Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) shook Brazil’s corporate-immigration community on 11 December when it quietly uploaded its latest Administrative Bulletin to the Migration Law register—and then, for the first time, published the full names of dozens of foreign nationals who had been fined for immigration infractions. The bulletin, released late on 9 December but discovered by advisers on 11 December, lists penalties ranging from modest paperwork fines of R$100 to an over-stay sanction of R$7,200.
Under Brazil’s Migration Law, every non-tourist entrant—whether a work-permit holder, student, digital nomad or dependant—must appear in person at a PF office within 30 days of arrival to be photographed, fingerprinted and to present original documents. The requirement also applies to holders of e-visas issued abroad. Failure automatically triggers fines that escalate with each day of delay and, in extreme cases, can jeopardise future visa renewals or even lead to deportation proceedings.
Companies and travellers looking for a one-stop resource to navigate Brazil’s evolving entry rules can lean on VisaHQ. The platform’s Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) centralises visa requirements, document checklists and real-time application tracking, and its concierge team can pre-book PF registration slots or arrange apostilles, helping HR teams keep employees off the next “name-and-shame” list.
![Brazilian Federal Police Publicly Post Fines for Late Registration, Signaling Tougher Compliance Climate]()
The move to “name and shame” has caught the attention of multinational employers. Global-mobility managers report that assignees are now demanding proof of on-time registration, while some companies have begun building PF appointment reminders into HRIS dashboards. Immigration lawyers say the bulletin shows a sharp uptick in fines compared with previous releases and reflects the PF’s broader push to digitise processes and enforce timelines ahead of a January 2026 systems merger with the gov.br single-sign-on platform.
Practically, employers are being urged to schedule PF appointments before an employee even lands, to keep scanned copies of arrival stamps or boarding passes as proof of the 30-day clock, and to budget extra time in cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, where regional PF offices increasingly insist on original apostilled documents. Companies should also prepare to pay any fines online via PagTesouro, as paper payment slips are being phased out.
For assignees, the message is clear: registration is no longer a formality that can be delayed. With Brazil expecting record foreign arrivals for events such as COP-30 in 2026, the PF is signalling that compliance will be public—and costly—for those who fall out of line.
Under Brazil’s Migration Law, every non-tourist entrant—whether a work-permit holder, student, digital nomad or dependant—must appear in person at a PF office within 30 days of arrival to be photographed, fingerprinted and to present original documents. The requirement also applies to holders of e-visas issued abroad. Failure automatically triggers fines that escalate with each day of delay and, in extreme cases, can jeopardise future visa renewals or even lead to deportation proceedings.
Companies and travellers looking for a one-stop resource to navigate Brazil’s evolving entry rules can lean on VisaHQ. The platform’s Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) centralises visa requirements, document checklists and real-time application tracking, and its concierge team can pre-book PF registration slots or arrange apostilles, helping HR teams keep employees off the next “name-and-shame” list.
The move to “name and shame” has caught the attention of multinational employers. Global-mobility managers report that assignees are now demanding proof of on-time registration, while some companies have begun building PF appointment reminders into HRIS dashboards. Immigration lawyers say the bulletin shows a sharp uptick in fines compared with previous releases and reflects the PF’s broader push to digitise processes and enforce timelines ahead of a January 2026 systems merger with the gov.br single-sign-on platform.
Practically, employers are being urged to schedule PF appointments before an employee even lands, to keep scanned copies of arrival stamps or boarding passes as proof of the 30-day clock, and to budget extra time in cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, where regional PF offices increasingly insist on original apostilled documents. Companies should also prepare to pay any fines online via PagTesouro, as paper payment slips are being phased out.
For assignees, the message is clear: registration is no longer a formality that can be delayed. With Brazil expecting record foreign arrivals for events such as COP-30 in 2026, the PF is signalling that compliance will be public—and costly—for those who fall out of line.
