How to register with the Federal Police and get your RNM

What it is

Registro Nacional Migratório, your migration ID

Who must register

Temporary visa holders and approved residents

Deadline

90 days after entry, or 30 days after approval

Fee

R$204.77 (CRNM fee, code 140120)

Where

The Federal Police unit that covers your address

While you wait

Your protocol, valid up to 180 days

RNM, CRNM, protocol: what's what

Three terms get mixed up all the time:

• RNM (Registro Nacional Migratório) is your registration number. It's created from your personal details and fingerprints, and it stays with you.
• CRNM (Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório) is the physical card with that number on it. It's your ID as an immigrant, valid all over Brazil.
• Protocol (protocolo) is the receipt you get at your appointment. It works as proof of registration until the card is ready.

You'll still hear the old names: the RNM used to be the RNE, and the card used to be the CIE. Same thing.

Who has to register, and by when

This guide covers the two most common cases:

• You entered Brazil with a temporary visa issued by a consulate (for example, the digital nomad visa). You have 90 days from the day you enter Brazil to register.
• Your residence authorization was approved inside Brazil and published in the Diário Oficial da União (DOU). You have 30 days from the date of publication to register.

If you're in Brazil as a visitor (tourist), you don't register with the Federal Police.

Documents to bring

The Federal Police publishes a separate checklist for each type of registration. Pick the one that matches you, because the wrong type or a missing document can get your request refused.

If you have a temporary visa

• The online registration form, filled inOn the Federal Police website (see the steps below).
• Valid passportOr another document that proves your identity and nationality, where a treaty allows it.
• The original visa formListed as "formulário original do visto". Bring the visa paperwork the consulate gave you.
• Proof of payment of the CRNM feeThe paid GRU for R$204.77, revenue code 140120, when applicable.
• One 3x4 photo, just in caseRecent, in color, white background, plain paper, facing forward. Only asked for if the fingerprint and photo system is down.

If your residence was approved in the Diário Oficial

• The online registration form, filled inSame form, different registration type.
• Valid passportOr another accepted identity document.
• The Diário Oficial page showing your approvalPrint the page where your name and the approval appear.
• Birth or marriage certificate, or a consular certificateOnly if your passport doesn't show your parents' names. Foreign certificates follow the legalization and translation rules below.
• Proof of payment of the CRNM feeThe paid GRU for R$204.77, code 140120, when applicable.
• One 3x4 photo, just in caseSame rule: only if the biometric system is down.

In both cases, other documents can be required depending on your situation, and the officer can ask for an updated birth or marriage certificate if there's any doubt about your civil records.

Foreign documents: apostille and sworn translation

Documents issued abroad generally have to be legalized, which for most countries means an apostille under the Hague Convention. They also need a sworn translation (tradução juramentada) into Portuguese, and the Federal Police says that translation can only be done in Brazil. Some agreements, such as those between Mercosur countries, waive part of this.

Step by step

1. Pick your registration type. On gov.br, open the service "Registrar-se como Estrangeiro no Brasil" and choose either "Registro de imigrante detentor de visto temporário" or "Registro com base em publicação em Diário Oficial da União".
2. Fill in the online form on the Federal Police website. Type your details exactly as they appear in your passport. The government estimates about 20 minutes for this step.
3. Generate and pay the GRU. Use the Federal Police's GRU form for foreign persons and select the CRNM issuance fee (code 140120, R$204.77). You can pay it at any bank, lottery outlet (lotérica), Correios branch or banking correspondent. Keep the receipt.
4. Book your appointment. The form offers scheduling at the end. To book, change, check or cancel later, use the Federal Police appointment system. Confirmations come from agenda@dpf.gov.br, which is the Federal Police's own automatic address.
5. Go to your appointment at the Federal Police unit that covers the place where you live, with all your documents. They take your fingerprints and photo. The government's estimate is about 30 minutes, plus up to 30 minutes of waiting.
6. Leave with your protocol. Check every detail on it before you go: name spelling, date of birth, parents' names.
7. Collect your card. Check your status online until it says your document is ready, then book the pickup (details below).

If you can't find an appointment

This is where most people get stuck. What the Federal Police says officially:

• Service is by appointment, booked through the online system or by email with the unit where you live. Each unit has its own rules, days and opening hours.
• You must use the unit that covers your address. Except for the cases in article 67 of Decree 9.199/2017, they only serve people who live in their area, so booking a quieter office in another city isn't a workaround.
• Urgent case? You can email the immigration service of your unit. The Federal Police publishes a list of email addresses by city. Find your city and write to the unit responsible for it.

Start looking for a slot the week you arrive. If the system shows nothing, check back regularly and keep a record of your attempts and any emails you send.

Your protocol: proof while you wait

At the end of your appointment you're given the protocol (protocolo de solicitação da CRNM). Until your card is ready, this document is your proof that you're registered, so treat it like an ID.

• It works with your passportTogether they guarantee your rights under Brazil's Migration Law for up to 180 days.
• Those rights are realAccording to the Federal Police: moving freely around Brazil, public health and social services, work and opening a bank account. Banks set their own document rules, so ask before you go.
• It can be extendedIf the 180 days run out before your card is ready, the Federal Police can extend the protocol at no cost. Renewals are done at the same unit where you had your appointment.
• Anyone can check it's genuineEmployers, landlords or banks can verify it online on the Federal Police website.

Getting your CRNM card

1. Check your status on the Federal Police's request tracking page.
2. When it says "Seu documento foi confeccionado e está pronto para ser retirado" (your document has been made and is ready for pickup), it gives you a pickup form.
3. Fill in that form and book the pickup at the right unit. Some units don't need a booking; the system then says "não há agenda para o serviço escolhido".
4. Collect the card at the Federal Police unit.

How long does it take? Gov.br gives estimates only: an average of 30 business days for the card step, and up to 180 calendar days for the whole service when the request is complete. Times vary by unit, so treat these as rough guides, not promises.

Can't collect it yourself? Send someone with a procuração

The Federal Police confirms that someone else can collect your CRNM with a power of attorney (procuração). The person collecting must show their own ID, and the procuração has to be specific: it must clearly give them the power to collect your CRNM on your behalf. There are three ways to make it valid:

1. Signature recognized at a notary. Sign the procuração and have your signature recognized "por autenticidade" at a cartório.
2. Sign it at the Federal Police unit. If you sign the procuração in person at the unit, you don't need a notary.
3. Original ID for comparison. The person brings an original ID document of yours with your signature, so the officer can compare signatures.

Rules can vary slightly by unit, so if you can, confirm with the unit that issued your card before you send someone.

Mistakes that cause problems

1. Choosing the wrong registration type. Visa holders and DOU approvals have different checklists. The Federal Police warns that the wrong type or incomplete documents can get the request refused.
2. Names that don't match your passport. Fill in the form exactly as your passport reads, and check the protocol before you leave the counter.
3. Paying the wrong GRU. Use the form for foreign persons and the CRNM issuance fee, code 140120. Bring the paid receipt, not just the slip.
4. Booking at the wrong unit. It has to be the Federal Police unit that covers your address.
5. Foreign documents without an apostille or a sworn translation. A translation done abroad isn't a Brazilian sworn translation.
6. Waiting until the deadline is close. 90 days goes fast when appointments are scarce.

FAQ