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Brazil employment record book photo requirements

The 30 × 40 mm photo rules set by Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (gov.br) for the Brazil employment record book, with the official wording and sources.

Based on 2 official sources · last checked Official sources Page history

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Quick answer

What size is the Brazil employment record book photo?

You do not need a photo for a Brazilian Carteira de Trabalho (CTPS). The standard card is the digital Carteira de Trabalho, issued automatically to everyone with a CPF and switched on in its app or on gov.br without any picture. A physical card is issued only in exceptional cases at a Ministry of Labour (MTE) unit, where the system captures your photo; a recent 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) print is used only where no such system exists.

The Carteira de Trabalho e Previdência Social (CTPS), Brazil's employment record book, is issued by the Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (MTE). It records the details of each employment contract and identifies the worker by CPF number. Under MTE Portaria 1 of December 2025, in force since 2 January 2026, it is issued preferably in electronic form and only exceptionally on paper.

The electronic version, the Carteira de Trabalho Digital, already exists for everyone registered in the CPF; you only have to enable it in the free app or through the gov.br service, using a gov.br account at Bronze, Silver or Gold level. Neither route asks for a picture. Employers record contracts through eSocial, and giving your employer your CPF number and date of birth counts as presenting the card.

The paper booklet has not disappeared completely. The gov.br service page says it is issued exceptionally for recording employment that predates the digital model, and the Portaria also covers court-ordered entries and provisional cards for rescued workers. The old habit of bringing 3 x 4 prints comes from that booklet: today the MTE system captures the photo, and a print is needed only where an office has no computerised issuing system.

Brazil employment record book photo size and specifications

The requirements as published by Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (gov.br):[1]

Print sizeDigital card: no photo. Physical card: captured by the MTE system; 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) print only where none exists
Digital sizeNo upload: the digital card has no photo, and the physical card's photo is captured at the MTE unit
BackgroundNot specified in the MTE rules
Photo ageFallback print: recent; no time limit stated
Print qualityPhysical card: photo, signature and fingerprint captured by the system to its quality standards
Pixels when printed354 × 472 px at 300 dpi · 709 × 945 px at 600 dpi (calculated)
30 mm40 mm
30 × 40 mm photo drawn to scale.

Key requirements

  • Digital by default

    The Portaria says the CTPS is issued preferably in electronic form. The Carteira de Trabalho Digital is issued automatically to every CPF holder and has the same effect as the paper card for the purposes of the CLT, Brazil's labour code.

  • Enabling it takes no photo

    To switch the digital card on you need your CPF number and a gov.br account; the service is free and immediate. A worker in proven social vulnerability who cannot use the app or website can have it enabled in person at an MTE unit.

  • Not an identity document

    The Portaria states that the digital card is not equivalent to the civil identification documents defined in Law 12.037 of 2009. To prove who you are, you still need an identity card or another civil document.

  • Paper card only in set cases

    A physical CTPS can be issued when the Labour Court orders entries for jobs that ended before 24 September 2019 and the worker has no usable booklet. Provisional paper cards valid for 3 months exist for undocumented workers rescued from trafficking or slave labour.

  • Photo captured by the system

    For a physical card, the photo, signature and fingerprint are captured by the MTE's own system during identification, to its quality standards. Only in places without that computerised system does the applicant hand in a recent 3 cm x 4 cm photo.

  • Immigrants apply at MTE units

    Physical cards for immigrants are personalised and issued only by the MTE's decentralised units. Foreign applicants bring their CPF and the National Migration Registration Card, the provisional registration document or the Federal Police protocol, all in original.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Enable the Carteira de Trabalho Digital in the app or on gov.br.
  • Give your employer your CPF number and date of birth.
  • Use a civil identity document when you need to prove who you are.
  • Bring original documents if you must apply for a physical card.
  • Ask the MTE unit whether it captures photos before printing one.

Don't

  • Do not pay for 3 x 4 prints just to get a work card.
  • Do not expect the digital card to work as ID.
  • Do not send someone to collect a physical card without a notarised power of attorney.
  • Do not apply for a child under 14 without a court order.

Sample photos

How a Brazil employment record book photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 30 × 40 mm and background colour.

Correct
Open-mouth smile
Head tilted
Too close: head too big
Too far: head too small
Busy background
Shadows on face or background
Glare on glasses

Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.

Babies and children

The MTE does not issue a CTPS to anyone under 14, or for a person who has died, unless a court orders or authorises it. In that case the issue is recorded in the computerised system and the court warrant number is written in the general notes field of the card.

Above that age the same rules apply as for adults: the digital card involves no photo, and a physical card, where one is justified, has its photo captured by the MTE system.

For almost everyone there is neither a print nor a file. The digital card is created from your CPF record, and enabling it involves no image. For a physical card, the MTE unit captures the picture itself, and the card is handed over in person, after fingerprint identification, within 15 working days.

The 3 x 4 cm print exists only as a fallback for places with no computerised CTPS system. If an MTE office tells you to bring one, a digital photo can be cropped to 30 x 40 mm and printed at a photo counter. The Portaria asks only that it be recent and sets no background or other photo rules.

Where to submit the photo

Enable the digital card yourself in the Carteira de Trabalho Digital app for Android or iOS, or through the service on gov.br. For questions, the gov.br page points to an MTE web form and the 158 phone line.

Physical cards are issued at the MTE's decentralised units. Bring, in person and in original, an official civil identity document showing your name, municipality and state of birth, parents and the document's number, issuer and date, together with your CPF. Foreign nationals bring their CPF and migration registration document or Federal Police protocol.

How to get your Brazil employment record book photo

  1. Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Brazil employment record book: 30 × 40 mm print. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
  2. Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: digital by default; enabling it takes no photo; not an identity document; paper card only in set cases.
  3. Prepare a print or digital file. For almost everyone there is neither a print nor a file. The digital card is created from your CPF record, and enabling it involves no image.
  4. Submit the photo with your application. Enable the digital card yourself in the Carteira de Trabalho Digital app for Android or iOS, or through the service on gov.br. For questions, the gov.br page points to an MTE web form and the 158 phone line.

Make this photo online

Brazil employment record book photo FAQ

No. The digital card is issued automatically to everyone registered in the CPF. You enable it in the app or on gov.br with your CPF number and a gov.br account, and the service page lists no photo or other document.

Only exceptionally. The gov.br page says the physical format is for recording employment from before the digital model, and the MTE Portaria allows it, for example, when the Labour Court orders entries for jobs that ended before 24 September 2019.

Normally none from you: the MTE system captures the photo, signature and fingerprint at the identification step. Where a locality has no computerised issuing system, the applicant presents a recent 3 x 4 cm (30 x 40 mm) photo.

No. The MTE Portaria states that the Carteira de Trabalho Digital is not equivalent to the civil identification documents defined in Law 12.037 of 2009. It does have the same weight as the paper CTPS for employment purposes.

The digital card exists for everyone registered in the CPF, foreign nationals included. A physical card for an immigrant is personalised and issued only at MTE decentralised units, on presentation of the CPF and the migration registration card, provisional document or Federal Police protocol.

The MTE hands it over in person, with fingerprint identification, within 15 working days of the date on the service protocol. Exceptionally, a third party can collect it with a notarised private power of attorney made specifically for that purpose.

Related photo specifications

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Official sources

  1. Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (gov.br). Obter a Carteira de Trabalho (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 2 November 2026.
  2. Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego. Portaria MTE nº 1/2025, consolidated (Portuguese) gov.br. Checked 2 November 2026.

Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (gov.br) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.

Cite this page

"Brazil employment record book photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/brazil/employment-record-book-photo

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