Travel to Brazil

I have decided to visit my country of birth and booked airline tickets to Brazil using my current German passport. Today a friend pointed out I will need to get a Brazilian passport as I was born there. I checked and it is true. The problem is that I have since married and divorced and have a different name.

The Brazilian consulate requires that I register the marriage and divorce before I can apply for a passport. This will be costly (translation into Brazilian Portuguese) and I have no time - I plan to travel in 4 weeks. If I just apply for the passport as a single person, can I use my German passport to get on the flight to Rio, which will be in my German name and show the Brazilian passport with my other name at immigration?

Which one would I use if I take an internal flight within Brazil? I had no idea I would need to apply for a Brazilian passport just because I was born and lived there for 13 months. I'm grateful for any advice.

Best Answer

TL;DR;

Yes you can use ONLY your German passport to travel to Brazil, even if you are brazilian by birth.

Long history

I just checked the Brazilian Federal Police (which is the authority responsible to issue passports, as well as to do border checks and allow non-immigrants into national territory) website and it clearly says:

Dúvidas sobre uso de passaporte estrangeiro para brasileiros com dupla nacionalidade:

Não é obrigatório que o brasileiro com dupla nacionalidade utilize seu passaporte brasileiro para realizar viagens internacionais.

In a free translation, assuming you know no Portuguese and to a broader audience also interested in the matter:

Questions about brazilians with double-citizenship using a foreign passport:

It is not mandatory that a brazilian with double-citizenship use his brazilian passport for international travels.

If that is not clear or to the point enough, there is another link with more specific and detailed information about your case:

Brasileiros com passaporte de outro país ,

Apesar de ser brasileiro(a) posso entrar e sair do Brasil com passaporte estrangeiro?

O principal requisito para a entrada e saída do Brasil é a posse de DOCUMENTO DE VIAGEM VÁLIDO.

O passaporte é o documento de viagem por excelência e não há, na lei brasileira, restrição quanto à apresentação de passaporte emitido por outro país quando da entrada ou saída nos controles migratórios.

Again, translated:

Brazilians with passport from another country,

Even if I'm brazilian, can I enter and exit Brazil using a foreign passport?

The main requisite for entry and exit from Brazil is having a VALID TRAVEL DOCUMENT.

The passport is the most common travel document and there is no brazilian law that restricts the presentation of a passport issued by a foreign country in entry or exit points when performing border controls.

This last link goes on explaining that it could be a good idea to present any brazilian issued document, even an expired passport, so that the bearer can be determined as being a brazilian with a second citizenship and not a foreigner. For brazilians some immigratory rules do not apply (like having a max allowed stay within the country).

Considering that the Federal Police is an authority on immigration and the last link I posted is fairly recent (2 months old) and clearly states the opposite of what your friend told you, I'd say you're good to come back to the place you were born!

Tenha uma boa viagem!