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Resident card

Droplover

We lived in Brazil for 5 years and my husband and I both got Resident cards.  Since we are over 60 now the Validade is listed as indeterminado.  My husband and I have permanently moved back to the US since the beginning of 2025.  When my husband retired from his job in Brazil he was told by his employer that he would loose his resident card because it was tied to his employment.  The situation is now that my husband is going back to Brazil for a meeting in November.  When he scans the barcode on his resident's card it still shows as valid.  Was his employer incorrect and do we keep resident's card because we are over 60?  If he does need a visa we are running short on time. 

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Peter Itamaraca

@Droplover

When does his residence card expire? I had a friend in a similar situation, and apparently it required either him or his employer to inform that the employment had ceased in order for the card to be invalid. Until then the card was (in effect) still valid, although the reason for it had stopped. He has also kept his bank account to this day!


Not a great situation to be in, so I would advise you to get tourist e-visas ASAP, as they last for 10 years...

rraypo

@Droplover
When does his residence card expire? I had a friend in a similar situation, and apparently it required either him or his employer to inform that the employment had ceased in order for the card to be invalid. Until then the card was (in effect) still valid, although the reason for it had stopped. He has also kept his bank account to this day!
Not a great situation to be in, so I would advise you to get tourist e-visas ASAP, as they last for 10 years... - @Peter Itamaraca


Isn't there a Brazilian government website to check the current status of residency?

Fentium

@Droplover

From what you describe, it sounds like there’s been a bit of mix-up. The resident ID card (CRNM) and the underlying residency status are two different things, just like having a passport is different from having citizenship. You can hold residency without holding a valid card, and equally, a card on its own doesn’t create the residency.


It sounds like there may have been some confusion with the advice given by your husband’s employer. In Brazil, a Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório (CRNM, formerly called RNE) that shows “Validade: Indeterminado” is normally granted to permanent residents, including those over 60 years old. This status is not tied to employment once it has been granted.


That said, permanent residency isn’t literally permanent in every circumstance. If someone spends more than two years outside Brazil without returning, the residency can automatically laps.

alan279

@Fentium

... lapses ...

abthree

09/25/25 @Droplover.  It's so nice to hear from you again!  I hope that reacclimating to the US is going well for you and your husband.


I don't recall -- and I went back and looked at all your old posts and am still unclear -- did your husband originally come to Brazil on a Retirement Visa or an Employment Visa?  If it was a Retirement Visa, he should be in the clear:  he's still retired, and his card is certainly still valid. 


If it was an Employment Visa he should still be ok, but it's just possible that there's a notification from his former employer floating around in the system that could pop up at the most inopportune time, like at Immigration when he lands.  He might want to do as @Peter Itamaraca suggests and just get a Tourist eVisa; alternatively, he could contact the Brazilian Consulate responsible for your state and tell them that he has a valid CRNM, but has been in the US for X months, so will he need a visa to go back to Brazil as well?  If the Consulate says that he doesn't and he's questioned at Immigration, he can tell them that.


Best of luck to both of you.