The Federal Police (PF) once again warned the federal government about the risk of interruption in the issuance of passports, if there is no budget increase of R$97.5 million. The notice was formalized in a letter sent this week to the Ministry of Justice, which forwarded the request to the economic team. The information was obtained by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.
In the document, the general director of the PF, Andrei Rodrigues, states that the problem has been known since April and that, without the contribution, the service should be stopped from November 3rd.
According to him, the budget of R$329.4 million allocated to the “Passport Issuance and Traffic Control System” is already 95% committed, with few resources remaining to keep the system functioning until the end of the month.
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The additional funds would be used to pay for the contract with Casa da Moeda, responsible for creating and personalizing passports, and for maintaining personal data systems for Brazilians and foreigners.
The Ministry of Justice, headed by Ricardo Lewandowski, confirmed the alert and said it was in “permanent dialogue” with the Ministry of Planning and the economic team to make the transfer viable. The ministry highlighted that it works to avoid harm to citizens and the institutional image of the federal government.
The budget impasse reignites a recent problem: in 2022, the service was suspended for more than a month after budget cuts during the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government. At the time, the measure generated great public repercussion and political pressure.
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This time, the PF requests a total reinforcement of R$421.6 million to rebuild its budget. In addition to the R$97.5 million for issuing passports, the request includes:
• R$21.4 million to complete works;
• R$60.4 million for public tender expenses;
• R$87.9 million to comply with the STF decision on protecting indigenous peoples and combating environmental crimes;
• R$154.3 million to add two aircraft to the fleet.
The request is under analysis by the Budget Execution Board (JEO), a collegiate body that brings together representatives from the economic area and the Civil House. In September, the Board denied a similar request, when the PF had already signaled that the lack of resources could compromise the service.
In the new document, Rodrigues toughened his tone by stating that “there will be no alternative other than to stop the passport issuing service”, if the transfer is not approved.
