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05/27/23 Hello everyone
Please I will like to find out if AS a RNE holder is it possible to travel to the Mercosur countries.
-@Ako Stephen

Probably not.   Check with the consulate of the country or countries that you plan to visit to confirm.  Be sure to have your passport, and not just your CRNM, with you at all times when you're out of Brazil.

Mercosur was a trade agreement, that included Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.   It was never intended to work in the mold of the European Union, where members hardly ever get out of their trains or never have to go through checkpoints.

Think of it more as a dysfunctional copy cat of NAFTA.  If you cross from Mexico to the US, or even from USA and Canada, you are still going to go through the border checkpoints and customs clearance. 

Same as here.  Not as hard to get an entry visa in any of Member member countries, nonetheless necessary. 

It's complicated. In theory Mercosur foreigner ID cards can be used as a travel document inside the bloc. For example, on Gol's [link moderated], if you go on the tab "DOCUMENTOS PARA VOOS INTERNACIONAIS", "Cédula de Identidade de Estrangeiro original expedida pela Polícia Federal (RNE)" is listed as an acceptable document when travelling to destinations within Mercosur.

In practice however, most people, including airport staff and immigration officers are not aware of this, therefore you most likely will not be allowed to board an international flight with only your CRNM. Furthermore, the regulations regarding the use of foreigner ID cards as a travel document is vague, and it is not clear whether you still have to follow your own country's visa requirements or not.

MERCOSUR travel documents

The holders of the travel documents that are listed below may cross the borders between the Member States or Associates of MERCOSUR carrying any of said documents, unless, depending on the nationality that these people possess, the visa is a necessary requirement to enter the Destination country.

Argentina

National identity document

Passport.

Chili

Identity Card (For nationals and resident foreigners)

Passport

Brazil

Civil Identity Registry

Identity Card issued by each Federation Unit with National validity

Foreign Identity Card issued by the Ministry of Justice

Passport

Colombia

Citizenship card

Identity card

Foreigner ID

Passport

Paraguayan

Identity card. (For nationals and foreigners with permanent residence)

Passport

Ecuador

Citizenship card. (For residents)

Passport

Uruguay

Identity card. (For nationals and legal resident foreigners)

Passport

Peru

Passport

National identity document

Immigration Card

bolivian

Identity card

Resident Alien Identification Card

Passport

Venezuela

Identity card. (For nationals and permanent migrants)

Passport

NOTES:

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is, for the moment, applying the rule only with the Argentine Republic.

The Federative Republic of Brazil applies the rule to all Signatory States except the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, based on the principles of reciprocity.

Recently read someone's exprience of using the RNE to enter one of the mercosul countries. He was allowed entry using just the RNE. So if your passport country has visa exemption agreement with a Mercosul country, you'll be allowed to board the flight and then upon arriving, you can just use your RNE to enter that country, without showing your passport at all.

Apparently you are supposed to be able to travel to Mercosul countries with just your RNE, and in the past many of my Brazilian friends have advised that I need not to take my passport.

However, like so many things in this part of the world, it is not what the law says but how the official stood in front of you interprets the law that matters.

This is the reason you can get different answers to the same questions in different notary offices, Federal Police stations, etc. So I would always advise taking your passport.

Looking at your details I see that you are a US citizen. The answer to your question is a resounding No. RNE is an identification document that immigrants can use in Brazil as legal residents of the country very much like a green card in the US. When traveling outside of Brazil , it should always be accompanied by a passport. Mercosur allows only citizens of the Mercosur agreement to travel across borders with only their ID cards. As a US citizen, or any citizen outside of Mercosur for that matter, you need a passport to be stamped for entry and exit.

I wonder if you could use the argument US citizens can have dual citizenship. You are a resident causes you paying taxes in Brazil.  The only right you don’t get is voting. If you didn’t have to pay taxes in Brazil for being a resident I can see why they shouldn’t honor the RNE. I understand this is only a mental exercise because what been said before it’s who you encounter at the border.

What I posted above clarifies all the confusion and it is from the website of the government of Argentina

One may cross the borders between the Member States or Associates of MERCOSUR carrying RNE if and only if they  are from a visa exempt Country.  So it all depends on one’s nationality/Citizenship.

For example

An American can use their RNE card to cross the border into Argentina because America (USA) is a visa exempt country, Americans don’t need a visitors visa to visit Argentina

On the other hand. A Pakistani cannot use their RNE card to cross into Argentina because Pakistan is not a visa exempt country, Pakistanis need a visitors visa to visit Argentina

@jjaicmkmy right on the money. I posted earlier regarding this conundrum by suggesting that it is not possible to travel within the Mercosur bloc with only RNE. I spoke  from experience because I tried testing this theory a few years back at the airport in Rio flying to Buenos Aires and didn’t make it past passport control. Luckily, and expecting the outcome, I had my passport with me. Anyone attempting this, please take your passport with you  just in case. Now it may be true that the law does exist in the books that make it possible for foreigners to use RNE as a travel document, but Alas, in Brazil, it takes time for the legislation to  make the rounds and become the law of the land.

on a second note, and purely out curiosity, why would anyone consider traveling internationally without a passport?

PS: my experience was with air travel. Anyone who has attempted a land border crossing using RNE please share.

@kawakasbah

@kawakasbah

I was one of the ones that was able to use my RNE to enter Argentina. The reason I hate to use my passport is because I literally feel nothing but shame when I use my passport. In fact, I even have a cover for it so that no one sees the cover of it when I take it out. But the immigration officer seeing my passport is bad enough for me. I am a Communist and a US passport holder. The shame I feel for having a USA passport is immense, which is why I can't wait to change it out for a Brazilian one eventually.

Glad to hear its possible to travel with your RNE. I understand why being  from US I am not proud of my country right now. I was suprised when traving by Air in Brazil I never showed my passport. But I just had carry on luggage just flashed my ticket on my cell phone. Only when I showed my ticket to board  I had to show my RNE. I would like to see if I could trave to Argentina judt with RNE.

09/30/23  Crossing an international border without your passport on your person, whether you're required to show it or not, is always a bad idea.  Crossing the border into a third country is one thing, being in a third country is quite another.  If you get into any kind of trouble in that third country, the diplomatic representation of your country of citizenship is required to come to your assistance; the diplomatic representation of Brazil is not, just because you're a legally resident foreigner here.