GoBrazil
All guides
Documents

CIN (RG) and a child's documents

The Brazilian ID card CIN: how to get it for a child, how long it is valid, trips around South America and leaving the country with a child.

Brazil has no "internal passport" in the Russian sense. The ID card is the CIN (Carteira de Identidade Nacional), which is gradually replacing the old RG. A child born in Brazil gets it first: it is needed for school, travel and the passport application. Below is how it is done in Rio de Janeiro and which rules apply abroad.

Checked on 8 October 2026. The procedure depends on the state: check your state's DETRAN website.

In short

  • A child's CIN is issued free of charge (the first issue); you come with a parent and the birth certificate.
  • The card is valid for 5 years for children under 12, 10 years for people aged 12 to 59, and indefinitely from age 60.
  • For trips to neighbouring South American countries you need the physical card: the digital version in the gov.br app is not accepted at the border.
  • To leave the country with one parent you need the other parent's authorisation, certified at a cartório.

How to get a child's CIN in Rio

A channel author arranged his daughter's CIN in December 2024 – January 2025: at DETRAN, in an hour they filled in a form, photographed the child and took fingerprints; the card was ready in 2–3 weeks. Free of charge. You come with the child, one or both parents, bringing the parent's document (passport) and the child's birth certificate. One parent collected the card, and the child did not have to be present (post, 30.12.2024, post, 19.01.2025).

You can check the application status on the DETRAN website. Another author's wife's RG was not ready on time: the status "em exigência" appeared on the site, and because of an unsuccessful photo they had to go to the office again (40–50 minutes each way), give the photo and fingerprints again, and the issue date was pushed back by three weeks (post, 21.03.2025). If you see that status, do not wait for a letter; go to the office.

Where the CIN replaces a passport

The physical CIN is accepted instead of a passport in eight South American countries that have agreements with Brazil: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. The digital CIN in the app, a driving licence, professional ID cards and a birth certificate are not accepted at the border, even for minors. An old, worn card or a very old photo can also be a reason to be refused boarding (post, 11.08.2026).

The old RG, according to media reports, is valid until 28 February 2032, and the law allows documents of the old model to be issued until 1 March 2032 (Decreto 10.977/2022, art. 26). The card's own validity period is now officially stated, so a very old RG may not be accepted at the border: check with your DETRAN.

A child's passport

A child's passport is issued by the PF. Before applying, decide who the child will be able to travel with: either parent, an accompanying person, or only both parents together. The parents choose the option when applying. An author with a three-year-old got the passport within a week (post, 09.04.2025).

Leaving with one parent

To take a Brazilian child out of the country without the other parent you need:

  1. The child's physical CIN.
  2. The child's passport (Russian, Belarusian or another), if the trip goes beyond Latin America.
  3. Authorisation from one parent in favour of the other, with the signature certified at a cartório. The form is downloaded from the CNJ or PF website, printed in two copies, and taken to a cartório with your document (RNM or passport) to certify the registered signature. You set the validity period yourself; if there is none, it is valid for two years (post, 19.07.2026).

CNJ rules: a separate authorisation for each child, valid for two years by default.

Sources

Official:

Personal experience (channels @russo_no_brasil, @brazil_lifehacks and @svoibrazil, in Russian):