Admission: documents and steps up to your first day of work

To be hired with a registered work card (carteira assinada), you need to provide your CPF (Brazilian individual taxpayer ID) and hand over personal documents, take the pre-employment medical exam paid for by the company, and sign the contract. The employer must register you in the eSocial (the government's digital payroll and labor reporting system), and the entry in your work card has a deadline of 5 business days. Checking each step avoids problems with FGTS (Fundo de Garantia do Tempo de Serviço, Severance Fund), vacation, and benefits.

Documents usually requested

The list varies by company, but usually includes:

• CPF, which is also the number of your Carteira de Trabalho Digital (Digital Work Card).
• RG (national ID card) or another official photo ID.
• Proof of address and voter registration card (título de eleitor), when the company asks for them.
• Proof of education and certificates for the role.
• Bank details for salary payment.
• Birth or marriage certificate and dependents' documents, for salário-família (family allowance), health plan, or income tax.
• PIS/NIS number (social integration program/social identification number), if you have one.

In most cases you do not need to bring the paper work card. You just provide your CPF, and the company registers the contract in the eSocial, which counts as the work card entry, according to the Ministry of Labor.

Digital Work Card

Before you start, activate your digital work card through the app or the gov.br website, with a verified account. The service is free. After hiring, the record usually shows up in the app in about 48 hours, and you should check the start date, job title, and salary. See the step-by-step guide in Carteira de Trabalho Digital: como consultar e corrigir.

Pre-employment medical exam

The medical exam at hiring is mandatory and paid for by the employer (art. 168 of the Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho (CLT, Brazilian Labor Code)). Its purpose is to determine whether you are fit for the role and, as a rule, it must take place before you start working.

• The company cannot charge you for the exam.
• Under the CLT (art. 373-A), it is prohibited to require a pregnancy or sterility certificate or test at hiring.
• The result must be communicated to the worker.

Registration, contract, and first day

1. The company reports your data and start date to the eSocial, which replaces the employee registry book.
2. You sign the employment contract and, if applicable, the trial-period contract (contrato de experiência), which cannot exceed 90 days (art. 445 of the CLT).
3. The company records the hiring date, compensation, and special conditions in the work card within 5 business days (art. 29 of the CLT).
4. You request enrollment for the vale-transporte (transportation voucher), if you wish, and check the payment deadline for your first salary.

Keep a copy of everything you sign. See Contrato de experiência: prazo de 90 dias e direitos.

If the company does not register you

Starting to work without registration is an irregularity. Note down your start date, keep messages and photos of the workplace, and contact the union, the Ministry of Labor, or the Justiça do Trabalho (Labor Court). The details are in Trabalho sem carteira assinada: direitos e como provar.

Frequently asked questions

Can the company ask for a criminal background certificate?

It depends on the role and the specific case, and the topic is debated in the Labor Court. If in doubt, seek legal advice.

Can I start working before signing the contract?

The registration must match the actual start date. Avoid working without registration and keep evidence of the date you started.

Do I have to pay to get the digital work card?

No. The digital work card is free.

Read also

• Proposta de emprego: como negociar salário e benefícios
• Vale-transporte: quem tem direito e desconto de 6%
• Holerite: como ler cada desconto do contracheque