PF suspends production of passports from this Saturday due to lack of funds

The lack of funds for issuing passports led the Federal Police to suspend the production of new passports as of this Saturday (19).

The folder has been asking for the recomposition of resources since September, according to people interviewed by the report. So far, however, the Ministry of Economy has not had space to meet the demand.

Almost two months ago, the government had to raise the block in the 2022 Budget to R$ 10.5 billion to avoid an overflow in the spending ceiling – a fiscal rule that prevents the growth of expenses above inflation.

The PF carries out the service of issuing passports through a contract with the Mint. The action’s current allocation is BRL 217.9 million, and the entire amount has already been committed (the first phase of spending, when the government commits to the purchase of the good or service).

The amount effectively paid by the agency is also close to the available limit. The high execution of the budget foreseen for passports, with more than 40 days remaining until the end of the year, indicates that there is indeed a bottleneck, admits a source in the economic area.

“The service’s online scheduling and service at PF posts will continue to function normally. However, there is no forecast for delivery of the requested passport until the budget situation is normalized”, says the Federal Police through a note.

The citizen pays a fee of BRL 257.25 for issuing the passport, but the money does not remain with the Federal Police. It goes to the National Treasury single account. The use of the resource depends on the availability of space in the Budget.

The request for supplementation is around R$ 75 million, but Minister Paulo Guedes’s portfolio still does not know if it will be able to reallocate the amount.

The Budget situation is considered extremely delicate. It is unusual to reach the month of November with such a high volume of blocked resources. The situation was aggravated after a decision by the STF (Federal Supreme Court) suspending the measure that postponed to 2023 a transfer of R$ 3.86 billion to the cultural sector. The incorporation of this expense can put even more pressure on other areas.

Technicians say the government is aware of the passport alert, but they describe the situation as “pretty bad”. There is, however, recognition that this is a “relevant demand with a high impact”, given the risk of discontinuing the service —considered an essential activity.

The decision on whether or not to release the resources will be up to the JEO (Budget Execution Board), formed by ministers Ciro Nogueira (Casa Civil) and Paulo Guedes (Economy).

In August, with blockages already in effect, the Ministry of Justice sent a letter to the Economy saying that the blockage in the resources could affect the operation related to the issuance of the documents.

This is not the first time that issuing passports has been suspended due to lack of funds. In 2017, the PF suspended the service, and the government ended up forwarding a request for credit opening to contemplate the corporation.

Read below answers released by the Federal Police itself to questions on the subject.

I already went to the PF post to get my passport. Will it be delivered on the expected date?

Yup. All those who were assisted at the issuing posts until 11/18 will receive their passports normally.

I have already paid the fee. Will I receive my passport?

If you have paid the fee, but have not yet attended the appointment, there is no deadline for delivery of the passport.

Will the PF posts be closed? What about online scheduling?

The service’s online scheduling and service at PF posts will continue to function normally.

I have an emergency. Will emergency passports be issued?

Issuance of the emergency passport proceeds normally.

The emergency passport will be granted to those who, having satisfied the requirements for granting a passport, need the travel document urgently and cannot demonstrably wait for the delivery deadline. Hypotheses of natural catastrophes; armed conflicts; need for immediate travel due to the health of the applicant, his/her spouse or second-degree relative; for the protection of its assets; due to work needs; for reasons of humanitarian aid; interest of the Public Administration or another emergency situation whose postponement of the trip could cause serious inconvenience to the applicant.