Traveling Abroad with Minors: Brazilian Requirements

Traveling abroad with a Brazilian minor, without one of the parents, used to be a total bitch, pardon my French. You had to go get an official paper with your a notarized signature from your house notarized. That paper lasted 30 days or 90 days or something like that. Pain in my butt.

I have done it many times. You always had to check with the Federal Police first to make sure some little detail hadn't changed. It was a real pain if you got to the airport and they didn't like your note. Trust me on that one.

Well guess what people! Brazil has actually changed some laws that make life easier for us!! Now we don't need to deal with any of the notarizing crap. All you need is a note signed by the other spouse and a copy of their ID. The signature on their ID will be compared with the note and badda Boom, you're out of the country!

Just imagine how hard it was for couples who are separated and live in different cities. Talk about a nightmare.

So Yay to bureaucracy for doing something right! FYI, double check on the Federal Police website before any trip anyway. They are sneaky little ninjas over there!

**Correction** The signature needs to be made official at the catorio but the person doesn't need to be present. 

Amnesty International can Kiss this Rio de Janeiro Resident's...

Check out this quote from Amnesty International:


“This violence is totally unacceptable but the police response has put communities at risk. The authorities must ensure that the security and well-being of the broader population comes first and foremost in any operation carried out in residential areas,” said Patrick Wilcken, Amnesty International’s Brazil researcher.

According to the Municipal Education Secretary, 17 schools and 12 creches have been closed in Rio this week, leaving more than 12,000 children without education. Thousands across the north zone of the city have been unable to go to work and large numbers of residents have been left without water or electricity.

“The current wave of criminal violence is symptomatic of wider failures throughout the criminal justice system,” said Patrick Wilcken. 

My favorite was the leaving children without education. Oh my goodness, how dare they! A 3 year old's need to learn numbers comes before the fact that crazy drug traffickers are running around with potentially crazier police men after them.  Well, Maracana should have been turned into an impromptu school so no one missed out on their education during all this. 


HELLO! Which country are you talking about again?!  Is it just me or if crime in a city gets this bad, don't you think a couple of days of missed school is beside the point. If you want to talk about school, talk about the amount of children who just don't go in the first place and the fact that they are not forced to.  We're struggling with public safety people, don't even get us started on the faltering public education system. 

And please try not to shoot residences. Thank goodness Amnesty international came out and gave that statement. I'm sure the police and drug traffickers haven't realized that they are putting other people in danger. I bet if they hadn't said anything, the people themselves wouldn't even realize they are in danger.  My question is, why aren't they there, in the favela, handing out yellow jumpsuits to the drug traffickers and red ones to the policemen? Easier targets make gunfights safer for everyone.  Don't forget your protective goggles.

I know that you, Amnesty International, are just trying to take care of the world. And Patrick, I bet your research is top notch. But sometimes, just on special occasions such as these, maybe you should keep your mouth shut and watch with the rest of the world. That is, unless you are physically in there, you know, trying to make sure kids are getting their education.

Maybe I'm being a little defensive. Ok, quite possibly I'm being very defensive.  But to make a statement stating the obvious while managing to sound condescending, well no one talks about my city like that except for me, thank you very much!

You'll Always Have a Place in my Heart!

I met the wonderful people at the federal police as a newly wed.  We bonded the at first sight of yet another confused foreigner, who spoke no Portuguese, waiting in the long line downtown. Oh yes, when I started my process, the Federal Police was still in the old building no centro.  Oh how time flies when you are having fun.

We bonded over our joint killing of trees. They liked me so much there that they asked for numerous copies of my documents. I knew they were each taking one home to frame and hang on the wall. I mean, that's the only logical explanation for why they would need 20 copies of the same document, all with official stamps. 

Since the people at the federal police are kind of needy, they had me visiting every 6 months. Of course they promised the card would come before the next 6 months was up. They always said that, but I knew the truth. They'd miss me too much.

So life continued. I was a newlywed, then a pregnant. I was called into a interview to "prove" my relationship with my husband. I knew they really just wanted to look at my scrapbook. I told them they needn't be so formal but those Federal Police like to play hard to get.

Then they switch addresses on me. I got a little nervous. Is this relationship over already? After all the time we've spent staring at each other?!

No, of course not. Those teases.

But it did finally come to an end, as all romance stories do. At least they were kind enough to wait until they moved to their new office at Galeão International Airport. They knew how hurt I would be if I didn't get to see their new pad. It was very mature of them.

So I took my new baby, about 6 months old at the time, and they all got to see him.  Awkward seeing I didn't invite any of them to the baby shower! Thankfully, they understood.

Now all I have is my card to remind me of my almost 3 year relationship with the federal police.  Don't worry though!  I'll get to see them again in 2016 when it expires.  You can't get rid of this girl that easily!