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Certified Brazilian Articles of Incorporation Translation
Certified translation of the documents that constitute and evidence a Brazilian company, with the corporate form, the registry references and the powers of the representatives reproduced exactly rather than mapped onto US equivalents that carry different law.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
Contrato social or estatuto social
Which document a Brazilian company holds depends on its form. A limitada is constituted by contrato social — a contract between the partners. An SA is constituted by estatuto social. They are different instruments with different content, and an office asking for "the articles" gets whichever exists.
Neither is notarial in the Mexican sense: a limitada's contrato social is a private document, signed by the partners and registered. The notary appears only where a partner signs by proxy or the capital includes real property.
The Junta Comercial, the NIRE and the CNPJ
Registration is with the Junta Comercial of the state rather than a national registry, so the registering body named on the document is a state one and two companies in different states are registered by different authorities. It assigns the NIRE, the state registry number.
That is distinct from the CNPJ, the federal tax number, and the two are confused constantly. A foreign counterparty asked to verify a Brazilian company is almost always looking for the CNPJ. Both are reproduced exactly.
Alterações and the consolidado
A limitada is amended by alteração contratual, each registered in turn, and companies frequently hold a contrato social consolidado that restates the whole text as amended. If one exists it is the document to translate; if it does not, the founding contract plus every alteração is.
Asking which you hold before ordering is the difference between translating one document and translating nine, several of which have been superseded.
Quotas, sócios and the administrador
A limitada divides capital into quotas rather than shares, held by sócios, and the contrato social names them and their holdings on its face. So in Brazil the constitutive document is also the ownership record — which is not true of an SA, where ownership sits in a share register.
The administrador is named in the same instrument with their powers stated there, and any limitation on them is what a counterparty relies on. Portuguese is not Spanish, and a translator working in one does not automatically work in the other — see our Portuguese page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Every seal, stamp, notarial recital and registry annotation is translated — a corporate document with its endorsements missing is not a complete document. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Contrato social or estatuto social?
A limitada has a contrato social; an SA has an estatuto social. Different instruments with different content.
Is the NIRE the same as the CNPJ?
No. NIRE is the state registry number, CNPJ the federal tax number. They are confused constantly and a foreign verifier usually wants the CNPJ.
What is a consolidado?
A restated contrato social including every amendment. If you hold one, it is the document to translate.
Does the contrato social show ownership?
For a limitada, yes — it names the sócios and their quotas. For an SA it does not.
Ready to get started?
Upload the deed or the registry extract and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.