Brazil Family Reunion Visa: Who Can Be Called, Who Can Call, and What Each Must Prove
Published November 10, 2026. Also available in Spanish.
In short. Brazil's family reunion visa — VITEM XI, the temporary visa for family reunion — and the residence permit on the same ground are granted to a foreign relative of a Brazilian citizen or of an immigrant who holds a Brazilian residence permit. It is also searched as the family reunification visa or the family visa. The list of relatives is in the Migration Law (Law 13,445/2017, article 37), its regulation (Decree 9,199/2017, articles 45 and 153) and Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018. Who can be called is only half of the answer; the other half is who calls, because the sponsor's own status decides whether the relative can apply at all and how long the relative's residence lasts.
This article goes through the list relative by relative, from the official texts as I read them on November 10, 2026. I am Luiz Barros, a Brazilian lawyer (OAB/AL 7.530). Two relatives have their own articles in this blog, and this page gives them one line each: the foreign spouse or partner of a Brazilian, in marrying a Brazilian: residency and citizenship, and the parents of a child born in Brazil, in giving birth in Brazil as a foreigner.
Brazil's family reunion visa, in one answer
Brazil's family reunion visa (VITEM XI) and the residence permit for family reunion can be granted to the spouse or partner, child, stepchild, parent or grandparent, grandchild and sibling of a Brazilian or of an immigrant with a Brazilian residence permit, to the parent of a Brazilian child or of an immigrant child with a residence permit, and to the person who has a Brazilian under guardianship, curatorship or custody (Law 13,445/2017, article 37; Decree 9,199/2017, article 153; Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018, articles 2 and 6).
The sponsor must be a Brazilian or an immigrant who already holds a residence permit; a sponsor whose own visa or permit is based on family reunion, or who holds only a provisional residence permit, cannot sponsor (Decree 9,199, articles 45, § 5, and 153, § 2). A sibling over eighteen must prove economic dependence on the sponsor to obtain the residence permit (Decree 9,199, article 153, § 3). Ordinance 12/2018 accepts a sibling or stepchild under eighteen, or up to twenty-four if a student, without that proof; inside Brazil, where the Decree and the Federal Police list ask every sibling over eighteen for dependence, check the student exception with the Federal Police unit before filing.
If the sponsor's residence is for an indefinite term, the relative's is too (article 153, § 4); if the sponsor's residence has an end date, the relative's ends on the same day (article 153, § 5). The visa is applied for at a Brazilian consulate and is valid for up to one year; the relative registers with the Federal Police within ninety days of arrival, and a relative already in Brazil applies to the Federal Police directly (Ordinance 12/2018, articles 3 to 5). This article makes no promise about the outcome of any application.
Visa from abroad, residence permit from inside Brazil
Family reunion is one ground with two doors. From abroad, the relative applies for the temporary visa at a Brazilian consular post (Ordinance 12/2018, article 3). That visa is valid for up to one year, the holder must register with the Federal Police within ninety days of entering Brazil, and the Ordinance is explicit that the two periods are different things: O prazo de validade do visto temporário para reunião familiar não se confunde com o prazo de residência — in my translation, the validity of the visa is not to be confused with the term of residence (article 4, §§ 1 and 2). A relative who is already in Brazil, as an immigrant or as a visitor, may apply for the residence permit at a Federal Police unit (article 5), and the Ministry of Justice page on residence permits, updated on July 23, 2026, sends family reunion to the Federal Police, not to the Ministry's own online system. On both doors the holder may work in Brazil, paid work included, on equal terms with Brazilians (Decree 9,199, article 45, § 3, for the visa, and article 153, § 10, for the permit). How the two doors compare for a spouse is in the article on marrying a Brazilian.
Who can be called, relative by relative
The Decree spells out the Law's list in eight items, the same for the visa (article 45) and for the residence permit (article 153); Ordinance 12/2018 adds the stepchild, under the power the Decree gives a joint act of the Ministers of Justice and of Foreign Affairs to set other degrees of kinship (article 45, § 2, for the visa, and article 153, § 7, for the permit).
| Relative called | Of whom | What the file proves, beyond the common documents |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse or partner | A Brazilian, or an immigrant with a residence permit | The marriage or the stable union — see the article on marrying a Brazilian |
| Child | A Brazilian, or an immigrant with a residence permit | Birth certificate showing the parent; no age limit in the text |
| Stepchild (Ordinance only) | A Brazilian, or an immigrant with a residence permit | The tie through the parent's marriage or union; under 18, up to 24 if a student, or any age with economic dependence (inside Brazil, the Federal Police list on the Ministry of Justice page does not name the stepchild; check with the unit before filing) |
| Parent of a Brazilian child | The Brazilian child | The child's birth certificate — see the article on giving birth in Brazil |
| Parent of an immigrant child with a residence permit | That child | The child's birth certificate and residence permit |
| Parent or grandparent | A Brazilian, or an immigrant with a residence permit | The birth certificates that link the generations |
| Grandchild | A Brazilian, or an immigrant with a residence permit | The birth certificates that link the generations |
| Sibling | A Brazilian, or an immigrant with a residence permit | Common parentage; if over 18, economic dependence on the sponsor (the Ordinance exempts a student up to 24, for the visa and the permit; inside Brazil, the Decree and the Federal Police list do not repeat that exception) |
| Guardian, curator or custodian | The Brazilian under that guardianship, curatorship or custody | The guardianship, curatorship or custody document |
Three rows deserve a second reading. The child has no age limit in the Decree or in the Ordinance; the limits of eighteen and twenty-four years that circulate in English guides belong to the stepchild and the sibling, not to the child. The parent and the grandparent do not have to prove economic dependence under the Decree or the Ordinance, which ask for dependence documents only quando for o caso — when applicable (Ordinance 12/2018, article 3, XII); a consular post may still ask for more, as the next sections show. And the sibling rule is not written the same way in every text. The Decree conditions the residence of the irmão maior de dezoito anos — the sibling over eighteen — on proof of economic dependence on the sponsor (article 153, § 3), and the Federal Police list on the Ministry of Justice page asks for that proof from the sibling over eighteen; the Ordinance also accepts a sibling up to twenty-four who proves to be a student. Before relying on the student exception inside Brazil, check the list the Federal Police unit applies on the day of filing.
The last row runs in the opposite direction from the others. It is not the Brazilian who calls a foreign relative: it is the foreigner who has a Brazilian child or adult under guardianship, curatorship or custody who asks to live with that person. The Law names guardianship and custody (article 37, IV); the Decree adds curatorship (article 153, VIII).
Who can sponsor — and who cannot
The sponsor (chamante, in the Decree's word) is either a Brazilian or an immigrant beneficiário de autorização de residência — a holder of a residence permit. Three rules narrow that.
First, family reunion does not chain. The permit is refused when the sponsor is a holder of a family reunion permit or of a provisional residence permit — não será concedida na hipótese de o chamante ser beneficiário de autorização de residência por reunião familiar ou de autorização provisória de residência (Decree 9,199, article 153, § 2). For the visa, the bar also covers a sponsor who holds a family reunion visa (Decree 9,199, article 45, § 5; Ordinance 12/2018, article 2, § 3). A father who came to Brazil on his Brazilian daughter's tie cannot, on that permit, sponsor his own brother. The provisional permit is the one an applicant for refugee status, asylum or statelessness protection holds while the case is pending (Decree 9,199, article 156, § 3).
Second, the sponsor's permit comes first. The relative may apply at the same time as the sponsor, but the relative's permit is conditional on the prior grant of the sponsor's (article 153, §§ 8 and 9). For the visa, the Decree allows the relative to apply at the same time as a sponsor who is applying for a temporary visa (Decree 9,199, article 45, § 4), and the Ordinance makes the relative's visa conditional on the prior grant of the sponsor's (Ordinance 12/2018, article 2, §§ 1 and 2) — which is how a worker and the family can file together.
Third, the refugee sponsor. Ordinance 12/2018 applies when the sponsor is a refugee recognized by the Brazilian government, and in that case the consular post may accept a sworn declaration of no criminal record in place of the certificate, if obtaining it is risky (article 11).
When the sponsor's own permit has an end date
This is where the sponsor's status writes the relative's calendar. The Decree gives the two cases side by side:
§ 4º Quando a autorização de residência do familiar chamante tiver sido concedida por prazo indeterminado, a autorização de residência do familiar chamado será também concedida por prazo indeterminado.
§ 5º Quando o requerimento for fundamentado em reunião com imigrante beneficiado com residência por prazo determinado, a data de vencimento da autorização de residência do familiar chamado coincidirá com a data de vencimento da autorização de residência do familiar chamante.
In English (my translation): when the sponsor's residence was granted for an indefinite term, the relative's is also granted for an indefinite term; when the application is based on reunion with an immigrant whose residence has a fixed term, the relative's permit expires on the same date as the sponsor's (Decree 9,199, article 153, §§ 4 and 5).
In practice, a family that comes with a worker on a two-year permit gets permits that end with the worker's. Renewal follows the sponsor: the Federal Police list for renewing a family reunion permit asks for proof that the sponsor's residence was renewed, a sworn statement that the sponsor still lives in Brazil and, for a sibling over eighteen, that the dependence continues (Ministry of Justice page, updated July 23, 2026). When the sponsor's residence changes to an indefinite term, the relative's can change too: the list that Ordinance 12/2018 wrote into the annexes of an earlier ordinance for the ALTERAÇÃO DO PRAZO DE RESIDÊNCIA FAMILIAR, DE TEMPORÁRIO PARA INDETERMINADO — change of the family residence term from temporary to indefinite — asks for comprovação de que o familiar chamante teve o status de seu prazo de residência alterado de determinado para indeterminado — proof that the sponsor's term was changed from fixed to indefinite (article 12). The calendar, then, is two calendars, and the sponsor's dates are the ones to watch.
When the sponsor is Brazilian, no article of the Law, the Decree or the Ordinance sets the relative's term. The Embassy of Brazil in Ljubljana's page, updated on May 29, 2026, says of the family reunion visa in general, whoever the sponsor: Temporary Visas are issued for up to 1 year and the residence period is determined by Federal Police upon registration in Brazil. I read that as a description of practice at registration, not as a rule, and I look at the term printed on the relative's card.
Documents for a Brazil family reunion visa: what the file proves, and why each consulate is read on its own
Inside Brazil, the Federal Police list on the Ministry of Justice page has eleven items, among them criminal record certificates from where the person lived in the last five years, the certificate that proves the kinship, the sponsor's identity document, a sworn statement that the sponsor lives in Brazil and, for a sibling over eighteen, proof of economic dependence. The federal services page for the residence permit and the card listed, when I read it, a fee of R$ 168.13 for processing the residence application (revenue code 140066) and R$ 204.77 for issuing the card (code 140120).
From abroad, Ordinance 12/2018 sets the consular list (article 3), which the FAQ below reproduces. Each post then applies it with its own instructions, and the differences are real. Three examples, each limited to the post that published it:
- Embassy of Brazil in Ljubljana (page updated May 29, 2026, which says it is Based on the Interministerial Ordinance No. 12/2018 and specific instructions from the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs): asks for Proof of financial dependency in case of siblings, parents, grandchildren or grandparents of the sponsor and lists a VITEM XI fee of € 290.00 for the United States of America and € 100.00 for all other countries.
- Embassy of Brazil in Helsinki (page updated September 17, 2026): states a consular fee of €100,00 for nationals of most countries, with some exceptions, and that The estimated processing time for temporary visas is up to 5 working days after all the documentation has been received at the Embassy and fees are paid.
- Embassy of Brazil in Managua (page updated November 25, 2025): lists a consular fee of US$ 100.00 and asks for a certificate of conduct issued within the previous sixty days.
None of these rules travels. The dependence proof for parents and grandparents that Ljubljana asks for is not in the Decree or in the Ordinance; the € 290.00 is that embassy's fee for one nationality; the five working days are Helsinki's estimate. The file is built from the page of the post where the relative applies, read on the day of filing — and inside Brazil, from the Federal Police list.
How long the family reunion visa takes: processing time from sources that carry a date
Neither the Migration Law, nor its Decree, nor Ordinance 12/2018 fixes a deadline for deciding a family reunion application. The Migration Law sets one — sixty days — only for research, teaching or academic extension and for work (article 31, § 1). What exists are estimates published by each authority, with a date. For the consular visa, the Helsinki page above gives up to five working days after the documents are received and the fees paid, for that embassy. For the residence permit and the card in Brazil, the federal services page, which covers residence permits generally and not family reunion alone, gives Até 180 dias corridos é o tempo estimado para a prestação deste serviço — up to 180 calendar days as the estimated time for the service — on a page last modified on July 23, 2026. Neither is a promise, and neither is a deadline the applicant can enforce.
After four years: a residence that no longer depends on the family
A family reunion permit lives on the tie and can be lost if the ground ends, as the article on Brazilian residency after divorce explains. The Decree offers a way out of that dependence. A person who held a family reunion permit and has lived in Brazil for at least four years, proves means of subsistence and presents a clean criminal record certificate may receive a new residence permit (Decree 9,199, article 160, and article 142, II, h), and that new permit será concedida por prazo indeterminado — will be granted for an indefinite term (article 160, § 1). The rule does not apply where the requirement for the earlier status ceased to be met because of fraud (§ 2). How the indefinite term relates to the word «permanent», and to naturalization, is in the article on Brazil permanent residency.
What circulates in English, against the text
- «Adult children qualify only up to 24, if students or dependent.» In the Decree and in Ordinance 12/2018, the child of the sponsor has no age limit; the limits of eighteen and twenty-four years are written for the stepchild and the sibling (Ordinance 12/2018, article 2, III and VIII).
- «Inside Brazil, apply through the MigranteWeb portal.» The Ministry of Justice page, updated July 23, 2026, sends family reunion to the Federal Police, with the application for the permit and the card.
- «Parents must be financially dependent.» Not in the Decree or in the Ordinance. Some consular posts ask for it — Ljubljana does — and that is a rule of that post.
- «The family reunion visa is a permanent visa.» The Migration Law's visa list has no permanent visa (article 12); the visa is temporary and valid for up to one year (Ordinance 12/2018, article 4), and the term of the residence follows the rules above.
How I handle a family reunion file
I start with the sponsor, not the relative: nationality or the type and end date of the residence permit, because that decides whether the application exists and how long the result lasts. Then the relative's row in the table and the documents that prove that exact tie, with legalization or apostille and sworn translation where required. If the relative is abroad, I read the page of the consular post where the application will be filed, on the day it is filed; if the relative is in Brazil, the Federal Police list. And from the first day I note in the calendar the sponsor's expiry date and the four-year mark of article 160. Written communication with the firm is in English; meetings are conducted with an interpreter at no cost to the client. Nothing in this article promises or suggests a result.
The three facts that organize a family reunion case in Brazil
- The relatives who can be called are the spouse or partner, child, stepchild, parent or grandparent, grandchild and sibling of a Brazilian or of a resident immigrant, the parent of a Brazilian or resident immigrant child, and the person who has a Brazilian under guardianship, curatorship or custody; a sibling over eighteen proves economic dependence for the residence permit, while the Ordinance exempts a sibling up to twenty-four who is a student. Law 13,445/2017, article 37; Decree 9,199/2017, articles 45 and 153; Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018, articles 2 and 6.
- The sponsor must be a Brazilian or a holder of a residence permit that is not itself based on family reunion or provisional; the sponsor's permit is granted first. Decree 9,199/2017, article 153, §§ 2, 8 and 9.
- An indefinite-term sponsor gives an indefinite-term permit; a fixed-term sponsor gives a permit that expires on the same date; after four years, a new permit for an indefinite term no longer depends on the tie. Decree 9,199/2017, article 153, §§ 4 and 5, and article 160.
Carvalho Barros Advocacia Internacional handles family reunion files for foreign relatives of Brazilians and of residents in Brazil, from the choice of the door to the change of term, through its international family law practice.
Frequently asked questions
What is Brazil's family reunion visa?
It is the temporary visa for family reunion, known as VITEM XI, granted at a Brazilian consular post to a foreign relative of a Brazilian or of an immigrant with a Brazilian residence permit (Law 13,445/2017, articles 14 and 37; Decree 9,199/2017, article 45). The visa is valid for up to one year, and the holder registers with the Federal Police within ninety days of arrival; the validity of the visa is not the term of residence (Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018, article 4). A relative already in Brazil applies for the residence permit on the same ground at the Federal Police (article 5), not through the Ministry of Justice's online system, MigranteWeb. This answer makes no promise about any application.
Who qualifies for a family reunion visa in Brazil?
The spouse or partner, child, stepchild, parent or grandparent, grandchild and sibling of a Brazilian or of an immigrant with a residence permit; the parent of a Brazilian child or of an immigrant child with a residence permit; and the person who has a Brazilian under guardianship, curatorship or custody (Decree 9,199/2017, articles 45 and 153; Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018, articles 2 and 6, which adds the stepchild). A sibling over eighteen must prove economic dependence on the sponsor for the residence permit (Decree 9,199, article 153, § 3). The Ordinance also accepts a sibling or stepchild up to twenty-four who proves to be a student; for a sibling applying inside Brazil, the Decree and the Federal Police list do not repeat that exception, so check it with the unit before filing.
Can I bring my parents to Brazil on a family reunion visa?
Yes: an ascendant up to the second degree — a parent or a grandparent — of a Brazilian or of an immigrant with a residence permit can be called (Decree 9,199/2017, article 153, V). The Decree and Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018 do not require parents or grandparents to prove economic dependence. Some consular posts ask for it: the Embassy of Brazil in Ljubljana, in a page updated on May 29, 2026, asks for proof of financial dependency for siblings, parents, grandchildren and grandparents. That is a rule of that post, read on the day of filing.
Is there an age limit for children on a family reunion visa?
Not for the child of the sponsor: the Decree and Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018 list the child without an age limit (Decree 9,199/2017, article 153, II). The limits of eighteen years, or twenty-four for a student, are written in the Ordinance for the stepchild and for the sibling, who otherwise must prove economic dependence on the sponsor (Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018, article 2, III and VIII).
Can my brother or sister join me in Brazil on a family reunion visa?
Yes. A sibling of a Brazilian or of an immigrant with a residence permit can be called (Decree 9,199/2017, article 153, VII). A sibling over eighteen must prove economic dependence on the sponsor for the residence permit (article 153, § 3). Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018 also accepts a sibling up to twenty-four who proves to be a student, for the visa and for the residence permit (articles 2, VIII, and 6, VIII); inside Brazil, the Decree and the Federal Police list do not repeat that exception, so check it with the unit before filing. The sponsor cannot be someone whose own permit is based on family reunion or is provisional (article 153, § 2). This answer makes no promise about any application.
Who can be the sponsor for family reunion in Brazil?
A Brazilian or an immigrant who holds a Brazilian residence permit. The permit is refused when the sponsor's own permit is based on family reunion or is a provisional residence permit (Decree 9,199/2017, article 153, § 2); for the visa, the bar also covers a sponsor who holds a family reunion visa (article 45, § 5). The relative may apply at the same time as the sponsor, but the relative's permit is conditional on the prior grant of the sponsor's (article 153, §§ 8 and 9; for the visa, article 45, § 4, and Ordinance 12/2018, article 2, §§ 1 and 2). Ordinance 12/2018 also applies when the sponsor is a refugee recognized by Brazil (article 11).
How long does the family reunion residence last?
It follows the sponsor. If the sponsor's residence was granted for an indefinite term, the relative's is also granted for an indefinite term; if the sponsor's residence has a fixed term, the relative's expires on the same date (Decree 9,199/2017, article 153, §§ 4 and 5). When the sponsor is Brazilian, no article sets the term; the Embassy of Brazil in Ljubljana's page says, for family reunion visas in general, that the residence period is determined by the Federal Police upon registration. A person who held a family reunion permit and has lived in Brazil for at least four years may apply for a new permit for an indefinite term, on proof of subsistence and a clean criminal record (article 160). Brazilian law does not call it “permanent”: the Migration Law has no permanent visa (article 12), and the term is either indefinite or the sponsor's fixed term.
What documents are required for a Brazil family reunion visa?
At a consular post, Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018, article 3, lists a valid travel document, the vaccination certificate when required, the consular fee, the visa form, proof of transport to Brazil, a criminal record certificate from the country of origin, the certificate proving the kinship, the sponsor's identity document, a sworn statement that the sponsor lives or will live in Brazil, for a spouse or partner the proof of the stable union and a joint declaration that the union continues, and, when applicable, dependence or guardianship documents. Each post adds its own instructions. Inside Brazil, the Federal Police list on the Ministry of Justice page, updated July 23, 2026, has eleven items, including a sworn statement that the sponsor lives in Brazil.
How long does the Brazil family reunion visa take to process?
The Migration Law, its Decree and Ordinance 12/2018 set no deadline specific to family reunion. The estimates are per authority and dated: the Embassy of Brazil in Helsinki's page, updated September 17, 2026, gives up to five working days after all documents are received and fees paid, for that embassy; the federal services page for residence permits and the card in Brazil (all grounds), last modified July 23, 2026, gives up to 180 calendar days as an estimate. Neither is a promise or an enforceable deadline.
Can a family reunion visa holder work in Brazil?
Yes. The holder of the family reunion residence permit may carry out any activity in Brazil, paid work included, on equal terms with Brazilians (Decree 9,199/2017, article 153, § 10; for the visa, article 45, § 3).
Legal note. This article is informational, does not replace individual legal advice and promises no result (Brazilian Bar Provision OAB No. 205/2021). The texts it relies on were read on November 10, 2026 in their official sources: the Migration Law, Law No. 13,445/2017 (articles 12, 14, 31 and 37), and its regulation, Decree No. 9,199/2017, with the amendments up to Decree No. 12,657/2025 (articles 45, 142, 153, 156 and 160), on the federal legislation portal; Interministerial Ordinance No. 12/2018 in the Ministry of Justice's digital library, which records no express revocation, together with the later joint ordinances on family reunion found there (Nos. 38/2023, 55/2025, 59/2025 and 67/2026), which concern Haitian nationals and stateless persons; the Ministry of Justice page on residence permits (updated July 23, 2026); the federal services page for the residence permit and the migration card (last modified July 23, 2026); and the visa pages of the Embassies of Brazil in Ljubljana (updated May 29, 2026), Helsinki (updated September 17, 2026) and Managua (updated November 25, 2025). Passages in Portuguese are reproduced from the official texts; the English beside them is the author's working translation, and the Portuguese is the only authentic version. Passages in English from embassy pages are quoted as published. Stated limits. (i) Consular requirements, fees and times are each post's own and are attributed only to the post that published them. (ii) Interministerial Ordinance No. 3/2018, whose annexes Ordinance 12/2018 amended, was not captured on its own. (iii) The term of the relative's residence when the sponsor is Brazilian is not set by any article and is described from an embassy page, not stated as a rule. (iv) The rules for the spouse or partner and for the parents of a child born in Brazil are treated in their own articles. (v) The loss of the residence when the family tie ends, naturalization and taxes are not treated beyond the links. (vi) The law of any other country is not addressed. To review your specific case, contact attorney Luiz Barros — Brazilian Bar, OAB/AL 7.530.
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