Overview
- On Wednesday the INSS and the Ministry publicly debunked social messages saying beneficiaries must present a biometric document by November 20 or face payment suspension.
- The biometric-document requirement applies only to benefit requests filed from November 21, 2025 onward and does not automatically affect long-standing beneficiaries.
- The law lists clear exemptions including people over 80, migrants, refugees and stateless persons who meet conditions, residents abroad with required papers, those who cannot travel more than 30 days for health reasons with medical proof, and residents of hard-to-reach areas.
- Biometric data are normally collected when someone applies for official ID documents such as the Carteira de Identidade Nacional, CNH or voter registration, and this process is separate from the INSS Prova de Vida, which is largely automatic via database checks.
- The INSS warned about fraud using false block threats, said it will never send staff to homes or ask for passwords or bank transfers, and told citizens to verify any notice only through Meu INSS, the gov.br site or the 135 helpline.