidates with C2-level proficiency certification (CEFR) may qualify for an exemption from the examination. Their translations carry a legal presumption of faithfulness and accuracy (fé pública) and are the only translations accepted by Brazilian courts and government agencies, as mandated by Article 192 of the Código de Processo Civil.

We translate all types of Brazilian documents including certidão de nascimento (birth certificate), certidão de casamento (marriage certificate), certidão de óbito (death certificate), certidão de divórcio (divorce certificate), certidão de inteiro teor (full unabridged certificate), diploma (academic degree), histórico escolar (academic transcript), atestado de antecedentes criminais (criminal background certificate), Carteira Nacional de Habilitação (CNH) (driver's license), procuração (power of attorney), escritura pública (notarial deed), contrato social (articles of association), and all other official documents issued by Brazilian cartórios, courts, and government agencies.

Standard certified translation is delivered within 4-6 business days. Express processing is available in 2-3 business days for documents up to 5 pages. Rush delivery within 24 hours is available for select single-page vital records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates with orders placed before 10:00 CET. Turnaround times begin once we receive clear, legible scans of your documents. Older Brazilian documents with handwritten text or faded cartório stamps may require additional time for careful translation.

We translate Brazilian Portuguese documents to and from 100+ languages. The most requested language pairs for Brazilian documents include Portuguese to English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Dutch, and Russian. We also handle translations between Portuguese and less common language pairs. All translations include full certification regardless of the language combination.

Yes. USCIS requires certified translations with a translator's certificate of accuracy — DoVisa's certified translations meet this standard for all immigration application types including family-based petitions, adjustment of status, and naturalization. The UK Home Office (UKVI) requires professional translations with the translator's credentials, a signed statement of accuracy, contact details, and date — our translations include all required elements. Neither USCIS nor UKVI requires a Brazilian tradução juramentada. Our certified Brazilian translations are also accepted by Canada IRCC, Australian DHA, and New Zealand Immigration. Our current acceptance rate is 98.7%.

For most international immigration applications (USCIS, UK Home Office, IRCC, Australian DHA), a certified translation is sufficient — notarization is not required. However, some receiving authorities, courts, or private institutions may request notarization or apostille as an additional authentication layer. If your destination authority requires an apostille, DoVisa can coordinate apostille certification through Brazil's authorized cartórios under the Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ). We recommend checking the specific requirements of the authority receiving your translated documents.

Yes. Brazil acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 2 December 2015, with entry into force on 14 August 2016. The Convention was promulgated domestically by Decreto nº 8.660/2016. The Conselho Nacional de Justiça (CNJ) serves as the competent authority, and apostilles are issued by authorized cartórios across all 5,560 Brazilian municipalities. Brazil also offers e-Apostilles through the SEI-Apostila system with QR code verification. DoVisa coordinates apostille processing through authorized cartórios for Brazilian documents intended for use in any of the 125+ Convention member states.

DoVisa's Brazilian translation pricing follows a transparent per-page structure with volume discounts that apply automatically for larger projects. Pricing varies based on document length, language pair, and processing speed. Express and rush service options are available for time-sensitive projects. Apostille processing through authorized cartórios is quoted separately. Upload your documents on our order page to receive an instant, detailed quote — no hidden fees.

Yes. Many Brazilian documents — especially older certidões issued by cartórios before widespread computerization — contain handwritten text in a distinctive notarial hand. Our translators are experienced with Brazilian handwritten documents and the specific formatting used by cartórios de registro civil. For best results, upload a high-resolution scan (at least 300 DPI) that clearly shows all handwritten text, stamps, and seals. If any portion of the document is illegible, our intake team will notify you so we can work together to ensure a complete and accurate translation.

You receive your certified translation in two formats: a high-resolution PDF delivered via email for immediate use with digital applications and uploads, and a physical signed hard copy shipped via tracked international courier. The PDF includes the complete certified translation with the translator's certification statement, signature, and credentials. The physical copy is suitable for in-person submissions. Both formats are accepted by USCIS, the UK Home Office, IRCC, and Australian DHA.

A certidão de inteiro teor is the full, unabridged version of a Brazilian civil registry certificate. Unlike the standard short-form certificate, the inteiro teor includes all original registration details plus every subsequent annotation (averbação) — such as marriages, divorces, name changes, and legal recognitions of paternity. Immigration authorities often prefer the certidão de inteiro teor because it provides a comprehensive record of all events linked to that registration. DoVisa translates all averbações and marginal notes, preserving the complete legal record as required by USCIS, the UK Home Office, and other international authorities.