Brazilian People
The term Brazilian refers to all those born in Brazil, as well as foreigners who are born abroad but from a Brazilian parent, or a foreigner living in Brazil who has applied for Brazilian citizenship. The majority of Brazilians actually live in Brazil, but there are significant Brazilian populations in countries like the United States, Japan, Paraguay, and many European countries.
The Constitution of Brazil clearly outlines who is considered a Brazilian. Brazilian citizenship encompasses all of those born in Brazil, even if they were born to foreign parents. The only exception to this law is if the foreign parents were at the time in service to a foreign State, in which case the child is not granted citizenship. If a child is born to a Brazilian parent and has a registration of birth with the Brazilian Embassy or Consulate they are granted Brazilian citizenship. Another case may be where a child born to a Brazilian parent whose birth was not registered, but as long as they move to Brazil after they reach eighteen years of age, they are considered a Brazilian citizen. Finally, if a foreigner is living in Brazil applies for citizenship and is accepted they are also a citizen, called a naturalized Brazilian.
Foreigners can only apply for Brazilian citizenship only after fifteen years of uninterrupted residence in Brazil. They must also be able to speak Portuguese. However, a native person from a country whose native language is Portuguese is allowed to apply for citizenship is allowed to apply for citizenship after only one year of uninterrupted Brazilian residence. These countries of privilege include Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor, and Guinea Bissau.
If a foreign person is granted Brazilian citizenship, they have the exact same rights and duties as someone who obtained Brazilian citizenship by birth. However, there are some special public positions that they cannot occupy, including the Presidency of the Republic, the Vice-presidency of the Republic, the Presidency of the Senate, the Ministry of Defense, and the Presidency of the House of Representatives.
In the Brazilian constitution, Portuguese people hold a special status in Brazil. The Constitution grants citizens of Portugal with a permanent residence in the Brazil the same rights of a Brazilian citizen. In order to receive the equal benefits, the Portuguese citizen must have a permanent Brazilian residence, have the age of majority and must make a formal request to the Minister of Justice. If the Portuguese citizen has resided in Brazil for more than three years, they are also granted political rights as well as civic rights. This is a rare exception to the laws of citizenship due to the existence of a historical relationship between Portugal and Brazil.
Brazilian citizens, while unified by their connection to a single country, represent a vast number of cultural and religious beliefs, as well as numerous ethnic backgrounds. These different groups are often grouped by region, though citizens of many different backgrounds can be found across the country.