For foreign nationals living in Brazil, the CPF is connected to many aspects of everyday and financial life, including interactions with banks and financial institutions.
Protecting the personal information associated with your identity is therefore an important security measure. The Central Bank of Brazil provides a free tool that can add another layer of protection against certain types of financial fraud: BC PROTEGE+.
What is BC PROTEGE+?
Imagine that your personal information falls into the hands of a third party and someone attempts to use it to open a bank account in Brazil without your authorization.
In addition to the inconvenience involved, a fraudulently opened account could be used for financial transactions that you never authorized.
This is where BC PROTEGE+ comes in.
BC PROTEGE+ is a free service provided by the Central Bank of Brazil. By activating it, you inform the Brazilian financial system that you do not want new accounts covered by the service to be opened in your name while the protection is active.
The protection also prevents you from being added as an account holder or representative on these accounts while it remains active.
Can foreign nationals use BC PROTEGE+?
Yes. This is particularly relevant for expats living in Brazil.
You do not need to be a Brazilian citizen to use BC PROTEGE+. If your CPF is in good standing with the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service (Receita Federal), you can use the service.
Foreign nationals residing in Brazil can therefore also benefit from this additional layer of security.
How does the protection work?
Before opening an account covered by BC PROTEGE+ in your name, a financial institution authorized by the Central Bank must check the system.
If your protection is active, the institution will not be able to proceed with opening that account.
The same applies to an attempt to add you as an account holder or representative.
There is also an important privacy feature: when a financial institution checks the system, it only receives information indicating whether your protection is active or inactive. Your other personal information is not shared as part of this verification.
Which accounts are covered?
BC PROTEGE+ does not block every type of financial product.
According to the material provided, the protection applies to the opening of:
- checking accounts;
- savings accounts;
- prepaid payment accounts; and
- attempts to add your CPF as an account holder or representative on these accounts.
Accounts intended exclusively for the payment of salaries or benefits are not covered by this protection.
What if I want to open a new account?
Activating BC PROTEGE+ does not mean that you will be permanently prevented from opening new accounts.
You remain in control of the protection.
If you activate BC PROTEGE+ and later decide to open an account with another bank, you can access the service again and temporarily deactivate the protection.
The change takes effect immediately. Once the account-opening process has been completed, you can activate BC PROTEGE+ again.
When deactivating the protection, you can also choose a date for it to be automatically reactivated.
How to activate BC PROTEGE+
The process is completed online through the official website of the Central Bank of Brazil.
On the website, search for BC PROTEGE+ and sign in using your gov.br account.
Monitor inquiries involving your CPF
BC PROTEGE+ also allows you to monitor inquiries made using your CPF.
In the Inquiry History section, you can check which institution looked up your CPF and the reason for the inquiry — for example, an account-opening request or an attempt to add you as an account holder or representative.
This provides another way to monitor the use of your identity within the Brazilian financial system.
Does BC PROTEGE+ protect against every type of fraud?
No. BC PROTEGE+ should be considered an additional layer of protection rather than a solution against every type of fraud or scam.
You should continue taking important security precautions, including protecting your passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, never sharing verification codes received by SMS or apps, and being cautious about messages, links or contacts requesting personal or banking information.
Financial security for expats in Brazil
If you are an expat with a CPF in Brazil, understanding the tools available to protect your financial identity is an important part of navigating the Brazilian financial system safely.
BC PROTEGE+ is free, can be activated and deactivated online, and helps prevent certain types of accounts from being opened using your CPF without your authorization.
For further information about the service, visit the official website of the Central Bank of Brazil.
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