Travel to Brazil

Visa procedure: Work visa and family reunion

Case study from practice: Secondment to Brazil

Mr Nizzo, an Italian citizen, and his Russian wife have been living in Switzerland since 2020. They married in Belgium. Mr Nizzo's Swiss employer has a branch in Brazil, which is why he now wants to send Mr Nizzo to Sao Paolo for strategic reasons. His wife will accompany him, so the couple will move to Brazil.

In the following sections we will only look at the aspects that are relevant for the collection of visas in Switzerland. The work authorization aspects in Brazil are not part of this presentation.

General information and procedural steps for the work visa

The work visa for Brazil is called VITEM V and is required, among other things, for persons who wish to pursue gainful employment in Brazil. For this reason, the very first application by the employer for a work permit would have to be submitted to the Ministry of Labor in Brazil. Only when the Ministry of Labor has approved the work permit, an authorization is sent to the Brazilian consulate in Zurich and only then can the work visa be applied for and collected from the consulate in Zurich.

The Ministry of Labor informs the employer that the work permit has been approved and that the authorization to issue the visa has been sent to the consulate in Switzerland. Alternatively, the status of the procedure can be checked by sending an electronic request to the consulate (vistos.cgzurique@itamaraty.gov.br).

As soon as the consulate confirms receipt of the authorization, the applicant can either bring the necessary documents in person or send them to the consulate by post. Proof of payment of the visa fee must be sent in any case. The consulate will inform the applicant when the visa is ready for collection. The applicant must collect the visa in person. As a rule, visa issuance takes 5 working days.

The documents required for visa collection in Switzerland are as follows:

  • Completed online form
  • Passport photo
  • Criminal record extract from Switzerland
  • Passport in original, valid for at least 6 months at the time of entry into Brazil and with two free pages
  • Original birth certificate
  • Original marriage certificate

The marriage and birth certificates must be translated into an official language (here: German) or English and certified with an apostille.

The visa fee is CHF 125 for all nationalities (CHF 362.50 for American citizens). Mr. Nizzo's employer submitted a work permit in Sao Paolo. It took 60 days for this to be approved and for the authorization to be sent to the Brazilian consulate in Zurich. Upon request, the consulate confirmed receipt of the authorization and the process of obtaining the work visa went smoothly.

General information and procedural steps for family reunion visas

In order to obtain a visa for his wife, Mr Nizzo must first obtain his own work visa for Brazil and only then can the visa application for family reunification for his Russian wife be submitted. Both Mr Nizzo, as the main applicant, and his wife must come to the consulate in person with the required documents. The consulate will review the application and inform the applicant as soon as the visa application is approved. The wife must come to the consulate with her passport and proof of payment of the fee to collect the visa.

The documents required to apply for a family reunion visa in Switzerland are as follows:

  • Passports that are valid for at least six more months
  • Digital passport photos of both spouses
  • Original criminal records from Switzerland
  • Copy of the wife's birth certificate, translated and certified with apostille.
  • Original of the marriage certificate, translated and certified with apostille.
  • Copy of the Brazilian work visa - the original is brought to the consulate with the passport.
  • If applicable, a copy of the tenancy agreement, if this already exists.
  • Declaration of commitment for maintenance in Brazil - to be signed at the consulate in person.
  • Legal declaration of residence in Brazil by the principal applicant - to be signed at the consulate in person.

The visa fee is CHF 110 for all nationalities (CHF 319.00 for American citizens and CHF 236.50 for British citizens).

The fact that Mr Nizzo's spouse is a Russian citizen was, at first sight, worrying in terms of obtaining the birth certificate from Russia. However, the spouse already had an old copy, which was translated and certified with an apostille. The Brazilian consulate accepted the validity of this copy. In Brazil, when registering or obtaining a residence permit, it is recommended to have all documents in the original.

In general, we recommend that you obtain information from the relevant consulate regarding the required documents well in advance and plan your trip sufficiently in advance to be able to start the job on the planned start date and to be able to enter the country together with your spouse.

To view the full article click here

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.