Brazil’s social-security institute (INSS) announced an unscheduled four-day outage of its main digital channels—website, ‘Meu INSS’ app and the 135 call centre—starting 19:00 on 27 January. The shutdown, managed by state-tech firm Dataprev, is part of a data-centre migration aimed at tripling processing capacity after a fortnight of instability that saw daily access spikes from 3.5 million to over 10 million log-ins.(letsgobahia.com.br)
Why does this matter to global-mobility practitioners? Expatriates and local hires on international assignments often require up-to-date contribution statements (CNIS) and pension-coverage certificates to support residence-permit renewals in Mercosur and EU jurisdictions. With online extracts unavailable until at least 1 February, HR teams should anticipate delays in assembling immigration dossiers.
For organisations that need backup support during this blackout, VisaHQ can step in. Through its Brazil desk (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/), the platform tracks INSS and immigration updates in real time, coordinates retrieval of physical CNIS printouts when digital access fails, and bundles them with visa and work-permit filings to keep assignment timelines moving.
![INSS takes digital services offline until 31 January for major systems migration]()
The maintenance also suspends in-person appointments on 28, 29 and 30 January, potentially pushing medical examinations for returnee workers into February. The INSS says clients with slot cancellations will be automatically re-scheduled, but relocation vendors warn the new dates may clash with travel bookings made around Carnival.
Dataprev’s roadmap includes biometric login and API integration with the Federal Police’s MigranteWeb platform, which—once live—could allow automatic cross-checks between social-security and immigration records. Employers should prepare for tighter data consistency rules and consider adding INSS credential validation to pre-assignment checklists.
Action points: (1) download any pending CNIS reports once the portal reopens; (2) brief foreign staff applying for Cédula de Identidade de Estrangeiro (RNE) renewals about possible document gaps; and (3) update assignment-timelines to reflect at least a one-week buffer for INSS document retrieval until system stability is confirmed.
Why does this matter to global-mobility practitioners? Expatriates and local hires on international assignments often require up-to-date contribution statements (CNIS) and pension-coverage certificates to support residence-permit renewals in Mercosur and EU jurisdictions. With online extracts unavailable until at least 1 February, HR teams should anticipate delays in assembling immigration dossiers.
For organisations that need backup support during this blackout, VisaHQ can step in. Through its Brazil desk (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/), the platform tracks INSS and immigration updates in real time, coordinates retrieval of physical CNIS printouts when digital access fails, and bundles them with visa and work-permit filings to keep assignment timelines moving.
The maintenance also suspends in-person appointments on 28, 29 and 30 January, potentially pushing medical examinations for returnee workers into February. The INSS says clients with slot cancellations will be automatically re-scheduled, but relocation vendors warn the new dates may clash with travel bookings made around Carnival.
Dataprev’s roadmap includes biometric login and API integration with the Federal Police’s MigranteWeb platform, which—once live—could allow automatic cross-checks between social-security and immigration records. Employers should prepare for tighter data consistency rules and consider adding INSS credential validation to pre-assignment checklists.
Action points: (1) download any pending CNIS reports once the portal reopens; (2) brief foreign staff applying for Cédula de Identidade de Estrangeiro (RNE) renewals about possible document gaps; and (3) update assignment-timelines to reflect at least a one-week buffer for INSS document retrieval until system stability is confirmed.
