How to collect a document already issued in Brazil
Brazilian collection is informal in form and rigorous in principle: anyone collects with a simple authorisation and an ID — but without the request's protocolo (receipt number), even the holder struggles. The little protocolo slip is the true collection document.
Who can collect
The requester with an ID; third parties with a signed authorisation + a copy of the authoriser's ID + their own ID. Cartórios usually accept the simple authorisation; some public offices require a power of attorney (sometimes with a certified signature — ironically, certified at a cartório). When in doubt, a phone call beforehand settles it and avoids a wasted trip.
The protocolo is the key
Every request generates a protocolo — number, date, fee slip. It is what locates the finished document on the shelf. Lost it? Name and request date solve it with extra patience. The habit that saves: a photo of the protocolo the moment it is born, sent to whoever will collect.
Collection at a distance
The Brazilian trick: via the CRC, a certificate ordered at cartório A can be COLLECTED at cartório B — or arrive digital. For anyone abroad, the design: online request → collection by an authorised person at a convenient cartório (or digital) → apostille → shipping. In-person collection becomes a short leg for whoever executes, not a journey for whoever needs it.
On the spot, check
Spellings, parentage, expected annotations, the office's seal/signature — and, for the photocopy inteiro teor, the legibility of the book's photocopy (foreign proceedings refuse illegible ones). An error flagged at the counter is fixed there; discovered in Europe, it costs the cycle.
Frequently asked questions
Does the authorisation need a certified signature?+
To collect a certificate at a cartório, normally not. Public offices and specific cases may require it — the prior phone call to the office settles it.
How long does the document wait at the cartório?+
Offices keep it for their own period (weeks to months) before archiving. A request announced as ready is a request to go fetch — do not let it sleep.
Informative content about request procedures. We do not cover citizenship or visa eligibility. Rules and amounts may change; always confirm before acting.