Brazil's federal procurement is centralized on the Compras.gov.br portal, where suppliers register once in SICAF, the Unified Supplier Registration System, to bid on federal solicitations; awards and notices are also published on the PNCP (Portal Nacional de Contratacoes Publicas) under Lei 14.133/2021. Foreign companies are explicitly eligible to participate in federal bids, and those that do not operate in Brazil may register in SICAF using a specific foreign-company identifier (e.g. TIN or D-U-N-S Number) instead of a Brazilian CNPJ. SICAF registration is 100% digital and free of charge. Foreign firms that do not operate in Brazil must, however, designate a legal representative in Brazil empowered to receive service of process and to respond administratively or judicially.
Compras.gov.br / SICAF (Sistema de Cadastramento Unificado de Fornecedores)
Secretaria de Gestao e Inovacao (SEGES) - Ministerio da Gestao e da Inovacao em Servicos Publicos (MGI)
Foreign companies eligibleNo local entity required to bid
A foreign company that does NOT operate in Brazil does not need a CNPJ, a Brazilian subsidiary, or an authorization to operate (autorizacao de funcionamento) merely to participate in a federal bid and register in SICAF; it registers using a specific foreign identifier such as the Trade Identification Number (TIN) or D-U-N-S Number. HOWEVER, the SICAF rule for foreign legal entities (empresa estrangeira / pessoa juridica) requires designation of a legal representative in Brazil with express powers to receive citation (service of process) and to respond administratively or judicially (art. 20-A, inc. III of the SICAF normative, per the Dec 2023 SICAF update). An authorization to operate in Brazil is only required if actual contract execution would involve continuous activity in Brazilian territory (Lei 14.133/2021 art. 66 context). Sworn translation, apostille or consularization of qualification documents is required only at the contract-signing stage, not for bidding.
Access to Compras.gov.br / SICAF is via authentication through the gov.br single sign-on (Login Unico). Suppliers authenticate with a gov.br account; a Pessoa Fisica (e-CPF) or Pessoa Juridica (e-CNPJ) ICP-Brasil digital certificate is used for full/self-service registration. The person responsible for the registration must have a valid CPF that is regular with the Receita Federal (Brazilian Federal Revenue).
On the compras.gov.br login screen the supplier selects the supplier option (e.g. 'Fornecedor Brasileiro' for domestic; a foreign-supplier path applies to empresas estrangeiras), authenticates with the gov.br account, then goes to 'Cadastro' and selects 'Nivel I - Credenciamento'. For a foreign company that does not operate in Brazil, the credenciamento (Nivel I) is completed using a specific foreign identifier such as the Trade Identification Number (TIN) or the D-U-N-S Number instead of a CNPJ. Nivel I proves the legal existence of the company and is the mandatory first stage to participate in federal bids. Registration in SICAF is free of charge.
A foreign legal entity that does not operate in Brazil must designate a legal representative in Brazil with express powers to receive citation (service of process) and to respond administratively or judicially. This requirement (art. 20-A, inc. III of the SICAF normative, retained in the December 2023 SICAF update) remains for foreign companies (pessoa juridica), even though it was removed for individual foreign suppliers (pessoa fisica).
SICAF has six registration levels: I - Credenciamento; II - Habilitacao Juridica; III - Regularidade Fiscal Federal e Trabalhista; IV - Regularidade Fiscal Estadual/Distrital e Municipal; V - Qualificacao Tecnica; VI - Qualificacao Economico-Financeira. For most notices at least Levels II and III must be completed. Foreign companies that do not operate in Brazil present 'documentos equivalentes' (equivalent documents) for the levels, per art. 70 sole paragraph of Lei 14.133/2021 and IN SEGES/MGI 53/2023; a free (non-sworn) translation is accepted at the bidding stage. Where no equivalent foreign document exists, a declaration by the foreign bidder's legal representative in the model attached to the edital is used.
Only if the foreign company is the winning bidder, for the purpose of signing the contract or ata de registro de precos, the qualification documents must be translated by a sworn translator (tradutor juramentado) in Brazil and apostilled per Decreto 8.660/2016 (Apostille Convention) or consularized by the respective consulate/embassy. Sworn translation is NOT required merely to complete SICAF registration or to bid.
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Create free accountSICAF registration is free of charge (gratuito). The government portal warns against fraudulent third-party sites/emails that charge for SICAF registration. Ancillary costs (ICP-Brasil digital certificate, sworn translations, apostille/consularization, Brazilian legal representative) are borne by the supplier but were not quantified by official sources.
Varies per tender — not a fixed registration time.
Lei 14.133/2021 (Nova Lei de Licitacoes e Contratos Administrativos) - see art. 70 sole paragraph (documentos equivalentes) and art. 52 (licitacao internacional); regulated for foreign suppliers by Instrucao Normativa SEGES/MGI no 53, de 28 de dezembro de 2023, which authorizes foreign companies not operating in Brazil to present equivalent documentation via SICAF. SICAF operation is governed by the SICAF normative (historically Instrucao Normativa no 03/2018 and successors).
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This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-20.