After receiving his first international call-up in 1997 under Mario Zagallo for a match against Russia, Sylvinho formed part of Brazil's squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup of 1998 wherein as they eventually finished in third place, he thus won a bronze medal with the team. He thereafter made his international debut for Brazil in a friendly match against Wales at Cardiff on 23 May 2000, which ended in a 3–0 win. Four days later, he played in a friendly match against England in London, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He went on to achieve a total of 6 international caps, as a backup to Roberto Carlos at the left-back position. His last appearance with Brazil was on 28 March 2001 in a World Cup qualifier against Ecuador.