Brazil reveals timeline for mandatory biometrics registration, CIN card issuance

The Brazilian government has set a timeline for social benefits recipients to complete biometric registration and obtain the country’s new national identity card, Carteira de Identidade Nacional (CIN). Brazil plans to make the CIN mandatory for all citizens by 2032.

Welfare recipients who have not submitted biometrics must obtain the CIN by the end of 2026, while those who have completed biometric registration with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), a National Driver’s License (CNH) or received a passport have until January 2028.

​Citizens applying for maternity leave, disability benefits, unemployment insurance and wage supplements must complete the complete biometric registration by December 31st, 2026, the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI) confirmed in an official ordinance last Thursday. This includes recipients of the social welfare program Bolsa Família, which provides financial aid to poor Brazilian families.

The issuance of the document is overseen by the Federal Biometric Service, and more than 52 million CINs have been issued so far.

The new system replaces the old RG (Registro Geral) cards and gives each individual a unique tax identifier called CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas), replacing multiple identifiers that were used for worker registration, social security, voter ID and other purposes.

The new ID card also comes with a digital version, which is available through the Gov.br app. The platform currently has over 176 million users and provides access to more than 4,600 federal digital services and 8,000 state and municipal services.

The Ministry launched a campaign last month promoting the new digital ID system. One of the perks of CIN, for instance, is that the first copy will be free and that the document will be valid throughout Mercosur countries. Users will also be able to add data on other state-issued documents, including the voter registration card, driver’s license, social security card and others.

“As a tool for citizenship, the CIN forms the foundation of the Digital Public Civil Identification Infrastructure,” says MIG. “There will be an improvement in the registration systems of various social programs, enabling both better management of benefits by the public sector and easier access for the population.”

Earlier this year, the government also announced a 44.25 million Brazilian reais (US$7.76 million) program to help issue digital IDs in difficult-to-reach and vulnerable communities.

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  Brazil  |  Carteira de Identidade Nacional (CIN)  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  Gov.br  |  identity document