Asylum in Brazil: applying for refugee status (CONARE)

Besides the normal procedure based on a well-founded fear of persecution for race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion, CONARE recognises some countries as situations of serious and generalised violation of human rights, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Burkina Faso, Mali and Syria. Nationals of these countries who meet the criteria can be recognised in a simplified process without an interview.

It is not possible to ask for refuge from another country. In Brazil you register in Sisconare, complete the refugee request form and take the control number shown at the end to a Federal Police unit, which collects fingerprints, registers you and issues the Refugee Protocol. From that point you are an asylum seeker and your case enters CONARE's queue. Check Sisconare at least once a month, as most communication happens there.

Interviews are scheduled in chronological order. If the interview has not happened within a year of the Federal Police registration, you must renew the Protocol; if it is not renewed within six months of expiry, the case is extinguished and you must start again at the end of the queue. The eligibility interview can be online or in person at CONARE's regional units in São Paulo, Campinas or Rio de Janeiro; missing it without justification leads to the case being archived.

The Refugee Protocol or the provisional migration registry document (DPRNM) identifies you and lets you obtain a taxpayer number (CPF) and a work and social security card (CTPS) and open a bank account, so you can be formally employed until a final decision. Asylum seekers have access to public health and education and to social policies, and can move freely within Brazil. The whole process, including Federal Police documents, is free; civil-society organisations can help free of charge with the Sisconare form.

After the interview CONARE analyses the case; there is no fixed time until the decision, and the Protocol must be renewed yearly in the meantime. If recognised, you receive a Notification of Recognition by email or in Sisconare and exchange your document at the Federal Police for a National Migration Registry Card (CRNM), renewable every 9 years, with residence for an indefinite period. An appeal against a refusal must be filed exclusively at the Federal Police.