Brazil Judicial Assistance

Party to Hague Service Convention? No
Party to Hague Evidence Convention? No
Party to Hague Apostille Convention? No
Party to Inter-American Convention? Yes
Service of Process by Mail? N/A

DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE TOTALLY ACCURATE IN A SPECIFIC CASE. QUESTIONS INVOLVING INTERPRETATION OF SPECIFIC FOREIGN LAWS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE APPROPRIATE FOREIGN AUTHORITIES OR FOREIGN COUNSEL.

Embassies and Consulates

U.S. Embassy Brasilia
SES - Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 03
70403-900 - Brasilia, DF
Brazil
Telephone: 011-55-61-3312-7000
Emergency Telephone: 011-55-61-3312-7400
Fax: 011-55-61-3312-7400
BrasiliaACS@state.gov

Consulates
U.S. Consulate General Sao Paulo
Rua Henri Dunant, 500,
Chacara Santo Antonio,
Sao Paulo- SP, 04709-110
Brazil
Telephone: 011-55-11-5186-7000
Emergency Telephone: 011-55-11-5186-7373
Fax: 011-55-11-5186-7099
acsinfosaopaulo@state.gov

U.S. Consulate General Rio de Janeiro
Av. Presidente Wilson, 147 - Castelo
20030-020 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Brazil
Telephone: 011-55-21-3823-2000
Emergency Telephone: 011-55-21-3823-2000
Fax: 011-55-21-3823-2093
acsrio@state.gov

U.S. Consulate General Recife
Rua Goncalves Maia, 163 - Boa Vista
50070-060 - Recife, PE
Brazil
Telephone: 011-55-81-3416-3050
Emergency Telephone: 011-55-3416-3060
Fax: 011-55-81-3231-1906
recconsular@state.gov

U.S. Consular Agent - Belem
Avenida Conselheiro Furtado 2865
Edificio Sintese 21, Rooms 1104/1106
66060-600 - Belém, PA
Brazil
Telephone: (91) 3259-4566 / From US: 011-55-91-3259-4566
Emergency Telephone: Please contact the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia.
Fax: (91) 3259-2626
The U.S. Consular Agency in Belém is open to the public Monday thru Friday, from 3:00pm-6:00pm, except for U.S. and Brazilian holidays.

U.S. Consular Agent - Manaus
Edificio Atrium Sala 306
Rua Franco de Sá, 310
69079-210 Manaus, AM
Brazil
Telephone: (92) 3611-3333 /from US: 011-55-92-3611-3333
Emergency Telephone: Please contact the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia.
Fax: (92) 3611-3333
The U.S. Consular Agency in Manaus is open to the public Monday thru Friday, from 9:00am-12:00pm, except for U.S. and Brazilian holidays.

U.S. Consular Agent - Fortaleza
Torre Santos Dumont
Av. Santos Dumont 2828, # 708
Bairro Aldeota Fortaleza, CE- 60150-161
Brazil
Telephone: (85) 3486-1306/1307 /From US: 011-55-85-3486-1306/1307
Emergency Telephone: Please contact the U.S. Consulate General in Recife.
Fax: (85) 3486-1308
The U.S. Consular Agency in Fortaleza is open to the public Monday thru Friday, from 8:00am-12:00pm, except for U.S. and Brazilian holidays.

U.S. Consular Agent - Porto Alegra
Rua Riachelo, 1257, r. 210
Porto Alegre - R.S. - Brazil 90010-271
Telephone: (51) 3226-3366 / From U.S.: 011-55-51-3226-3366
Emergency Telephone: (51) 9255-5665
Fax: (51) 3226-3366

U.S. Consular Agent - Salvador de Bahia
Salvador Trade Center, room 1401, Torre Sul,
Avenida Tancredo Neves, 1632,
Caminho das Árvores
41820-020 Salvador, Bahia
Brazil
Telephone: (71) 3113-2090 or 2091 / From US: 011-55-71-3113-2090 or 2091
Emergency Telephone: Please contact the U.S. Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro.
The Consular Agency in Salvador is open in the mornings only, from 8:30AM to 11:30AM, except on Brazilian and U
S. holidays.
Fax: (71) 3113-2092

List of Attorneys
List of Attorneys – U.S. Embassy Brasilia
Helpful Links
Service of Process

Brazil is not a party to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters. The United States and Brazil are parties to the  Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and  Additional Protocol.. The U.S. Central Authority for the treaty is the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Office of Foreign Litigation, Washington, D.C.  Requests for service under the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and Additional Protocol may be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice's contractor,  Process Forwarding International (PFI), for transmittal to the Brazilian Central Authority.

See also our Service Under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) feature and FSIA Checklist for questions about service on a foreign state, agency or instrumentality.

Criminal Matters
U.S. federal or state prosecutors should also contact the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, Department of Justice for guidance about the Treaty between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Brazil on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.

Defense Requests in Criminal Matters: Criminal defendants or their defense counsel seeking judicial assistance in obtaining evidence or in effecting service of documents abroad in connection with criminal matters may do so via the letters rogatory process.
Obtaining Evidence in Civil and Commercial Matters
Brazil is not a party to the  Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters. Compulsion of evidence from an unwilling witness in civil or commercial matters must be taken before a Brazilian court pursuant to letters rogatory.
Taking Voluntary Depositions of Willing Witnesses
Brazil is not a party to the  Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters. The United States is not a party to the evidence provisions of the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and Additional Protocol. Brazilian authorities do not permit persons, such as American attorneys, to take depositions for use in a court in the United States before a U.S. consular officer, with the assistance of a Brazilian attorney, or in any other manner. Brazilian law views the taking of depositions for use in foreign courts as an act that may be undertaken in Brazil only by Brazilian judicial authorities. The Government of Brazil asserts that, under Brazilian Constitutional Law, only Brazilian judicial authorities are competent to perform acts of a judicial nature in Brazil. Brazil has advised it would deem taking depositions in Brazil by foreign persons to be a violation of Brazil's judicial sovereignty. Such action potentially could result in the arrest, detention, expulsion, or deportation of the American attorney or other American participants. The United States recognizes the right of judicial sovereignty of foreign governments based on customary international law and practice.  It is the State Department's understanding that the Brazilian prohibition on taking depositions by foreign persons extends to telephone or video teleconference depositions initiated from the United States of a witness in Brazil. The U.S. Embassy or Consulates in Brazil could in no way participate in, or otherwise sanction, such a proceeding. The State Department advises U.S. citizens contemplating participation in such a proceeding, without Brazil's concurrence, obtained through diplomatic channels, to consider carefully the possible legal consequences of doing so. Requests for Brazilian judicial assistance in taking a deposition must be addressed to the Ministry of Justice (Ministerio da Justica, Esplanada dos Ministerios - Bloco T, 70064-900 - Brasilia, DF, Brazil and should be made after consultation with a Brazilian attorney.
Authentication of Documents
Brazil is not a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Legalization of Foreign Public Documents.  Documents issued in the United States may be authenticated for use in Brazil by (a) contacting the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office and (b) then having the seal of the U.S. Department of State authenticated by the Embassy of Brazil in Washington, D.C.Documents issued in U.S. states must first be authenticated by the designated state authority, generally the state Secretary of State.