Pregnancy and childbirth

Many immigrants arrive in Brazil pregnant or give birth here after settling in. A child born in Brazil becomes a citizen of the country, and the parents can obtain residence (Residence). Below is how the process works, from accounts of families in and around Rio de Janeiro. This is not medical advice: see a doctor.

Checked on 8 October 2026. Prices are as of the stated date; the procedure depends on the city.

In short

You can give birth free under SUS, tourists included: conditions in a municipal maternity hospital will be similar in any city.
A private birth gives a private room, your own doctor and the option of a planned caesarean.
An insurance plan freezes cover for childbirth for 300 days: take it out in advance.
The birth certificate is issued by a cartório, often right in the maternity hospital and free of charge; check how names are spelled.

Registering

If you already live in Brazil, go to the nearest Centro de Saúde (UBS) with your SUS card, passport, CPF and proof of address (a lease or a declaração). Take the pregnancy record from Russia and ultrasound results, preferably translated into Portuguese. The author of the post came to register at week 39, and she was sent straight to the local maternity hospital, where she got a pregnancy card (post, 13.01.2023).

At a UBS you are recorded as pregnant: they measure height, weight and blood pressure, issue a prenatal card with a referral to a free maternity hospital, and give referrals for blood and urine tests, to a gynaecologist and for an ultrasound. If you plan a private birth, registering at a UBS is optional, but it makes basic tests cheaper and gets you the vaccinations you need. By the estimate of a doula in São Paulo, about 30% of her clients are monitored both at a UBS and privately (post, 19.08.2025). City rules differ: in São Paulo, for example, with seven or more consultations you get a "mãe paulistana" transit card and a baby kit.

Where to give birth

Under SUS. Conditions in a municipal maternity hospital are similar in any city, and the difference between institutions depends largely on the particular people. The author gave birth in a small municipal maternity hospital and was happy with it (post, 22.01.2023). A tourist can give birth free, but in a shared ward and with a caesarean only on medical grounds; the many tests required are also free (post, 11.02.2023).
Privately. More privacy and comfort, a doctor who follows you from the start, and a planned caesarean. A 2025 example: a family had a planned caesarean in a private maternity hospital in Rio's north zone (Nilópolis); the birth together with a private room, where mother and baby spent two days, cost about US$ 1,850, two prenatal consultations US$ 25 each, an ultrasound and screening US$ 50 each. One of the doctors spoke English, and no interpreter was needed (post, 03.01.2025).
At home. In the Rio das Ostras and Macaé area there is a group of midwives: a visit with equipment, check-ups before and after the birth, a birth certificate; the price is about R$ 10,000 (post, 03.03.2023).

Language matters: medical Portuguese is hard, and the author advises not to rely on an online translator but to bring an interpreter or a doula who knows the language (post, 22.01.2023). You can prepare a birth plan (plano de parto) in advance and discuss it with your doctor; for a birth under SUS it is handed to the team (post, 04.02.2023).

Delivery-room phrases to print: what the staff say in Portuguese and what to do, translated into Russian. Click a page to open the PDF.

Flash cards Cheat sheet

After the birth

At the maternity hospital you are given a paper that is exchanged at a cartório for the birth certificate. The cartório often works inside the maternity hospital, and registration is free. You need the paper from the hospital and the parents' certificates with an official translation; a draft is printed first, so check all the names. More in Translations and apostille (post, 20.01.2025).
Then: residence for the parents and the child's CIN.
The baby is given BCG and hepatitis B at the hospital and referred for the heel-prick test and a hearing test, which must be done in the first days. After that a paediatrician follows the child on the vaccination schedule: visits every one to two months at a clinic. Brazilian doctors take vaccination very seriously, and refusing raises questions from doctors and social workers (post, 14.02.2023).

Doulas, and protection from scammers

A doula is a helper for a woman during pregnancy and birth. Since 2026 the profession has been regulated by the federal law Lei 15.381/2026: you need completed secondary education and a professional doula course of at least 120 hours; people who have demonstrably worked in the profession for more than three years are also allowed. There is no state licence or accreditation of doulas, and maternity hospitals may set their own admission rules. A doula does not replace a doctor or a midwife (post, 03.10.2026, the law).

How to choose a doula

The main criterion: a good doula informs, a bad one scares.

A good doula calmly explains what tests and procedures mean, what the options are and which questions to ask your doctor. The decision stays with you and your doctor.
A bad doula frightens you: "your results are bad", "you will die", "something will happen to the baby" and the like. She diagnoses in place of a doctor, pressures you with fear, and pushes you to buy more services or ignore medical advice.
If you leave a conversation with a doula more anxious rather than better informed, that is a bad sign. Change doulas, and check any alarming claim about your health with a doctor.

Sources

Official:

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