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Practical guides to eating, drinking, and getting things done after a move. Guides marked Brasil only cover rules, documents or customs specific to Brasil.
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Lunch on Faria Lima: How a Rodízio Business Lunch Works
The companion to Lunch on Faria Lima. São Paulo’s Wall Street eats at a steakhouse, and the steak comes to you until you surrender. Here is how the table works.
Churrascaria Etiquette: How Rodízio Works
How the all-you-can-eat grill restaurant works, from the salad bar to the green and red card, and what to say to the passadores.
Remote Work Practicalities and Coworking
Time zones, reliable internet with a backup, a place to work outside home, and the habits that keep a remote job running smoothly abroad.
Restaurant Portuguese: Ordering, the Bill and Dietary Needs
The phrases for getting a table, ordering, asking about ingredients and paying, with notes on how a Brazilian meal usually runs.
Greetings, Etiquette and Social Norms
Kisses or handshakes, how late is late, what to bring to a dinner, and the small courtesies that make a good first impression.
How to Do a Big Municipal Market Without Getting Played
The episode companion to Mercadão. Go hungry, go early, taste before you buy, and ask the price before anything is weighed.
Driving with a US License in Brasil
How long a foreign license can be used, what to carry, when an International Driving Permit applies, and what happens after 180 days, from Senatran.
Metro and Buses in Brazilian Cities
How to plan a trip, pay the fare, ride at rush hour and stay comfortable on public transport in the big cities.
Ride-Hailing Safely
How to verify a ride, choose a pickup point, share your trip and handle the small problems, wherever you are.
Phone Theft: Prevention and Recovery
Habits that make your phone less of a target, settings to change today, and the steps to take in the first hour if it is taken.
Emergency Numbers and What to Do in an Emergency
Who to call for police, ambulance, fire and civil defense in Brasil, what to tell the operator, and the Portuguese that helps.
Pharmacies and Over-the-Counter Medicine
How Brazilian farmácias work, how to tell what needs a prescription from the box itself, and how to ask for help at the counter.
Utilities and Condominium Fees
Electricity, gas, water, internet, and what the monthly condomínio fee usually covers, so the first bills are not a surprise.
Keeping Your US Mail, Phone Number and Two-Factor Codes Working
How to keep receiving US mail, keep a US number alive for bank codes, and stop two-factor authentication from locking you out after a move.
Voltage, Plugs and Power Outlets in Brasil
The Brazilian three-pin socket, the two plug types, and how to keep your devices safe when the voltage changes from place to place.
Duties on Packages and Online Orders
How Brasil taxes international purchases delivered by post or courier, including the Remessa Conforme program and state ICMS.
Cash Declarations: Entering and Leaving Brasil
When carrying cash has to be declared, how the electronic declaration works, and what counts toward the limit, from the Receita Federal.
Electronics Limits and Declaring Devices
Which devices the Receita Federal treats as personal, which ones count toward your allowance, and how to declare the rest.
The Padaria Counter: Coffee, Bread, and How to Become a Regular
The companion to Padaria Italianinha. The neighborhood bakery is a coffee bar, a breakfast spot, and a social club. Here is how to use it.
Common Scams and Street Smarts
The tricks newcomers meet most often in big cities, online and on the street, and the plain habits that avoid most of them.
Renting a Car Abroad: Insurance, Permits, and the Usual Scams
The rental counter is where most travel budgets quietly break. Know what you are covered for before you reach it.
Choosing a Neighborhood When You Are New
How to pick an area by commute, daily errands, safety and budget, and why a short stay first makes the choice easier.
Public vs Private Healthcare in Brasil
How the public SUS works for foreigners, where to go for what, and where private care fits in, from the Ministry of Health.
Bringing Prescription Medications into Brasil
How to carry medicines for your own use, which ones need extra care, and what paperwork to keep, from Anvisa and the Receita Federal.
Moving With Pets: Dogs and Cats
The health certificate, rabies vaccine and endorsement steps for bringing a dog or cat from the US to Brasil, from MAPA and USDA APHIS.
Survival Portuguese: The First 100 Phrases
The Brazilian Portuguese phrases that get you through taxis, shops, restaurants, the pharmacy and a bad day, grouped by situation.
Reading a Foreign Supermarket: An Aisle-by-Aisle Method
The companion to A Supermarket in Bela Vista. What to look for, what to stop looking for, and how a supermarket teaches you a country.
Registering with the Federal Police and the RNM Card
Who registers, the deadlines, the documents, and the fee for the national migration registration card, from the Federal Police and gov.br service pages.
Renting an Apartment: The Process Start to Finish
Search, viewing, guarantee, contract and move-in, and the one rule in Brasil’s rental law that most newcomers do not know.
Getting US Packages Abroad: How Package Forwarding Works
Some things will not ship internationally. A US forwarding address solves that, if you understand the fees and the customs side.
Shipping Household Goods From the US: Your Options Compared
Ship it, fly it, or buy it again. How unaccompanied baggage works in Brasil, the time window that matters, and how to choose.
Learning Portuguese With Online Tutors: A Practical Method
Apps are fine for vocabulary. Conversation comes from talking to a person who will correct you. Here is how to make tutoring time count.
FBAR and FATCA in Plain Language
Two separate US reports on foreign accounts, with different thresholds, forms and deadlines. What each one is, and who files it.
US Taxes From Abroad: Filing Basics
Moving overseas does not end your US tax filing. Who still files, when it is due, and the automatic extension for people living outside the US.
How to Build an Honest Cost-of-Living Budget Abroad
Online cost-of-living numbers are averages of other people’s lives. Your receipts are the only budget that tells the truth.
Apostilles and Sworn Translations for US Documents
Who apostilles a US birth certificate or background check, why the Brazilian consulate cannot, and when you need a sworn translator in Brasil.
Health Coverage Abroad: The Questions to Ask Before You Buy
Travel insurance and international health insurance are different products. Knowing which one you are buying is most of the job.
The Digital Nomad Visa: A General Overview
Who the remote-work visa (VITEM XIV) is for, the income test, and the usual document set, from the consulates and the resolution that created it.
Staying Connected Abroad: eSIMs, Local SIMs, and VPNs Explained
Land with data working, keep your home accounts reachable, and stop paying roaming rates for the privilege.
Documents to Carry When You Land
The papers to have in your hand, not your checked bag, when you arrive in Brasil. A checklist built from the consulates and the Federal Police.
Cards, Cash, and Codes: Keeping Your US Banking Working Abroad
Most banking trouble abroad is not about money. It is about a text message that never arrives.
Getting a CPF
What the Brazilian taxpayer number is, why nearly everything asks for it, and how a US citizen gets one from abroad or in Brasil.
Customs Basics: What You Can Bring in Your Luggage
The duty-free allowance, the quantity limits, and when you must declare, from the Receita Federal traveler guide.
Sending Money Abroad as an American: How Transfers Actually Work
The fee you see is rarely the fee you pay. A plain guide to exchange rates, spreads, and moving money without leaking it.
Arriving at the Airport: What to Expect at Immigration
The sequence from the aircraft door to the arrivals hall in Brasil, what the officer may ask for, and how to make it a short conversation.
Tourist Stay Rules for US Passport Holders
How long a visitor may stay in Brasil, how the days are counted, and how an extension works, from the regulation and the Federal Police.
Visa Types for Americans: An Overview
Since April 2025, US citizens need a visa to visit Brasil. Here is how the two main families of visas are organized, and where to apply for each.
The First 30 Days in a New Country: A Practical Checklist
SIM, cash, transit, a bed, and one good meal. Then the slower work of making a place function. A working checklist for the first month.
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