CPF

GENERAL INFORMATION

Foreign citizens of any age who own or wish to own, in Brazil, assets and rights subject to public registration, including real estate, vehicles, boats, aircraft, shareholdings, bank accounts or investments in the financial market, must register with the Individual Taxpayer Register (CPF).

The CPF number is assigned only once (unique and definitive), with no possibility of a second enrolment. The CPF number will be generated at the time of issue and will appear on the receipt given to the applicant. The number should be kept in a safe place, as a "CPF card" will no longer be issued.

If you have forgotten your CPF number, you will have to apply for it in Brazil at the Federal Tax Office, as this problem cannot be solved at the embassy due to tax secrecy. If necessary, the request can be made by proxy in Brazil. Foreigners must have their power of attorney legalized by a local notary, apostille the document and then have it translated into Portuguese by an official translator.

 Foreigners who live outside Brazil must submit their CPF applications to the Brazilian consular offices, by means of in-person attendance, with the exception of the following cases, which can be sent to the e-mail address cpf.residente.exterior@rfb.gov.br directly by the applicant's personal e-mail:

 I - requests from foreigners with diplomatic privileges and immunities; and

II - requests by foreigners for alterations, regularization, cancellation, reinstatement and consultation of NI-CPF.

The response regarding the compleition of the service, accompanied, where necessary, by the relevant documents, will be sent by e-mail to the address indicated in the  FCPF (Individual Taxpayer Registration Form).

 The service is completely free of charge.

 For all other cases, requests for the service should be made by e-mail to consular.sofia@itamaraty.gov.br.

Walkthrough:

 1) Fill in the online form on the Receita Federal website, available at the following link:

*Note: The "Voter ID" field on the form must be left blank.

 Warning: your browser's pop-up blocker must be disabled. Otherwise, it will not be possible to send the request.

2) After clicking on "send" button, a registration form (FCPF) will be generated containing a service code. Print out the generated protocol.

3) Gather the following documents: passport, Bulgarian/North Macedonian identity card and birth certificate to verify parents' names.

4) Send a copy of the documents listed above by e-mail and wait for an appointment.

NEW UPDATE PROCEDURE: 

The Special Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil - RFB (Receita Federal do Brasil) announced that throughout 2025 all foreigners (non-Brazilians) must update their CPF registration. This procedure must be repeated annually by foreign CPF holders with addresses abroad. The new service aims to maintain the integrity of the CPF database and thus prevent the misuse of registrations by third parties for fraudulent purposes.

All update services must be carried out through the Federal Revenue application, available for Android and iOS platforms. The updated version, with the functionality for foreigner re-registration, will be available starting January 13, when the process will begin.

In the Receita Federal app, follow the steps below: 

1.    Insert your CPF number;

2.    Take a selfie with the passport identification page open, below the face;

3.    Fill out the requested information. 

Applicants who are unable to do so due to inconsistencies with their data should notify the Consular Section by email sending us the following documents:

1.    Copy of the passport or RNE/CRNM;

2.    Printscreen of the error message generated by the Receita Federal app; 

Foreigners who have an identification document issued by a Mercosul member or associated country may use it until June 30th, 2025. After that date, only passport photos will be accepted as identification. 

3.  Recent passport-like photo of the applicant;

4.  Birth certificate or similar document showing parent's name. 

Birth/marriage certificates issued outside of Brazil Bulgaria or North Macedonia must have an Apostille. If issued by a country that is not part of the Apostille Convention, the certificate must be authenticated at an Embassy/Consulate of Brazil within that country. 

Once all the aforementioned documents are sent, we will schedule an in-person appointment. On the day of your appointment, present the original documentation listed above.