Written by people who live here
How things actually work in Brazil
Every guide names its sources and dates them. PIX and the tax ID that gates it, the licence you can drive on, the form nobody explains — each fact with the day it was read and where it came from.
What do you need to solve?
Pick the thing that is in your way. Each one goes straight to its guides.
- Pay for thingsPIX, CPF, cards, ATMs, tipping11 guides
- Sort your papersVisa by nationality, customs, layovers1 guides
- Get onlineSIM, eSIM, coverage, your own carrier4 guides
- Get aroundRide apps, metro, buses, airports1 guides
- Drive hereLicence by country, rentals, tolls, roads6 guides
- Handle the basicsPlugs, water, time zones, holidays2 guides
- Stay safeWhat the numbers say, city by city0 guides
- Stay longerCPF, renting, living here0 guides
Recently published
All guides →
Apostille in Brazil: Who Issues It and What It Costs
Brazil issues apostilles at private notary and registry offices, not at a ministry, and the same act costs 28
Can You Drink the Tap Water in Brazil? Three Answers, Not One
Brazilian law requires drinkable water at the tap and tolerates no E. coli at all. It stops at your building's
Can You Use US Dollars in Brazil? Four Questions, Not One
Brazil answers this in four separate places, and the rule most English pages quote was repealed in 2021. What
GRU Airport to São Paulo: Five Ways In, and What They Cost
The airport is in Guarulhos, not São Paulo, and that decides the taxi fare. Five published options, with price
Is Brazil 110V or 220V? The Answer Is a City, Not a Country
Brazil standardises two low-voltage supplies, 127 V and 220 V, and the utility picks one per locality. Rio and
Is Car Insurance Mandatory in Brazil? Not Since a 2024 Law
Brazil's compulsory cover paid for injuries, never for cars, and a spending-cut law repealed it in December 20
How we research
Every number here has a date and an address
- The fact box comes before the prose. Each figure carries the day it was read and where it came from — you can check it without taking our word for it.
- "Not published" is content, not a failure. When an institution does not publish something, the guide says so, in the same box as everything else. Never filled in with "usually it is".
- We do not test things, and we say so. Every guide here is documentary research — the institution that published the rule, and the day we read it. No guide claims we tried something ourselves.