FAA to ANAC?
 

Hi guys.

i am finishing my CPL in the US and planing to move to Brazil in few weeks.
i am not a Brazilian citizen but i am married to Brazilian so i have this covered plus i am working on my Portuguese :ok:

i would like to know what is the process for converting my FAA licence to ANAC one?
what documents do i need before i leave the US?

thanks..

Never heard this question before.

Just joking ;-)

yeah i saw some topics about it but couldn't figure out some of the answers there. and they where very old topics.

Sorry, but no, you don't have it covered. You are not a citizen so you aren't flying commercially here. Marriage does not make you a citizen, it just means that getting your RNE is easier, you might get that down to as little as 9 months. Becoming a citizen will take you another five or so years on top of that, and that's living here full time.

Converting your FAA certificates is straightforward but can be a paperwork nightmare, especially as you aren't fluent in Portuguese. When you get here take everything along to your local ANAC office and ask them what you need, it can vary from place to place so it's best to get it straight from ANAC where you'll be.

And do i need any papers from the school? And about the hours? I going to get All my hours?

Probably not, but that really will depend on the mood of the ANAC people that you deal with. There are variations between the different offices, and it pays to be polite. Where are you planning on going? Sometimes it pays to make contact with a local flying club too, they can often help out in these situations.

This is all pretty much a paper exercise, it won't make the slightest difference for about 7 years. You will not get a job flying until you become a citizen, and renting something for fun is just as easy on FAA docs.

A question for you. Why are you so keen to convert your certificates now?

I'm an Australian with a CPL(H) in Sao Paulo trying to convert now.

I have the RG, CPF, Carteira de Trabalho, 1 year work permit and at most i can convert my licence to a PPL(H).

Since gringos aren't allowed to fly commercially until you're a citizen/naturalized you can only obtain a PPL.

@HFTB That is not correct you can obtain a CPL also as a foreign.

If you have an RNE, honestly don't even bother trying to find a job in Brazil without it a Visa is good only if you come to Brazil already employed or you wanna do a part time teaching job. So if you have an RNE, the actual card not the temporary protocolo you can convert any ICAO CPL license into a Brazilian CPL, no restrictions.

If you don't hold an RNE you can get a PPL conversion and then with a flight school take the training towards the CPL, that can even be done on a Student Visa. I have met many pilots that came to Brazil to get a cheap CPL starting from their foreign PPL, and then moved back from whatever country they are from.

If I can give an advice to the OP, STAY IN THE US!

Things Aviation speaking are working out over there, get a CFI and build some hours. They need CFIs so bad at the moment.

There are no jobs in Brazil right now, I fly in Suriname and we get a ton of application from Brazilian pilots looking for jobs, all rejected due to their lack of English proficiency. When I go to the North and North east every single aeroclube has Instructors siting around that just can't leave the place or get an other job.

It will take you so much time to get all the papers done that you will start hating Brazil, trust me, work in the US and go to Brazil on holiday.

Being married to a Brazilian doesn't mean much, you have the same rights of somebody with an Uniao Estavel, immigration speaking.

If you wanna apply for an RNE do it from abroad!!! times will be shorter, visit the forum on Gringoes and you will have an idea of what you need, but again I would stay in the US.

@ FlyingSwiss

I was at Campo De Marte last week and have been advised by the schools, ANAC and ABRAPHE that i cannot convert to a CPL. They said this is a recent change. Because the law states only Brazilian citizens or naturalised citizens can undertake paid employment, unless you meet these requirements ANAC no longer sees the logic in issuing a CPL to a person unable to exercise the privilege. Even if you marry a citizen it will take 10 years to naturalize. I don't mind part-time, instruction or fuel rat work to fill in the time until my other job in AUS desert starts again.

That said, i will continue to try and post feedback here. The paperwork here is a nightmare. It took me 10 days at the federal police to get ID bc they have nfi. They even requested a letter from the Australian consulate confirming i am an australian citizen despite having a valid and current australian passport. I have been issued with the protocolo....and been advised the cedula takes 8 months to someone to print the plastic so will wait and see. I'm not sure you can apply for the RNE abroad, the CPF and visa yes....they've activated mine from 10 years ago and still was a challenge. But document requirements, laws and process here change daily....luck of the draw on which person is sitting at the desk when you arrive with your documents.

Go to a different ANAC, you can still get your CPL, at least in Rio it is like that.

You can apply for an RNE from abroad, I decided not to because anyway as soon as the PF gives you the protocolo you can work.

The proof of citizenship it's a pretty standard thing in countries like yours with many refugee. In many countries you can hold a passport and not being a citizen, the US, Switzerland,......and Brazil, the one for Brazil even says passport for non-citizen on it, it's bright yellow.

If you get a good lawyer you can get your citizenship in 4 years period from when you applied for the RNE, I will have my citizenship next year.

There are 2 ways of converting the license (I'm not discussing the question if you can or cannot work - I don't know anything about that, you should talk to the Federal Police office).

1) You need to get a declaration of your hours and licenses from your school in the US, then take it to an accredited translator, and then you can file your application directly with ANAC

2) Go to a school that have a Examiner in Brasil, fly 6 hours to satisfy the requirements of recent experience (they all will be dual command - for IFR Single/Multi - look for item 61.21 in http://www2.anac.gov.br/biblioteca/rbac/RBAC61EMD01.pdf) and do the flight exam in the school.

The second option is faster, but it's more expensive and is pratically error free if you find a good school (I can give you advice in some good schools in MG state).

I'm a CFI in Brasil and we did a lot of licenses conversion (we call it "convalidação"), including a CPL for a German pilot (JAR->ANAC).

Anyway, you should verify the information that ANAC is no longer converting CPL licenses to non-brazilians - I didn't hear anything about that.

Brazil is a bureaucratic nightmare. Anything here takes forever to get solved. Be aware.

You better off staying in the US. I lived there for 7 years and did all my training there. Couldnt get a job because i am not a citizen so i had to move back.

@ Flying Swiss

You mentioned a good lawyer can sort immigration in 4 years.
Any suggestions for a good lawyer as my lady friend and I are looking at this now.

@HFTB.

The naturalization process based on marriage takes just one year since the permanence is launched in DOU(Diario Oficial da União).

Im brazilian and my wife is moroccan,we are just two years married,and she just started the process of naturalization.

I got my ANAC ratings in April 2013 it was a complete nightmare. The flight school I went todo the mandatory hours had no clue what they were doing. I also had to deal with the massive bureaucracy to get a CPF, RG, Military paperwork, diplomas etc.

I'm employed so I can't complain, but it was not an easy process by any means.

I did the same as Massachello back in 2003 and it was a nightmare. I'm also employed but after all these years I can tell you it's not worth it. Flying here sucks. Listen to flyingswiss and stay in the US. My life would be much better had I listened to people when I made the move.

Just to check
 

Are you sure, that you can validate JAR licence for non-brasilian?
Here are some documents, which are needed and if you are not Brasilian, you will not get them:
Validação de Licença Estrangeira - PILOTO COMERCIAL - AVIAO (PCM)
Comprovação de igualdade de direitos civis (cópia autenticada) - (Base Legal) Manual de Procedimentos
- Título de Eleitor - (Base Legal) RBHA 61.17(b)

I can rent in Brasil with an FAA private cert? Thought I’d need an airplane w “N” number