How do you enrol a child in a public school in Brazil in 2026?

Expect proof of local address tied to a real lease or utility bill: How to rent a home. Bring the child’s CPF when you have it, passport or CRNM protocol, birth certificate and vaccination card: Get a CPF. Foreign school histories and certificates usually need a Hague Apostille or legalisation plus a tradução juramentada so the school can place the right year: Apostille documents.

Start at the municipal education secretariat (SME) or the state network desk your city uses for transfers. São Paulo, Rio, Brasília and Curitiba run different portals and calendars, so do not assume one national click path. Residence status still needs to be lawful for long stays: Apply for a residence permit and Paperwork after moving.

Public classrooms run in Portuguese. Newcomer support exists in many networks, yet depth varies by school: Children in school without Portuguese and Portuguese bureaucracy without Portuguese. Parent community often forms at the school gate: Expat families community.

If English-medium instruction is non-negotiable, price international campuses as a second housing line: International school costs. Younger children may still need creche budgets first: Childcare costs.