Notarial Services

Notary Services

The U.S. Embassy, Consulates, and Consular Agencies in Brazil provide notary services. They are available for all nationalities and available by appointment only.

Except for affidavits, we can only provide notarial services for documents that are to be used in the United States.

For more information on notarial and authentication services of U.S. consular officers abroad, please go to this Department of State webpage.

Please read the instructions before you choose a service. If you are unprepared for your appointment, you may be required to reschedule.

On the day of your appointment:

  • Appear in person and bring a valid government-issued photo ID (U.S. or foreign) with your signature (such as passport, driver’s license or ID card).
  • If you bring documents that require your signature, bring these documents UNSIGNED. They must be signed before a consular officer. Even if some pages do not require signatures or seals, you must bring the entire document.
  • Please order your pages numerically and separate documents with paper clips. Our staff cannot assemble them for you or provide legal advice on their preparation.
  • Ensure that you understand what your documents say, where you need to sign, and which signatures need notarization. Our staff will not explain these items to you.
  • Verify in advance if your documents require witness(es). Our staff cannot serve as witnesses. If your document requires witness signatures, you must bring witness(es) to your appointment. Please make sure they bring proof of identity and that they are legally qualified to serve as a witness. All those whose signatures will be notarized, including witnesses, must appear on the same day. We do not offer partial services.
  • The fee for the notary services listed below is US $50 per consular seal, which you will pay on the day of your appointment. Please click here for information on the forms of payment accepted at each location. Notarial service fees are per seal required, not per document notarized.

SECURITY AT THE EMBASSY AND CONSULATES

Notice: For security reasons, visa applicants and U.S. citizens are not allowed to enter the Embassy or Consulates with cell phones and other electronic devices (including but not limited to, smartwatches, activity monitoring devices, such as fitbits, tablets, laptops, and recording devices). Bags, except for one small purse or equivalent, are also not allowed.  All visitors and items brought into the Embassy or Consulates are subject to a complete search. Neither the Embassy nor the Consulates  have storage facilities for such items.  We strongly discourage our customers from bringing these devices when they come to the Embassy or Consulates to conduct business.  If you must bring these devices with you, there are private companies that provide storage facilities for a fee. These companies are not sanctioned by or otherwise affiliated with the U.S. government, and the U.S. government takes no responsibility for devices left in their care.


SERVICES WE CAN PROVIDE

This is a sworn statement made by you. We cannot advise you on how to word your affidavit. The consular officer assumes no responsibility for your affidavit’s truth or falsity.

Please do NOT sign the document prior to your appointment.

An acknowledgement of execution is used for legal agreements, business documents, powers of attorney or financial and real estate transaction documents, to name a few. If you are signing on behalf of a company, you must bring the company registered document that verifies your authority to do so.

Please bring your documents completed, assembled, and ready for notarization, with no missing pages. We cannot assemble your documents or provide legal advice on their preparation. If your documents are not ready, you may be asked to reschedule.

Please do NOT sign the document prior to your appointment.

A consular officer can create a true copy of a U.S. passport. The passport holder does not have to be present for the appointment, but the appointment will need to be made in the name of the person attending on behalf of the passport holder.

This service is only available if you are applying for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and need your identification verified before sending your application to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

For specific information about ITINs, please go to the IRS website. Please bring your  passport to your appointment.

Minors traveling alone are not legally required to have written authorization to enter the United States.  Customs and Border Protection (CBP), however, recommends that minors travelling alone, or with only one parent, carry a notarized travel authorization in English. If you have not yet viewed CBP FAQs regarding children on travel, you are encouraged to view them using the following link https://help.cbp.gov/s/global-search/children.

Parents asking for a notarized travel authorization MUST come in person with their document unsigned. You must sign the document in front of the consular officer.

If your child is a dual national (Brazilian and American), we recommend that you also check with Brazilian authorities about entering and leaving Brazil. Your child is subject to both nations’ laws.

If a child under the age of 16 is applying for a U.S. passport, and only one parent can appear at the Embassy or Consulate, the absent parent needs to provide a notarized Statement of Consent (Form DS-3053) and a copy of their valid, government-issued photo I.D with signature. The parent needs submit this special form in addition to their child’s passport application (DS-11).  There is no fee for this service.

Brazilian Civil Registry Offices (Cartórios) and the Brazilian Federal Police often request a sworn statement declaring your marital status or clarifying abbreviations in your name. To make this self-statement, you must attend your appointment in person and bring your U.S. passport.


SERVICES WE CANNOT PROVIDE

Under the Hague Apostille Convention, public documents bearing an Apostille are recognized in all signatory countries. The United States and Brazil are both members of the Convention.

Apostilles for Brazilian public documents can be obtained at certain Civil Registry offices (cartórios). Verify if a particular cartório offers this service before you go. Apostilles do not require any further certification to be recognized in the United States.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates are not authorized to provide Apostilles or assist in obtaining them.  In the United States, each individual state’s Secretary of State and Deputy Secretary of State provide Apostilles. For more information please click here.

If you need an Apostille for a U.S public document to be used in Brazil, please click here for state-by-state contact details.

We do not authenticate or provide notarial services for diplomas or academic documents. If you need to present academic credentials from the United States for use abroad, follow the step-by-step guidance on this page.

We do not provide criminal records checks. Please do not schedule an appointment for this service. You can find information about Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Records Checks on https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/while-abroad/criminal-record-checks.html

We do not provide copies of U.S. vital records. Please do not schedule an appointment for this service.

To obtain a state government issued birth, death, marriage, or divorce document, you may request one via the National Center for Health Statistics website, or the Bureau of Vital Statistics for the state in which the event occurred.

We do not provide official copies of a previously issued Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)/Death Abroad (CRODA). They must be requested directly from the Department of State in Washington, DC.

For CRBA – Please click here for ordering instructions.
For CRODA – Please click here for ordering instructions.

We do not provide translation services or recommend specific translators.

We only provide notary services for documents written in English.

We do not provide true copy services for non-original documents, even if they are certified. Please do not schedule an appointment for this.