CELPE-Bras ( Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros or Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese for Foreigners) is the only certificate of proficiency in Brazilian Portuguese as a Second language officially recognized and developed by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC). The Celpe-Bras exam is offered in Brazil and many other countries, such as the United States, Germany, Chile and Japan, with the support of the Brazilian Ministry of International Relations (MRE). Celpe-Bras takes place twice per year in April and October. Registration may be done over the internet during the months of February, March, August, and September.
Brazil's Ministry of Education has prepared a Candidate's Manual in PDF format for download from the Ministry website. It is titled manualdocandidato2006.pdf