Giving birth in Brazil: the pros and cons of one of the most popular destinations

Brazil - a country of rich culture and vivid, captivating landscapes - draws many prospective parents each year. Here is a look at the main advantages and drawbacks of giving birth on its soil.

The advantages of giving birth in Brazil

Citizenship for the child

A child born on Brazilian territory is a citizen from birth (brasileiro nato - Brazilian by birth) regardless of the parents' nationality or immigration status: this is set out directly in Article 12 of the Brazilian Constitution. The only exception is children of foreigners who are in Brazil in the service of their own country, such as diplomats. Citizenship is proven by the birth certificate (certidão de nascimento) issued by the local civil registry office (cartório). Later in life the child will be able to enjoy all the benefits of a Brazilian passport:

• visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to about 170 destinations, including the Schengen Area, the United Kingdom and Japan; a visa is still needed for the United States;
• the right to live, study and work in Brazil and to use public schools, universities and the public health system on the same terms as other citizens;
• simplified residence in the countries of the MERCOSUR Residence Agreement (MERCOSUR is the Southern Common Market of South America), such as Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay;
• a shorter path to Portuguese citizenship: under the nationality law in force since 19 May 2026, citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP - the Community of Portuguese Language Countries), including Brazil, need 7 years of legal residence in Portugal instead of the 10 years required of most other foreigners. The period runs from the issue of a Portuguese residence permit, and a Brazilian passport on its own gives no right to Portuguese citizenship.

Family reunion residence for the parents

The parents of a Brazilian child can obtain a residence permit for family reunion (autorização de residência para fins de reunião familiar). This ground is set out in Article 37 of Migration Law 13.445/2017 and Article 153 of Decree 9.199/2017, and the procedure and document list are laid down in Interministerial Ordinance 12/2018 (a joint order of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The application is filed with Brazil's Federal Police (Polícia Federal - the agency that, among other things, handles the registration of foreigners), and it can be filed from inside the country, including after a visa-free entry. You will need a passport, the child's birth certificate, criminal record certificates from every country where you lived in the past 5 years, a declaration that the child lives in Brazil and receipts for the government fees. Each application is assessed individually.

The permit allows you to work and carry out any lawful activity on the same terms as citizens. Older foreign-born children can obtain residence on the same ground as siblings of a Brazilian citizen if they are under 18, up to 24 if they are students, or of any age with proven financial dependence. The status rests on the family actually living in the country: an absence from Brazil of more than two years without a valid reason ends the permit. Keep taxes in mind too: a residence permit usually makes you a Brazilian tax resident, and residents declare their worldwide income; see our guide to taxes in Brazil.

Naturalization for the parents: a legal minimum of 1 year of residence

Ordinary naturalization in Brazil requires 4 years of residence, but Article 66 of Law 13.445/2017 cuts this to a minimum of one year for anyone who has a Brazilian child. One year is the minimum residence period, not the time it takes to receive a passport. It is counted from the date the residence permit is registered with the Federal Police, not from arrival or from the child's birth, and it must immediately precede the application. You have to genuinely live in the country: time abroad is limited, owning property does not by itself prove residence, and the Ministry of Justice checks official databases, including border crossings. The Ministry of Justice decides on the application and may request additional documents during the review. Besides the residence period, you need Portuguese language skills and a clean criminal record.

The rules may get stricter: in 2026 the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of Brazil's Congress) approved Bill 2523/2019, which would add proof of lawful means of support to the requirements. It has not become law.

The option of dual citizenship

Brazil allows dual citizenship. Since Constitutional Amendment 131/2023, acquiring another nationality no longer causes the loss of Brazilian citizenship: it can only be lost through a court decision cancelling a naturalization (for fraud in obtaining it or for an attack on the constitutional order) or at the person's own express request. Brazilian rules do not require the child or naturalized parents to give up other passports, but the laws of your current country of citizenship need to be checked separately; see our article on dual citizenship.

High-quality medical care

Brazil's large cities have private clinics and maternity hospitals with modern equipment and highly qualified staff, and many families choose them. The clinic signs the contract for prenatal care and delivery with you directly. Under the Constitution the public health system SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde - the Unified Health System) is open to everyone, and the Migration Law guarantees foreigners access to it without discrimination based on nationality or immigration status, as provided by law. But conditions, maternity ward capacity and the way care is organized vary widely between cities and hospitals, so it is sensible to plan your budget around a private clinic. Private health insurance has a catch as well: under Law 9.656/1998 the waiting period (carência - the time after buying a policy before it covers a given service) for childbirth can be up to 300 days, so buying a policy during pregnancy and giving birth under it straight away is usually not possible.

A favorable climate

Warm weather, fresh fruit and a mild climate across most of the country help many women feel comfortable during pregnancy. The climate does vary: in the south, for example in Florianópolis, winters (June-August) are cool, while the north is hot and humid all year. Warmth also means mosquitoes: Brazil has a risk of dengue fever and of Zika virus, which a pregnant woman can pass to her baby. Protection from bites is essential, and vaccinations and travel risks are worth discussing in advance with the doctor managing your pregnancy.

The drawbacks of giving birth in Brazil

Parents will need to speak Portuguese to obtain citizenship

Portuguese is a mandatory requirement for naturalization (Article 65 of Law 13.445/2017), and English cannot replace it. Language skills can only be proven with a document from the Ministry of Justice list (Ordinance 623/2020): for example, the Celpe-Bras certificate (the official Portuguese exam for foreigners run by INEP, the National Institute for Educational Studies), a degree from a Brazilian university or proof of passing a Portuguese course for immigrants at an accredited university. Celpe-Bras is held twice a year and includes a speaking section, so it pays to start learning the language early.

The language barrier

Only a minority of people in Brazil speak English. Private clinics in large cities have English-speaking doctors, but in the maternity ward, at the bank and in government offices communication and paperwork are mostly in Portuguese, which can make dealing with doctors and officials difficult. Budget for an interpreter at important appointments; official documents for government agencies often have to be translated by a sworn translator (tradutor juramentado - an official translator whose translations government bodies accept).

High housing costs

Rent in popular cities is expensive relative to local incomes and rising fast. In 2026 rents on new residential leases rose by an average of 9.16% over 12 months against inflation of 4.22%. The average asking rent in São Paulo is about 65 Brazilian reais per square meter per month, so a 60 m² apartment costs about $770 (3,900 reais) a month at the rate of 17 October 2026; in Rio de Janeiro and Florianópolis it is about 61 reais per square meter. Naturalization requires a real address and proof of residence, so it is best to rent from the start under a lease in your own name. Imported goods are also noticeably more expensive because of high import taxes.

A modest standard of education

Brazil's public schools are of modest quality on average. In PISA 2025 (an international assessment of 15-year-old students run by the OECD - the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Brazilian students scored 377 points in mathematics, 408 in reading and 409 in science, below the OECD average in all three subjects, and these results have barely changed since 2015. That is why many families who stay in Brazil budget for a private or international school.

Where the law draws the line

Giving birth in Brazil and registering your child's citizenship is legal. There is only one lawful way to do it: state the real purpose of your trip at the border, live at your real address and submit only genuine documents.

• At the border. Russian citizens can enter Brazil visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but the Migration Law (Article 45) allows border officers, after an individual interview, to refuse entry to a person whose purpose of travel does not match the one declared. In 2026 there were rumours of mass entry refusals for pregnant Russian women; the Federal Police denied this and explained that entry decisions are made individually based on documents, funds and purpose of travel, and that pregnancy on its own is not a reason for refusal. Carry proof of accommodation and funds and your contract with the clinic.
• Address and documents. Give only the address where you actually live: it goes into the residence application and the naturalization file, where it is checked against databases. Certificates, leases and bills must be genuine.
• Consequences of deception. False addresses, forged certificates and sham residence lead to refusal of entry, cancellation of status and criminal cases. A residence permit can be cancelled at any time if fraud is found (Article 136 of Decree 9.199/2017), and a court can revoke a naturalization obtained through fraud (Constitutional Amendment 131/2023). In August 2026 the Federal Police carried out Operation Pacto Simulado (Portuguese for sham agreement) in Rio de Janeiro against a group that prepared false declarations of de facto marriage (união estável - a couple living together without a registered marriage) for foreigners seeking residence: the suspects face charges of making false statements in documents and criminal association.
• A lesson from next door. In 2023 federal judge María Servini in Argentina handled the case of an agency that brought pregnant Russian women to give birth in Argentina: according to investigators, false addresses were used in about 70 permanent residence files, and the address certificates bore forged police signatures. The agency's owners, a translator and a lawyer were summoned for questioning on charges of entering false information in documents, fraud and violating the migration law.

If you are comparing Brazil with Argentina, keep in mind that Argentina's rules have been stricter since 2025. Decree 366/2025 (a presidential decree of necessity and urgency, which has the force of law) allows permanent residence only with proof of sufficient means of support and a clean criminal record, time spent as a tourist does not count toward the residence period, and federal hospitals provide planned care to non-residents only against health insurance or prepayment. In 2026 the National Electoral Chamber and several federal courts declared the decree's citizenship provisions invalid, and the government is appealing to the Supreme Court, so the Supreme Court will settle the naturalization procedure in Argentina. In Argentina, legal representation is handled by Murblz specialists together with partners licensed to practise there. Read more in our overview of giving birth in Argentina in 2026.

The decision to give birth in Brazil should rest on a careful weighing of every advantage and drawback. It is important to consider personal preferences, financial means and the medical conditions the country offers. For parents, this path suits those who are genuinely ready to relocate: to live in the country for at least a year after receiving residence, learn Portuguese and become tax residents. Legal representation in Brazil is handled by Murblz specialists together with partners registered with the OAB (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil - the Brazilian Bar Association, registration with which is required to practise law). We do not sell medical services: you choose the clinic yourself, and it signs the contract with you directly. Approached the right way, giving birth in Brazil can be a positive and comfortable experience for the whole family. Learn more on our page about giving birth in Brazil and your child's citizenship and in our overview of giving birth in Brazil in 2026.

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