Guide · Foreign buyers

Sworn translation and interpreter at the deed

When foreign documents need a sworn translation in Brazil, who may translate, and the Civil Code rule on an interpreter if you do not speak Portuguese.

Checked on against the official sources at the bottom of the page.

In short

In Brazil the deed is written in Portuguese (Civil Code, art. 215, § 3). A foreign document used before a notary or a registry must be translated, and under Lei 14.195/2021 only a sworn public translator (tradutor e intérprete público) gives a translation public faith. If you do not speak Portuguese and the notary does not understand your language, a public translator must attend the signing as interpreter, or, if there is none in the town, another capable person the notary considers reliable.

Documents that need translation

Article 224 of the Civil Code: documents drafted in a foreign language “shall be translated into Portuguese to have legal effect in the country”. Article 26, I of Lei 14.195/2021 reserves to the public translator the translation of “any document that has to be presented in another language before a legal person of internal public law or before notarial and registry services”.

For a foreign buyer this typically covers:

  • a power of attorney signed abroad (see power of attorney from abroad);
  • marriage or birth certificates and any marital-property contract (see buying with a foreign spouse);
  • documents of the purchasing company if you buy through one;
  • documents sent to the Receita Federal or a consulate. For the CPF, article 33, § 3 of IN RFB 2.172/2024 says the Receita Federal may require the apostille or consular legalisation of foreign documents and a sworn translation of those in a foreign language.

Which of your specific documents a given notary asks to see translated is the notary’s decision. Ask before you order translations.

What “sworn” gives you

Article 27 presumes translations by a public translator to be “faithful and exact”. Its § 1 adds that no translation has public faith unless made by a public translator, with exceptions the law lists: ship brokers in their field, customs manifests, translations by a public official whose post involves translating, and cases set by federal executive act. Under § 2 the presumption does not remove the duty to attach the original document to the translation, and an authority or any interested party can challenge the translation’s accuracy.

Article 28 sets sanctions for a translator who delivers an incomplete, inaccurate, wrong or fraudulent translation, in addition to civil and criminal liability. Payotte did not read the list of sanctions in detail.

Payotte did not read the register of public translators, the way an individual is appointed, or the tariff tables. These are matters for the regional authority that appoints them; ask the notary for names of translators accustomed to this work, or check the official register your state publishes.

Language at the signing

The Civil Code treats the deed’s language and the parties’ language separately:

  • Article 215, § 3: “The deed shall be drafted in the national language.”
  • Article 215, § 4: “If any of the persons appearing does not know the national language and the notary does not understand the language in which he expresses himself, a public translator shall attend to serve as interpreter or, if there is none in the locality, another capable person who, in the notary’s judgement, has sufficient suitability and knowledge.”
  • Article 215, § 1, VI: the deed contains a declaration that it was read in the presence of the parties or that all of them read it.

So there are two cases. If the notary speaks your language, the notary can proceed without an interpreter, but the deed stays in Portuguese. If the notary does not, an interpreter is mandatory. In either case, ask for a draft of the deed in advance and get it translated for your own use, even if the law does not require you to.

For rural purchases, Lei 5.709/1971 (art. 8) makes the public deed “of the essence of the act” when a foreigner buys; see rural land restrictions.

A reasonable preparation

  1. Ask the notary, before you travel or sign the power, which documents must be translated and in what form.
  2. Order sworn translations only for those documents, and keep the originals or apostilled copies attached.
  3. Ask for the draft deed and the registry’s requirement letter ahead of time.
  4. If you will attend, ask who will interpret and confirm that this person is a public translator or accepted by the notary.
  5. Do not sign what you have not understood: a translation obtained afterwards does not change the deed.

What it costs

Payotte did not find an official fee schedule for sworn translation in the sources it read; the price depends on the language, number of pages and urgency. Request a written quote. The notary’s own fee for the deed follows the state table: see notary and registry fees. Whether the notary charges anything extra when an interpreter attends was not established.

Which professional to consult

A sworn translator (tradutor e intérprete público) produces the translations and interprets at the signing. The notary decides what the deed requires. A lawyer registered with the OAB can review the Portuguese text with you before you sign. See the property lawyer page.

Frequently asked questions

Can the deed be in English?

The Civil Code says the deed shall be drafted in the national language. An English version can help you, but it is not the deed.

Can my friend or my broker interpret at the signing?

Only if there is no public translator in the locality, and then the notary must judge the person capable and reliable (art. 215, § 4).

Do I need to translate everything I bring?

Only what the notary, the registry or the Receita Federal requires. Ask for the list first.

Is a translation done abroad accepted?

Lei 14.195 says only a public translator’s work has public faith, apart from its listed exceptions. A translation made abroad is not a sworn translation in Brazil’s sense.

Can I attend by video?

Payotte read no rule on remote attendance for a purchase deed. Ask the notary who will draw the deed.

More guides on foreign buyers

Sources

All guides · Payotte Brazil