Brazil Begins Biometric ID Requirement for New INSS and BPC Applicants

Overview

• Starting November 21, biometric verification is mandatory for new INSS and BPC applications and for scheduled renewals of these benefits.
• The obligation for salary‑maternity, temporary incapacity benefit, pension by death, unemployment insurance, abono salarial and Bolsa Família begins on May 1, 2026.
• The Carteira de Identidade Nacional (CIN) is the primary biometric base, CNH and voter registry records are accepted during the transition, all renewals and new concessions require biometrics from January 1, 2027, and CIN becomes the sole accepted base from January 1, 2028.
• Active benefits will not be automatically suspended, with beneficiaries notified individually in advance and targeted outreach promised to guide those who need to register.
• Exemptions cover people over 80, migrants and refugees, residents abroad, those with health or mobility limits, and residents of hard‑to‑reach areas, as the government says about 84% of roughly 68 million beneficiaries already have biometrics.