Brazil's INSS expands biometric ID requirement for social‑security benefits

The National Institute of Social Security (INSS) issued a new portaria that widens the mandatory use of biometric registration for the granting, maintenance and renewal of most social‑security and assistance benefits. From 21 November 2025, applicants for retirement pensions, various aid programs and the Continuous Benefit (BPC/Loas) must prove that a biometric record exists in one of the official federal databases – the National Identity Card (CIN), voter registration or the driver’s licence – before a benefit can be approved.

The measure aims to confirm the identity of beneficiaries and curb fraud and improper payments. It does not affect benefits already being paid, which will not be automatically blocked, but beneficiaries who lack a biometric record must regularise their situation by 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2028 the biometric link to the National Identity Card will become the standard for all benefit requests.

A list of exemptions applies: people over 80 years old, migrants, refugees, stateless persons, Brazilians residing abroad, individuals unable to travel for more than 30 days for health or disability reasons, residents of hard‑to‑access locations, and claimants for maternity, temporary incapacity or death pensions. The portaria also provides internal procedural guidelines for INSS staff to standardise the verification and handling of biometric data.