The asylum claim is entirely free. The presence of a lawyer is not mandatory. If you need support with your asylum claim, you can always look for one of UNHCR partners – there you will find lawyers and you will be not charged for receiving their support.

No.  At any moment after arriving in Brazil, a foreigner who considers him or herself a victim of persecution in his/her country of origin will be able to submit an asylum claim. It is not necessary to travel or live in Brasília, where the headquarters of CONARE is located, to begin the procedure of recognition of refugee status.

The authorities cannot detain or penalize you for entering Brazil without an entry visa if you are arriving from a country where your life or freedom may be in danger. However, please note that when submitting your asylum claim you must declare your veridical name and personal information, even if you do not have any documents with you. Remember to explain in your Asylum Claim Form why you had to use false documents and which documents were false.

No. The Asylum Claim is individual. All family members who wish to claim asylum must go personally to a Federal Police Unit and request asylum. Members of the same family will receive the same Process number (but with different protocol identification numbers), what means they will go through the steps of the process together. However, each family member will receive an individual identification number and Provisional Protocol (Protocolo Provisório).

You have the right to request CONARE to separate your request from another person of your family at any moment of the procedure. In the case of children (under the age of 18) that are not with their parents or not accompanied by anyone, a public defender will be appointed to support him during his request for refuge.

However, if you already have your refugee status recognized in Brazil, you can file a Family Reunification application.

It is essential to keep your contact information updated with CONARE so that you can receive all the necessary notifications.

The easiest and fastest way to do the cadastral update is through this form.

If you don’t have access to the online form, you can go directly to:

1. Any Federal Police station. In this case, the police authority will record the new contacts directly in the database (SIAPRO). If you are in São Paulo, please go to the Police Station located at Rua Hugo D’Antola, 95 – Lapa de Baixo, phone: 11 3538-5000).
2. One of the representations of CONARE in Brazil:

• Brasília
  Esplanada dos Ministérios, Ministério da Justiça, Anexo II, Térreo.
  Email: conare@mj.gov.br
• Porto Alegre (Public attendance and registration update. There are no eligibility officers or face-to-face interviews)
  Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS) – Rua Coronel Vicente, 281, Centro (Trensurb station: Mercado)
  Email: conare.rs@mj.gov.br
• São Paulo
  Centro Público de Direitos Humanos e Economia Solidária – Rua Otto Alencar, 270, Bairro do Cambuci.
  Email: conare.sp@mj.gov.br

Attention: If you used the online form, you do not need to go to a Federal Police station or CONARE unit to update your registration.

The Brazilian Refugee law does not set a deadline for the conclusion of the asylum process. Even though the Protocol is valid for one year, the conclusion of the asylum process usually takes more time than this.

Therefore, if your protocol is about to expire and CONARE has not reached a decision on your request, you must go to a Federal Police unit and renew it. You can renew your provisional protocol as many times as necessary until a final decision is reached.

If you have already been interviewed by CONARE, the best way to consult the status of your process is through the email – conare.mj@mj.gov.br. Keep your information updated so they can contact you when a decision is reached.