Obtaining a CPF in Sao Paulo

Thought it might be helpful to post the instructions that we have received for applying for our CPF. The CPF is an Individual's Taxpayers number and from what we have experienced, you need it for everything - to open a bank account, rent an apartment, book flights online, utilities!! So we are desperate to get ours as soon as possible. Will post again once we have managed to get ours...

1st: Pay the Fee (R$5,50) at Banco do Brasil. Documents to be presented: copy of identification page of the passport and its sworn Translation*

2st: After 48 hours of the payment, the following documents must be presented at Receita Federal: copy of identification page of the passport and its sworn Translation, paid Fee.

The CPF number will be given at the moment of request. The card will be sent to the address informed within 90 days.

Two places to register for CPF are:

Praça do Carmo, s/nº - São Paulo - SP (utilize a saída do Metrô Sé da Rua Anita Garibaldi).
Av. do Contorno, 60 - São Paulo -SP (ao Lado da Estação Corinthians-Itaquera do Metrô).

More information on the CPF is here.


*Update: The passport only needs to be translated if someone else is doing it on your behalf
Update 2: Sophie's CPF can only be done once ours are done as we need to submit our numbers as a part of her application
Update 3: A friend told me today that she had to have a translation of the ID page of her passport for the Receita Police...

Final visit to the Policia Federal!

Just a quick update on where we are as of today. We received Sophie's passport back with the correction this morning and decided to try the Federal Police today. We arrived just before11am and there was only one person in the queue! The guy remembered us and told us to wait, saying it would be quite quick....

We met another couple who I remembered from the last time as well. Nice to know that there are other people in the same boat.

Sophie's passport came back at 12:15 with the protocol - FINALLY!!

So now on to the CPF, registering our baba (nanny), opening a bank account, finding an apartment, buying a car, shipping our things over from London, finding an escolinha for Sophie.... lots more paperwork and patience required!

An update on the update

We went to the Federal Police on Monday morning in the hope that, with Tuesday being a public holiday (Dias das Criancas), it would be a little quieter. We arrived at 8am when they open the doors with Sophie. Having a baby works wonders as you can usually go straight to the front of the queue, or be let in first, without any complaints. *

We were told to sit and wait... 3 hours later Tim came back with Sophie's application... her birth date had been entered incorrectly on their system!! They refused to give her her protocol but we got ours back. We were really disappointed that we still didn't have it all done. We have to send her passport off for a re-correction and go back to the Federal Police one more time.

They are little slips of paper with all our details on and apparently we will be sent our RNE number in a week or so.

Off to try and register for our CPF this afternoon at the post office based on the information here. Without a CPF we have been unable to arrange for any utility bills in our names so let's see how I get on with just our rental agreement...


* I've heard that some people start queuing from about 2am...

Update on RNE

Tough day to write this blog, have been a bit quiet on the blog because we are still dealing with crap associated with moving to this great country. I have a friend in London asking me for visa advice here and I am having to tell him to try someone else because our experience has been pretty bad.

I think jaime updated that we now have visas, but the fun does not stop there. The next step is to register with the Federal Police, get finger prints taken and get an ID card. Well, I got there, stood in-line from just before 7am and it was interesting to talk to some of the folk there. One interesting guy was getting his paperwork on the amnesty programme they have from time to time, he had arrived illegally from Venezuela some time in the early 90s after he had his passport stolen there, he said it was impossible to get a replacement there so that is what brought him here.

Anyhow after waiting in line and running off to the cartorio one more time to get another document (that was not on our list) notarised, we thought we had cracked it. However, the visa we were given in Argentina has a mistake on it and that has brought everything to a complete halt and will send me to another branch of the government on Monday. It is annoying just because it is such a small and petty thing and there are around 30 numbers listed in this small box at the bottom of the visa. The consulate input one of them wrong and we are stuck.

I hate to think what the running tally is of expenses related to this visa but it is getting very big.  My advice to anyone would be that is seems to be fine to move here with a big multinational with a great agent etc, but for those trying to join a small firm, or a start up like me, is to prepare yourself for battle.

Applying for RNE in Sao Paulo

So we are in the midst of getting our appointment with the Federal Police in Lapa and came across a really helpful thread on gringoes and wanted to copy it here as the more help you have, the more prepared you are and the easier (and less stressful) the process will be.  I will, of course, post a new blog on our personal experience when we finally have our RNE!! Wish us luck!


Note to self : never rely on cheap agents again!! We are currently photocopying all stamped passport pages to be notarised this morning and hopefully be back in Lapa this afternoon for our appointment.


This was originally posted on gringoes.com by user Molendinar:

Finally got my permanency on basis of marriage approved so a big thanks to everyone on here for all their help, in the end it was a relatively smooth process and has only taken 5 months from start to finish (I am in São Paulo).

My timeline was:

27-04-10 - handed in documents
17-06-10 - Police visit
09-08-10 - appears on MJ website - Aguadando Análise
24-09-10 - Proposta do Chefe - deferido
27-09-10 - Publicado no DOU

In order to get the page from the DOU I did two things.

First I went to the Imprensa Oficial in Mooca, Rua da Mooca 1921, São Paulo 03103-902. You go in the door past reception, go to the right and it's the second desk on the right. I asked for the DOU for that day but it hadn't arrived, this was about 3pm) so they gave me a phone number and said to phone the next day to check before coming (2799-9482, 2799-9797). I phoned the next day at 9am and it had arrived so I went back and they photocopied the page, reducing it to A4 and then stamped the back of it. I was charged R$2.

Because of the delay at the Imprensa Oficial I also printed a copy myself of the relevant page from the Internet (http://portal.in.gov.br/in select Pesquisa nos Jornais then "Leitura Completa dos Jornais and then put in the publication and the date) and took it to a cartório to get authenticated. They refused to do this initially but I insisted the only copy available was from the Internet and the boss agreed so they authenticated it and stamped it with "Esta AUTENTICAÇÃO não dispensa consulta à internet para verificação da validade". This was the copy I gave to the Policia Federal in the end and was accepted with no problems.

I then took all the documents to the Policia Federal in Lapa and joined the queue for RNE. I was then given a form to complete and a blank "declaração de desembarque" statement as well as a list of the documents necessary. I was also told I needed to make an appointment, luckily I was able to do it the same day, but I needed to go back to the ground floor and register at the first window on the left after you come through the metal detector. It was about 11am by this time.

After getting a number I had to then fill out the form, and the declaration then join the queue again.

I was asked for the following documents:

• RNE application form, which will be given to you at the DPF office when you arrive. You fill it in there and submit with the other documents. Only fill in the part in the red box, only sign it on the back - you sign the front in the presence of the police officer)
• Two (02) recent colour photographs, size 3cm x 4cm with a white background, no date on photos
• valid passport, plus authenticated copy from a cartório of ALL the pages except for the blank ones i.e. photo page plus every page that has a stamp in it
• autenticated copy of marriage certificate
•authenticated copy of page from the DOU reduced to A4, with no pen marks (if yo have been published more than once then you need to bring all of them)
• original protocol (this was a stamp in my passport)
• declaração de desembarque (fill in the blanks in the statement about when you arrived in Brazil)
• recpeipts for the payment of the two fees. Go to the web site https://www2.dpf.gov.br/gru/gru?nac=1 from which you need to print out vouchers for: Code 140082 (REGISTRO DE ESTRANGEIROS/RESTABELECIMENTO DE REGISTRO) R$64.58 and Code 140120 (CARTEIRA DE ESTRANGEIRO DE PRIMEIRA VIA)  R$124.23. Pay these at a bank before you go to the DPF office.

I was not asked for  a Consular Certificate.

Here's the paper I was given (he asked my nationality, when I said British he ticked the boxes):



Once I handed all this in I was told I had to come back at 15h00 to get my passport back and receive the protcolo. However, he never told me I would be called for fingerprinting, but luckily I decided to wait. After 20 minuted I was called to do the now digital fingerprints where they scan your fingers and take your photo. The woman there then told me I didn't have to come back till 15h30.

I decided to wait, not a lot of things to do in Lapa and by this point it was 13h00 and I'd brought a book to read.

At 14h30 they started shouting out people's names, it was very hard to make out what the names were, some of the police offices used a microphone and speakers while others just shouted the names. You really needed to pay attention. They do this every 10 minutes. Anyway, 15h30 came and went and finally at 16h15 my name was called and I was given my passport back and my protocolo.

I asked about getting a certificate to prove I was awaiting the RNE and was told to come back in 3 weeks by which time my name should be in the system and I could then request a certificate.

Hope all this helps someone.