Brazilian CPF from the US: apply to the Receita Federal
A Brazilian living in the United States can apply for a CPF without going to the consulate: the request goes by email straight to the Receita Federal. That is the route the New York consulate describes on its CPF page, and the service is free.
The CPF has become a condition for almost everything. Since January 2024 it is the Brazilian citizen's identification number, and the consulates require it for passports and other services.
The email request, step by step
First you fill in the registration form (FCPF) on the Receita's website, with the pop-up blocker switched off. Then you email cpf.residente.exterior@rfb.gov.br saying what you need (registration, update or regularisation), with the attachments in the list below.
What to attach
New York's list asks for the signed form, a Brazilian ID document (even expired), the birth or marriage certificate and, for anyone over 18, the voter registration card or the TSE website lookup.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cost | free |
| Where to | cpf.residente.exterior@rfb.gov.br |
| Forgotten number | Receita Federal only |
- Registration form (FCPF), filled in and signed
- Brazilian ID document, even expired
- Birth or marriage certificate
- Voter card or TSE lookup (over 18)
- Selfie holding the open ID next to your face
What the consulate does, and what it does not
The consulate also registers people for a CPF, by appointment; for foreigners outside Brazil, the route is an in-person visit to the consulate, according to the ordinance New York cites. But there are limits: New York only processes new requests or corrections to CPFs it issued in the last 90 days.
Anyone who forgot the number has to ask the Receita Federal: because of tax secrecy, the consulate cannot sort that out. And to check a CPF's status, the route is the Receita's website.
Definitive exit from Brazil: also a Receita matter
Anyone who now lives in the United States and wants to settle their tax status in Brazil files the Definitive Exit Notice (Comunicação de SaÃda Definitiva do PaÃs) directly with the Receita Federal, online.
The Consular Portal and the Chicago consulate say plainly that the subject is exclusively the Receita's: the consulates' guidance is for information only.
If you forgot your CPF number, the Receita Federal sorts it out, not the consulate.Details verified on 4 October 2026.
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The information comes from official sources that sometimes disagree with one another, and is reviewed regularly. Confirm before you travel.