when applying for documents or visas in rio de janeiro, at least beyond the basic cpf, hiring a local assistant is always advisable.

the best assistance is usually provided by immigration attorneys found via a consulate, as they speak fluently the visitor's language, have verified credentials by the consulate, and are familiar with the system and bureaucracy in rio.

while most documents can be obtained without any assistance, the chance for errors and oversights are great - and correcting an error on applications or documents can be quite frustrating if not impossible, often requiring to start over.