Expert: Ken Rapoza Cruz - 5/31/2010

Question
Hi I'm American and my girlfriend is Brazilian , we plan on getting married in the states, how can we "transfer" that marriage so it is recognized by Brazil.

Answer
Easy. Just bring your marriage certificate to the nearest Brazilian consulate and have your marriage recognized by Brazil. This way you can apply for a permament visa, should you ever decide to move there for a while. They wont give you a permament visa unless you plan on moving there, or unless you are there already (but dont plan on moving there forever, whatever foreever means). I got my perm visa while in Brazil. I got married in Brazil and in the US. The Brazilian consulate will only give you paperwork that shows your documents were translated and you will get a Brazilian marriage certificate. Beyond that, your visa status will only change if you plan to move to Brazil. If you plan on traveling there for a month or two a year, you will onlly require a tourist visa. If you want a perm visa, you will have to apply for that in Brazil and tell them that you intend to stick around for a while. A perm visa is the local version ofa green card.

Good luck. I hope you have a happy life together.