They want a copy of your passport. Then they ask for your marriage certificate. If you’re divorced, they want a copy of your divorce decree too. And the list goes on and on. But what’s the one document the Brazilian government wants most aside from your passport? Your birth certificate.

Getting your CPF? You’ll probably need your birth certificate. Buying or selling a property? You’ll probably need it too. And you’ll definitely need it if you’re getting married. Most of the time, you’ll have to present an apostilled copy that’s been translated by a certified translator in Brazil.

Truth be told, there’s nothing special about your birth certificate. What they’re really after is an official document that includes the names of your mother and father. But in the US, there’s usually only one document with that information - a birth certificate.

In Brazil, on the other hand, that information is everywhere. Look at a Brazilian’s ID and you’ll see it there. You’ll even see it on a driver’s license or CPF card. It’s quite literally on every form of official ID, even on Brazilian passports.

Aside from a Brazilian’s tax ID number, the names of their parents (more often the mother than father) are a secondary form of confirming one’s identity. Everyone in Brazil has the last name Silva or Santos, so there must be other ways of identifying people.

Therefore, if you plan on spending time living, working or doing business in Brazil, expect to need your birth certificate at some point.