色花堂

When will I qualify to apply for citizenship through marriage?

Marriage reduces the time from 4 to 1 year.Do temporary absences (like the ones I鈥檝e had/will have) affect the eligibility timeline?

You can have an absence of 90 days in 1 year. In your case the clock started counting again in January this year. Wait until January next year. They are strict on this, another forum member had his application rejected because of applying before the deadline.Additionally, I understand that a Portuguese language test is part of the process.

In principle, yes. It's called Celpe-Bras and it's what I did. It's also possible to do certain specific language courses in selected schools. I don't know all the details, but there are other topics on this forum where people discuss this.

05/23/25 @Planetf1.聽 Welcome!聽 As @JNSQ86 wrote above, you became eligible in principle for naturalization once you had been a permanent resident for one year, so you have qualified since April 2025.

As he also wrote, the guideline for permissible absences that don't break continuous residence is proportional, and is understood as no more than three months in any one year.聽 聽The best official presentation of the guidelines appears at the bottom of this page:

The language requirement is comprehensive and goes far beyond simple conversation.聽 Several expats have reported success with an online course with in-person testing that will be accepted for naturalization in lieu of passing Celpe-Bras.聽 See this thread:

/en/forum/south-am 鈥� ation.html

Just this week, the government has announced new restrictions on university-level distance learning.聽 It may only apply to degree-bearing programs and not to extension courses like this one; in discussing it with the school, you'll want to be sure that the course will still be accepted by the Federal Police as satisfying the language requirement for naturalization.

For in-person courses to teach you how to take and pass CelpeBras, check with the federal and state universities near you for Portuguese for Foreigners courses.

Best of luck!

@Planetf1

Regarding Portuguese language lessons for foreigners:

1) Duolingo - 15-20 min per day. Although criticized by many, Duolingo gave me a foundation in vocabulary and grammar (esp verb conjugation and gender) that helped me quickly pick up conversational Portuguese when I met my Brasileira.

2) YouTube - there are two fantastic professoras on YT who specialize in teaching foreigners Brazilian Portuguese. I will not post links because this app/site seems to omit them. Both have hundreds of free videos and, if you are interested, group classes that start every 4-6 months. Search YT for these channels:

a) 鈥淧ortuguese with Marcio Macedo鈥�

b) 鈥淪peaking Brazilian with Virginia Langhammer鈥� -聽 she also has free lessons in the Apple Podcast Store.

These professoras are both wonderful teachers. They are very patient and speak in a neutral accent (sotaque) that will help you be understood anywhere in Brazil.

Good luck!

05/24/25 @Ipanema777.聽 I can personally vouch for Duolingo in several languages.聽 The Portuguese course is not their best, but it's still quite good.聽 It helped me to correct a nagging little error that had become habitual, and I'm university-trained in the language.聽 It's also pretty good on teaching up-to-date informal vocabulary, and getting the "feel" of the language generally.聽

I'm not familiar with the other courses that you mention, but I'll take your word for them.聽 ANY regular training is more efficient and will give better results that trying to pick the language up by osmosis.聽 I firmly believe that anyone who aspires to speak better than broken Portuguese should put in the time and effort with at least a conversational course like these, and stick with it.聽 It's worth the effort.

No conversational course or combination of conversational courses, however, will be sufficient to meet the language requirement for naturalization.聽 As I wrote above, the requirement is comprehensive:聽 it weights oral ability and writing ability equally and having passed CelpeBras myself,聽 I estimate that it requires a candidate to speak, understand, read, and write at about the level of a native Brazilian high school graduate.聽 It's only waived for immigrants from Portuguese-speaking countries, or those who have lived in the Brazil continuously for fifteen years.聽 Anyone seriously interested in becoming a Brazilian citizen will need to successfully complete either a reputable CelpeBras preparation course and take the test, or one of the courses that the Ministry of Education has approved as a substitute.聽

Thank you so much for all the helpful responses to my earlier post 鈥� I really appreciate the guidance and shared experiences!

@abthree thanks for sending the link to the FAAP Portuguese course. I鈥檓 planning to register for either the June or September session. Quick question for anyone familiar with the course:

馃憠 Do I need to register for Level 1 or Level 2, or is either one sufficient for the citizenship requirement?

Also, just to clarify my situation: I was out of Brazil from September 2024 to January 2025 鈥� about four months. Based on that, I understand the earliest I could apply for citizenship would be January 2026 (please correct me if I'm wrong!).

I鈥檒l be leaving Brazil again next month, but I鈥檒l make sure to keep the trip under three months so I don鈥檛 affect the continuity of residency.

05/25/25 Also, just to clarify my situation: I was out of Brazil from September 2024 to January 2025 鈥� about four months. Based on that, I understand the earliest I could apply for citizenship would be January 2026 (please correct me if I'm wrong!).

I鈥檒l be leaving Brazil again next month, but I鈥檒l make sure to keep the trip under three months so I don鈥檛 affect the continuity of residency. - @Planetf1

That sounds like a good plan.聽 The long pole in the tent for you, as it is for most people, will be the criminal background check/police report from your home country.聽 The Federal Police expect that to be no more than 90 days old when you present it in support of your naturalization request.聽 There may be some flexibility on that, but you can't count on it; for most people, that means a quick trip home shortly before applying.聽 Whether in your case that means the UK or the Netherlands -- your profile and post are confusing on that point聽 -- it's the same either way.聽 Unless the country you need the document from will grant it remotely, you'll have to go back to get it.聽

@Planetf1

Out of interest, did you think that mandated 2 stops on Sunday solved the problem of the annual procession that the Monaco GP has become recently?