Why We Chose Brazil
This being the most important question and also the most asked when people ask us about our journey. Since we are an American/Mexican couple the norm is to go to the land of the free and the “greatest country in the world ™” to have our newborn son. I myself am the grandson of immigrants who fled Mexico and went to the United States for more opportunity and a better life. Did I take for granted what my grandparents had fought for all of their lives? In a way I did just what my grandparents did, and went to another country so that my kin can have more opportunity.
To be clear, we are not running away from anything, rather running towards opportunity.
Brasil and a few other countries in the Americas still allow Citizenship by Birth, also known as Jus Soli. Below are the countries that allow Citizenship by Birth and my quick opinion of them.
- Argentina – Catastrophic Monetary policy/Socialist Regime but ok passport
- Belize – USA’s Bitch so no
- Bolivia – Not a good Passport
- Brazil
- Canada-Literally a Communist Gay regime(Tampons in Mens bathrooms)but good passport
- Chile – Great but Mandatory 1 year temporary residence and then permanent res after
- Costa Rica – USA’s Bitch, bad healthcare, no benefits for parents
- Dominica – Great but no benefits for the parents
- Ecuador – Not good Passport
- El Salvador – Not good Passport
- Fiji – Not good Passport
- Grenada – Great but no benefits for the parents
- Guatemala – Ok but no benefits for the parents
- Guyana – Not good Passport
- Honduras – Not good Passport
- Jamaica – Not good Passport
- Mexico
- Nicaragua – Ok Passport but no benefits for the parents
- Pakistan – F**k No
- Panama – Great but no benefits for the parents
- Paraguay – OK but no benefits for the parents
- Peru – OK but no benefits for the parents
- Portugal – Need Residence before having child
- St. Kitts and Nevis – Great but no benefits for the parents
- St. Lucia – Great but no benefits for the parents
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines – Great but no benefits for the parents
- Trinidad and Tobago – Ok Passport
- Tuvalu – Nope
- United States
- Uruguay – Great but no benefits for the parents
- Venezuela – F**k No
Runner ups were Argentina, F**kin Gay Ass Communist Canada, Panama, Uruguay. So we chose Brasil for:
- Its great passport
- Good quality healthcare
- Low drama no wars
- Diversity
- The parents get immediate residency upon having the child with posibility to get Citizenship after a year.
- Portugese speaking. (It is extremely close to Spanish)
- Parties, the beaches, & Carnaval.
- What a great reputation
Step 1: Finding the Special Someone
You can dream all you want, and want all you want, but in the end your beautiful significant other (or you) will be the one giving birth. Are they on board to go to another country that speaks another language to discover new adventures? The best way to find out is to ask. Can’t force anyone here. I’ll tell you though, the adventure is cool. Once we get approval to go through with this adventure we move to the next step.
Step 2: Pick Your City
We chose Florianopolis due to the awesome beaches, great weather(not too hot), and low crime rate. The Isla Magica! Obviously there is Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro which are also known for their excellent medical facilities.
Step 3: How Will She Give Birth? HomeBirth vs Hospital/Clinic
Option #1: HomeBirth – Most people think having a home birth is a hippie thing to do. Absolutely agree! While we chose to have a homebirth, the homebirth option comes with a backup emergency Plan B of the clinic. We are all about Plan B, Plan C… etc. so being prepared is necessary. The homebirth is done at your place of residence and can be done anywhere you choose to rent. We chose to rent an entire AirBnB home so we can have the privacy couples deserve. If it is important for you, you can get an Airbnb close to the clinic as to be more prepared for any emergency.
The home birth is done by a team of midwives, called parteras in Brasil, and your doula. The team of midwives are prepared for any and all emergency situations and they are licensed by the country. In our situation our partera had partner, another partera, which is like a back-up just in case the labor process goes on for longer than expected. The doula is extremely necessary as she will help the mother throughout the whole process. On the day of labor, the partera has all the necessary medicine as well as tools to handle most emergencies. This is critical to understand as the mother can be scared or worried that certain emergency devices/tools/medicine would only be available in a hospital.
Different parteras mean they all have different prices. In this scenario it is advisable to speak to a few parteras to make sure they get along and have same communication styles. Women communicate different than men, so the women are really the ones who know whats up. Men should just sit back and observe, for safety reasons. The parteras will suggest doulas also.
Option # 2: Hospital/Clinic – If you decide to go with a Maternity Hospital/Clinic this is also a great option. There are medical staff ready and attentive at all times during the birthing process. We personally went to the clinic, due to unforseen events, and found it to be a pleasurable experience. The food they offer not that much but either way you can bring your own food into your private room.
The clinic charges you like a hotel room in a way. They offer 3 packages (Normal Birth, Cesarean, Cesarean with Called Medic). Each package has 4 options of Accomodations for your stay (Nursery with individual areas separated by curtains, Apartment with a private room, Semi Suite, Suite). So you are looking at four 12 options and they are all for two days or 48 hours. They charge you based on the 5 different items for your room/area and if you enter on an emergency situation they charge 15% for hospital charges and 30% for medical staff on top of these prices . They are:
- Hospital
- Suite R$7500
- Semi Suite R$6500
- Apartment R$5450
- Nursery R$4500
- Anesthesiologist – R$1650 Base Price
- Pediatrician – R$1650 Base Price
- Obstetrician
- Normal Birth – R$3500
- Cesarean Birth – R$2700
- Cesarean with Called Medic – On Call
- Auxillary Obstetrician
- Cesarean – R$800
- Cesarean with Called Medic – On Call
So in our personal opinion if you want to rent a room at the clinic to birth your baby, you need to have your own obstetrician beforehand. This obstetrician should have experience as a partera so she will understand the process and how everything is coming along in a patient and understanding matter. Not to say all medical staff just wants you in and out, but the goal of you being in a hospital is to make sure you and the baby are alive and well.
As you can see above in the “Cesarean with Called Medic” option, you can pay for hospital, anesthesiologist, and pediatritian then hire your own obstetrician and auxillary obstetrician. In our case the home birth was not going how we wanted but our backup plan included us contracting an obstetrician beforehand and having this plan laid out with the clinic in mind.
We beliveve things should happen naturally and as such we waited until labor began naturally. If you would like to schedule when the baby comes out and begin the process, the hospital can arrange everything for you. Once the birthing process begins, this happens in a special room, kinda reminds me of like an Emergency Room since they have all the special tools and staff on hand.
Step 4: Communicate with your Partera or Chosen Obstetrician
Set up expected birth date of child so that you can start planning everything. Most of the Parteras or Obstetricians have a busy schedule so getting a hold of them sooner than later is a must. Set the dates you plan on arriving to Brasil and also the dates of the expected birth date.
Step 5: The Pre-game: Getting to and Entering Brasil + Legal Documents
So this part is the most hectic and very important.
If you are a USA citizen you will need a visa starting April 10, 2024. See that info here. You will need the following:
- Birth Certificate
- Birth Certificate Apostilled by State
- Federal Background Check also known as FBI background check within 90 days of applying for the residency. Calculate this properly
- Federal Background Check with a Federal Apostille by Washington, DC. We used Southeast Spanish Inc. and they are on the ball! Extremely fast and excellent service. Calculate this properly.
According to my awesome bad ass attorney, he says when applying for the family reunification residency, pretty much you can have things on your criminal background check and still qualify. The only problem would be if you have active warrrants for your arrest and if your original country has an extradition on your ass.
For any other citizenship the requirement are the same and check your local Brazilian embassy to see if you require a visa to enter.
Entering Brasil pregnant. This had me really nervous as my significant other would be entering at about 36 weeks pregnant which is showing a big belly. I think the airlines are way more strict on this than anything else, but regardless we had all our ultrasound images, obstetrician visitation papers and a letter from our obstetrician letting airlines know she is fit to fly. Once we arrived in Brasil and we went through immigration, the lady just asked us if we came for tourism, and we said yes. Then she stamped our passport and we went along. Rather simple and awesome.
Best advice I can give is to wear a loose shirt or carry your purse in front of your belly to try and hide it, even through the airport. After you get that stamp, you can show off your belly all day. Lol.
Maximum amount of cash you can bring in legally in Brasil is unlimited, but you have to declare if you have more than R$10,000.00 Reais or its equivalent per person. This really is not that much cash. Now how much do they enforce this? There was no paperwork required and no one asked us how much cash we have.
Step 6: Meetings with Partera or Gynocologist and Doula
So you made it into Brasil and the little baby is kicking because it wants to dance at Carnaval. Now its time to meet with the beautiful women that are going to help get that little baby out. If you chose a home birth you will meet with the parteras. Different parteras mean they all have different prices. If you chose an obstetrician, you can meet with them also. They will check on the baby and advise what is best for you and the baby. Yoy can also meet different Doulas to see who you feel will provide the best comfort and support.
Step 7 Get Your CPF
One thing you can do while you wait for the baby to come out is for both of you to get your CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas). This number is sort of ridiculous because they ask for it everywhere. You cannot buy things at certain stores without it. It is pretty retarded, but it is what it is. To get your CPF:
- Go Online and fill out the information here with the Receita Federal website. The details ask for a Brasil number. You can ask a friend for this number since it does not matter.
- You will get an atendimento code/number and you will have 90 days to go to the offices.
- Go to the office when you can, and take your Identification Document. Most likely this will be your passport. Offices are located here:
- R. Claudino Bento da Silva (Mestre Claudino da Arataca), 11 – Centro, Florianópolis – SC, 88010-135
- They will hand you 2 papers to fill out and then email them back. Don’t ask me my they work like this. It doesn’t make sense since you are already there but oh well.
- Once you send what they want in a few days you will receive an email with your CPF. it took us 5 days. You cannot open a bank account with this number, but you will need it to get the Birth certificate of your baby.
Step 8 Have the baby
The best and most exciting part of this whole ordeal! Your little one will hopefully come out safe and healthy. We wish you the best of luck!
One thing to note is that all vaccinations are only recommendations by the government. They are NOT mandatory. The baby should never leave your sight and remember you are the only shield protecting your baby from any harm.
As soon as the baby is born many people RECOMMEND you give them a vitamin K injection. This is not mandatory no matter how intense the conversation can get. As with anything being injected directly into your bloodstream there are always risks including the risk of death. That information can be found here.
Before leaving the hospital you will receive a book in which the pediatrician will write down your baby’s information, blood type, hearing test, and some other visual exams. This includes a small pamphlet on information to get his birth certificate.
They will also give you the DNV (Declaracao de Nascido Vivo) form that is really important. Make sure it is filled out correctly or else they will not let you register the child. The form looks like the below image:
The only thing that is mandatory is a blood test within 15 days to make sure the baby does not have any genetic abnormalities. This test can be done in a private laboratory. The technicians prick his heel and take some blood drops. The results are given to you a few days later. This is to check you and your sister and not having babies together. We took the test at San Geronimo Labs located at Av. Pequeno Príncipe, 1650 – sala 5 – Campeche, Florianópolis – SC, 88063-000.
Step 9 Register the baby to get his Birth Certificate/Certidao de Nacimento
Hopefully, after this whole ordeal of the labor process, you and your spouse are well rested and the baby is eating well. If you feel you are ready in a few weeks you can go and get the baby’s Birth Certificate. You, your spouse, the baby and the partera or obstetrician will have to be there to sign the paperwork required to get the birth certificate.
The Birth Certificate in Brasil does not add the country where the parents are from on the actual birth certificate. It only shows the city they were born in. My son also has his Mexican citizenship and while we were getting our documents for that, the Mexican consulate told us we have to make sure the Brasil Birth Certificate states the City and Country where the parents are from. We had to change that, but it was possible.
The birth Certificate will be given to you on the spot as well as any certified copies. If you would like to Apostille it, you can pick up the certificate with the apostille 2 days later. You never know when you need an apostille and the apsotilles on birth certificates last forever, so I got 2 just in case, as well as 2 Birth certificate copies.
Step 10: Hire Your attorney Once You Recieve the Birth Certificate
Once you get the Birth certificate, head over to the attorney’s office, give him the necessary documents, and pay him. He will set up a meeting with the Policia Federal to take your fingerprints and a picture. Our wait time was 2.5 months to get this meeting, but it was the holiday season.
Step 11: Apply for baby’s RG (Brazilian identity Card)
You will need to apply for the baby’s identification card in order to apply for his passport. Go to the following website, HERE, and set up a meeting with the Policia Federal at the place that is most convenient for you. Documents you need are below:
The offices are closed for lunch time for 1 hour from 12 pm to 1pm. It will take 20 working days for the ID to be ready, so expect to wait a month. They might have it earlier, but we didn’t have a car to be checking all the time. Once you have the baby’s RG on hand you can set up your meeting for the passport.
Step 12 Apply for the baby’s Passport
Go to the website, HERE, and fill out the information. You will need:
- The baby’s CPF found on his Birth Certificate
- Your CPF and Passport
- Your spouse’s CPF and Passport
- Current address in Brasil
- Brasil Phone number. We used a friend’s as its not relevant.
You will have to make a payment of R$257.25 with PIX or Mercado Libre, HERE. Both of these options cannot be done by a foreigner so you will need a friend or someone you know to pay for this, using their account.
Once you pay and have your receipt, in about 10 minutes you will be able to schedule your meeting at the Passport Office (Posto de Emissão de Passaporte). To schedule the meeting go HERE and click on – Paid for QR Code pagtesouro’s –
The Passport takes 7 working days to be ready. You will need one of the parent’s passports to pick it up.
The mall, Floripa Shopping, is very nice so you can also get some grub and watch a movie. There is a nice area on the second floor next to the restrooms called a family area, where they have diaper changing stations, a sink/bath area, as well as small cubicles to feed the baby.
Step 13: Appointment with the Policia Federal
The attorney will give you the appointment date and time. They will take your fingerprints and take a picture of you for your residency card. You recieve a paper with your number so you can use while you recieve your card. The official card takes from 2 to 3 weeks to arrive. The attornet can pick up your card and mail it to you in the case that you need to leave.
Thats it! If you want more information to make your goals of having your baby in Brasil we are more than happy to help.
We went through quite the adventure and obviously quite a hassle. One problem we had was finding the right people to accomplish everything. If you would like a copy of all of our contacts and their information, you can purchase them for the price of a good quality single barrel Jalisco tequila shot! Contacts include parteras, obstetrician, attorney, information on the clinics we used and our doula.
