The Travel Authorization for Minors is a document required by the Federal Police to allow minors under 18 years old (regardless of nationality) to leave Brazil when traveling unaccompanied or accompanied by only one of the parents or legal guardians. If the authorization is not previously inserted in the minor’s valid Brazilian passport, a separate authorization will be necessary.
For the authorization to be valid, the Plenary of the National Council of Justice (CNJ) unanimously decided that electronic signatures made with a digital certificate, including those made on the Gov.br platform, will not be considered for issuing Travel Authorizations for unaccompanied minors under 16 years old.
The CNJ’s decision, which specifically addresses travel by unaccompanied minors under 16 years old, aims to ensure the safety and well-being of children and adolescents, reducing their exposure to risky situations and ensuring the authenticity of parental or guardian consent. With this determination, the signatures of the parents (Brazilian or foreign) who are not accompanying the minor on the trip must be made in person at a notary office, through a public deed or notarized signature recognition, on a specific form.
A valid alternative is the issuance of the Electronic Travel Authorization (AEV) through the e-Notariado platform, which requires a videoconference to confirm the identity of the guardians, a notarized digital signature by the parties, and the Notary Public’s signature using a digital certificate. Although conducted remotely, the procedure carried out by the notarial platform provides superior security guarantees that are not equivalent to the use of other forms of digital signatures.
This change directly impacts family immigration processes, especially in cases where migration occurs in stages, that is, when one parent travels first and the minor follows later. Additionally, it is important to highlight that when the minor is accompanied by an adult who is not their ascendant (parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents) or collateral up to the third degree (uncles or siblings), it may be necessary to obtain a specific judicial authorization, with documentary proof of kinship being indispensable.
Therefore, it is essential that obtaining the travel authorization is considered in the migration planning, ensuring the regularity of the minor’s departure from Brazil and avoiding setbacks with the required documentation.
Manucci Advogados is available to assist those who intend to carry out migration processes, providing prior consultancy and accompanying the entire process, ensuring the regularity of the necessary procedures.
