Brazilian Supreme Court recognizes same-sex relationship between employees.
When applying for benefits, the employee must present a declaration proving a public, continuous, and lasting cohabitation.
Employees of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) who are in same-sex relationships can now request recognition of their civil union. A normative instruction issued in August by the Court considers both heterosexual and homosexual couples as family entities.
When applying for benefits, the employee must prove that they have a public, continuous, and lasting cohabitation. To do so, they need to present a declaration, the partner's documents, and at least three pieces of evidence of the relationship, which may include a joint income tax return, proof of shared residence for a period equal to or greater than three years, and proof of the existence of a joint bank account.
Among the guaranteed rights is a lifetime pension in the event of the death of a Supreme Court employee. However, this benefit will only be granted to the deceased employee's partner if there is an express wish to do so.
The normative instruction was based on the Constitution, laws, and a ruling in May in which the full Supreme Court recognized civil unions for same-sex couples. The decision was made during the voting on actions brought by the Attorney General's Office and the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Sérgio Cabral.