Information on Humanitarian Reception in Brazil for Ukrainians

Attention: There is no resettlement program for other countries from Brazil. UNHCR Brazil does not relocate refugees who are in Brazil to other countries. If you wish to go to another country, you should seek the relevant consular authority on your own.

Once in Brazil, persons benefiting from the humanitarian visa are entitled to apply for recognition of refugee status or temporary residence for humanitarian reception purposes. The visa holder for humanitarian reception purposes must seek to regularize their documentary situation through the Federal Police within a maximum of 90 days after their entry into Brazilian territory.

You can apply for asylum through the SISCONARE platform. Refugees in Brazil are entitled to international protection, cannot be expelled or returned to a country or territory where their life or physical integrity is at risk of being violated and cannot be returned to their country of origin.

• For more information about the procedure, click here or see the FAQ section below.

Temporary residence for humanitarian reception purposes for Ukrainian nationals and stateless persons who have been affected or displaced by the situation of armed conflict in Ukraine shall be valid initially for two years and may thereafter be extended to residence for an indefinite period, provided that certain conditions are met.

More information about temporary residence for humanitarian welcoming purposes can be found in the FAQ section below .

You can seek the support of government institutions and UNHCR´s partner civil society organizations to help with your documentation, as well as free legal assistance services, psychosocial care and Portuguese classes.

In the city of São Paulo, in the state of São Paulo, you can search for:

• Caritas Arquidiocesana de São Paulo – Legal, social assistance and psychosocial assistance, Portuguese classes and labor insertion.
  • Whatsapp Service: +55 11 97630-8023
  • Address: Avenida Mal. Eurico Gaspar Dutra, 1853 – Bairro Parada Inglesa
• Peace Mission – Legal, social assistance and psychosocial assistance, Portuguese classes and labor insertion.
  • Scheduling by Whatsapp: +55 11 3340-6950
  • Address: Rua Glicério, 225 – Bairro Liberdade
• Reference and Assistance Center for Immigrants (CRAI) – Legal, social assistance and psychosocial assistance.
  • Appointment by phone and in person: +55 11 2361-3780 / +55 11 2361-5069
  • Address: Rua Major Diogo, 834 – Bairro Bela Vista
• Immigrant Integration and Citizenship Center (CIC) – Legal assistance, access to rights and courses.
  • Phone and Whatsapp: +55 11 3115-2048
  • Address: Rua Barra Funda, 1.020 – Bairro Santa Cecília

In the city of Curitiba, in the state of Paraná, you can search for:

• Caritas Brasileira Regional Paraná – Legal assistance, social assistance, employability and shelter.
  • Phone: +55 41 3039-7869
  • Address: Rua Paula Gomes, 703 – Bairro São Francisco

In the city of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, you can search for:

• Service Center of the Jesuit Service for Migrants and Refugees (SJMR) – Legal, social assistance and psychosocial service, access to Portuguese classes and labor insertion.
  • Whatsapp: +55 51 9 9995-5573
  • Address: Avenida Venâncio Aires, 1048 – Bairro Farroupilha

In the city of Brasília, in the Federal District, you can search for:

• Migration and Human Rights Institute (IMDH) – Legal assistance, social assistance and employability.
• WhatsApp: +55 61 98210-5085
• Address: Quadra 7, Conjunto C, Lote 1, Quadra 7, Lote 1, Bairro Varjão

• Specialized Reference Center for Social Assistance (CREAS) for Migrants, Refugees and Stateless Persons – Socio-assistance and psychosocial care.
• Email: [email protected]

For references from UNHCR partner organizations in other locations, click here.

1 – Do Ukrainian nationals need to apply for a visa to enter Brazilian territory?
Ukrainian citizens may remain in the Brazilian territory, without the need for a tourist visa, if they carry a valid Ukrainian travel document, for up to 90 days from the date of their entry into national territory, according to the guidelines of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil.

2 – Does Brazil grant temporary visa and residence for humanitarian reception purposes to Ukrainians and stateless persons?
On March 3, 2022, Interministerial Ordinance n. 28 was published by decision of the federal government of Brazil, which provides for the granting of temporary visas and residence permits for the purpose of humanitarian reception to Ukrainian nationals and stateless persons who have been affected or displaced by the situation of armed conflict in Ukraine.

3 – Where can Ukrainian nationals and stateless persons who have been affected or displaced by the situation of armed conflict apply for a humanitarian visa to Brazil?
The Brazilian Embassies in Warsaw (Poland), Budapest (Hungary), Bucharest (Romania), Prague (Czech Republic) and Bratislava (Slovakia) are empowered to process visa applications for humanitarian reception. If you are in other locations, check directly with the nearest Brazilian consular authority.

4 – What documents are required to apply for a humanitarian visa?
The necessary documents, according to Interministerial Ordinance No. 28, of March 3, 2022, are: i) Valid travel document, that is, passport within the validity period; ii) Completed visa application form, which can be obtained in direct contact with the embassy or consulate; iii) Proof of means of transport to access the Brazilian territory, that is, airline tickets; and iv) Criminal record certificate issued by Ukraine or, in the impossibility of obtaining it, declaration, under the penalties of the law, of absence of criminal history in any country. Individual cases will be analyzed exceptionally by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in the absence of any or some of the documents described above.

5 – Is there any cost for issuing the visa for humanitarian reception purposes for Ukrainians and stateless persons?
As provided for in Interministerial Ordinance No. 28 of March 3, 2022, there is no cost to the issuance of the visa for humanitarian reception purposes for Ukrainians and stateless persons who have been affected or displaced by the situation of armed conflict in Ukraine.

6 – Does Brazil provide any kind of support for the purchase of airline tickets?
There is no kind of help from the Brazilian government for the purchase of tickets. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Ukrainian national to make his air ticket to Brazil viable.

7 – When arriving in the Brazilian territory, should the Ukrainian national or stateless person seek the Federal Police?
The Ukrainian national or stateless person who arrives in Brazil with a visa for humanitarian reception purposes should seek the Federal Police within a maximum of 90 days after his/her entry to carry out the procedure for validating the application for refugee status or apply for a residence permit for humanitarian reception purposes. In case of difficulties, it is possible to seek support from one of UNHCR Brazil’s partner organizations, which can be identified by clicking here.

8 – When arriving in the Brazilian territory, can the Ukrainian national or stateless person request the recognition of the refugee condition or the residence permit?
Yes.  Upon arriving in the Brazilian territory, the Ukrainian national or stateless person may request (i) either the recognition of refugee status (ii) or temporary residence for humanitarian reception purposes, valid initially for two years.

The refugee status, once recognized, does not have an expiration date – it is valid indefinitely, although the physical document proving this condition must be renewed after the first nine years.

Temporary residence after the initial two years may be reverted to residence of indefinite duration if the criteria are met.

For more information on how to apply for recognition of refugee status, click here or see the following question.

To learn more about the differences between refugees and migrants, see the image below .

You can seek support for your documentation from one of governmental institutions or UNHCR’s partner civil society organizations, which can be identified by clicking here and here.

9 – How can the Ukrainian national or stateless person apply for recognition of refugee status?

You can apply for recognition of refugee status through the SISCONARE platform.

After completing the online form on the SISCONARE Platform, it is necessary to go to a Federal Police (PF) post and present:

• Online form previously completed, through registration in the Electronic System of the National Committee for Refugees – CONARE (SISCONARE), available here. When completing the online form, if the person has supporting documentation, they should attach all documentation that can support their request, such as personal documents, photos, certificates, news, etc. If the person has other relatives in Brazil, the request for recognition of refugee status for them may be included in the same form. After completion, a tracking number will be generated that must be noted.
• If you need support to fill out the form, seek civil society organizations or the Public Defender’s Office for free support. For more information click here.

The request for recognition of refugee status will only be complete after your attendance at the Federal Police. The asylum seeker will receive the Refuge Protocol and the DPRNM (Provisional Document of National Migration Registration). With the Protocol and the DPRNM, the asylum seeker can work regularly and access all public services, such as health, education, social assistance, etc. More information on all these topics is available from question number 13 below.

After presenting himself to the Federal Police, the asylum seeker should wait for the decision of CONARE, which will analyze the case and communicate to continue the process. It is important to always keep contact information up to date and log into SISCONARE at least once a month to receive notifications about your application.

If the person is recognized as a refugee, he/she will have the right to remain in Brazil as a refugee and will receive the National Migration Registration Card (CRNM), valid for 9 years and may be renewed for an indefinite period.

Refugees in Brazil are entitled to international protection, cannot be expelled or returned to a country or territory where their life or physical integrity is at risk of being violated and cannot be returned to their country of origin.

10 – How can the Ukrainian national or stateless person apply for a temporary residence permit for humanitarian reception purposes?

In order to apply for a temporary residence permit for humanitarian reception purposes, the Ukrainian national or stateless person shall submit the following documents to a unit of the Federal Police:

• Travel document, even if the expiration date is expired;
• Birth certificate, marriage certificate, consular certificate, or affiliation self-declaration; and
• Declaration of absence of criminal records in Brazil and abroad in the last five years.

After presentation and evaluation of these documents, the Federal Police will perform the registration and process the issuance of the National Migration Registration Card – CRNM, which will be valid for two years.

Obtaining a residence permit implies the withdrawal of the application for recognition of refugee status.

11 – What if I am a national of Ukraine and I am already in Brazil?
Ukrainian nationals who are in Brazilian territory, regardless of the situation in which they entered the country, may also apply for recognition of refugee status (for more information, see question 9) or obtain temporary residence permit for humanitarian reception purposes (for more information, see question 10).

12 – What is the duration of the temporary residence for humanitarian reception purposes?
Temporary residence lasts for two years. After this period, a residence permit may be granted for an indefinite period, provided that the person:

• Has not been absent from Brazil for a period exceeding 90 days each year;
• Has entered and left the national territory exclusively by the Brazilian migratory control;
• Do not present criminal records in Brazil and abroad; and
• Prove means of subsistence.

Attention: If the person leaves Brazil definitively, or does so outside the border control points, if it has been proven that he has tried to reside in another country, the grounds that supported the humanitarian reception will be considered terminated.

The Interministerial Ordinance n. 28 is valid until August 31, 2022.

13 – When arriving in Brazil, will some type of translator or interpreter be offered to Ukrainian nationals?
No. The Brazilian government does not offer any kind of help for translation or interpretation. If the person does not speak Portuguese or wants to seek Portuguese classes, the Ukrainian national can seek support in one of the UNHCR partner´s organizations by clicking here.

14 – Is there any specific financial support for Ukrainian nationals?
Brazil does not offer any specific financial support to Ukrainians. However, refugees and migrants of any nationality can enjoy the social benefits offered by the government to Brazilians and non-nationals, such as the Auxílio Brasil. For more information on how to enroll in Brazil’s social programs and their membership criteria, click here.

15 – Is there any specific housing support for Ukrainian nationals?
There is no specific housing support for Ukrainians. However, they can apply for shelter in the shelters present in the cities in which they are located. It is important to note that these options are temporary, often shared and/or divided by profiles (e.g. women’s shelter, men’s shelter, family shelter). In general, there are few family shelter options. That is, there is the possibility of a family composed of men and women being divided to get temporary shelter. For more information on how to get shelter click here or look for one of UNHCR Brazil’s partner organizations.

16 – What documents are Ukrainian nationals entitled to in Brazil?
Applicants for recognition of refugee status are entitled to obtain the Provisional Refuge Protocol (valid for one year and renewable until the process of requesting refugee status is analyzed and decided by the National Committee for Refugees – CONARE), the Provisional Document of National Migration Registration (DPRNM), the Work and Social Security Card (CTPs) and the Individual Taxpayer Registry (CPF).

Refugees recognized in Brazil are entitled to receive the National Migration Registration Card (CRNM), the Work and Social Security Card (CTPs), the Individual Taxpayer Registration (CPF) and a travel document (yellow passport).

Ukrainian nationals who have applied for a residence permit for humanitarian reception purposes are entitled to the Temporary National Migration Registration Card (CRNM), Individual Taxpayer Registration (CPF) and Work and Social Security Card (CTPs).

To learn how to get each document, click here.

17 – Can Ukrainian nationals work in Brazil?
Yes, Ukrainian nationals can work fully in Brazil. It is important to have all the necessary documents to carry out professional activity, such as the Individual Taxpayer Registration (CPF), Work and Social Security Card (CTPs, whose document is digital) and Provisional Document of National Migration Registration (DPRNM) or Provisional Protocol of the request for refuge or the National Migration Registration Card (CRNM). For more information on how to get work in Brazil, click here.

18 – Can Ukrainian nationals study in Brazil, as well as revalidate their diplomas from Ukraine or other countries?
Yes, Ukrainian nationals can access basic, secondary, technological and higher education in Brazil like any other Brazilian, refugee or migrant person. In addition, it is possible to revalidate the diploma obtained in the country of origin to exercise their profession. This is a procedure that must be done with public universities, with variable costs, deadlines and requirements. Some universities have an exemption from specific revalidation fees for refugees. For more information on these topics, click here.

19 – How can a Ukrainian national access the health system in Brazil?
Every refugee and migrant person, including Ukrainian nationals and stateless persons, can use Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS), which has universal access and is entirely free of charge. To do so, simply issue your National Health Card, also called the Cartão SUS, in any public health unit or over the internet. For more information on how to access sus, click here.

20 – Can Ukrainian nationals get the COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil? Is there any cost to taking it?
Yes, people from Ukraine can and are strongly encouraged by UNHCR Brazil to get the COVID-19 vaccine, free of charge, at any basic public health unit in Brazil. For more information on where to get the COVID-19 vaccine, click here.

If the information you are looking for is not found in the questions and answers above, please navigate through the tabs of the  HELP Platform. If you still can’t find the answer you want, please contact us by clicking here.