[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":317},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page-en-\u002Fguides\u002Flife\u002Fmobile-internet":3,"guides-en":232},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":223,"extension":224,"meta":225,"navigation":226,"order":227,"path":228,"seo":229,"stem":230,"__hash__":231},"content_en\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Flife\u002Fmobile-internet.md","Mobile service, internet and apps",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":213},"minimark",[9,13,19,24,40,44,65,80,95,99,113,117,120,145,149,162,166,169],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Mobile service in Brazil is almost entirely tied to the CPF, and daily life to WhatsApp and local apps. Below is how foreigners set up a SIM and internet in Rio in 2024–2025 and how to get the apps you need. Operators' rules and tariffs change: prices are as of the stated dates.",[10,14,15],{},[16,17,18],"em",{},"Checked on 8 October 2026.",[20,21,23],"h2",{"id":22},"in-short","In short",[25,26,27,31,34,37],"ul",{},[28,29,30],"li",{},"There are three operators: Claro, Vivo and TIM. Call the SIM a \"chip\": nobody will understand the word \"sim\".",[28,32,33],{},"You can buy a chip almost anywhere, but activating it without a CPF is hard; with a fresh CPF it is easier at TIM and Claro, harder at Vivo.",[28,35,36],{},"There is no unlimited mobile internet; everything is sold in gigabyte packages.",[28,38,39],{},"Everyone has WhatsApp, including government bodies and shops.",[20,41,43],{"id":42},"the-sim-card","The SIM card",[10,45,46,50,51,58,59,64],{},[47,48,49],"strong",{},"Prepaid without a CPF."," In December 2024 the @russo_no_brasil author bought a prepaid SIM at a Vivo shop in central Rio, registered on passports, with no CPF asked for. At São Paulo's Guarulhos airport, on the second floor, there is a TIM kiosk: they activate it for you by phoning the operator, about US$ 10 for 10–12 GB. Near the operators' shops in the centre, already registered chips are sold (",[52,53,57],"a",{"href":54,"rel":55},"https:\u002F\u002Ft.me\u002Frusso_no_brasil\u002F34",[56],"nofollow","post, 23.12.2024","). This depends on the shop and the time: two months later another author wrote that activating a chip without a CPF is almost impossible (",[52,60,63],{"href":61,"rel":62},"https:\u002F\u002Ft.me\u002Fsvoibrazil\u002F830",[56],"post, 14.02.2025",").",[10,66,67,70,71,74,75,79],{},[47,68,69],{},"With a CPF."," Activation needs a CPF, an address, a postcode and a date of birth. A new CPF is far from always accepted online: Vivo hardly lets it through, while TIM and Claro do so more often. Then there are two ways: register the chip on someone else's CPF, or go to an office and spend 30–40 minutes there. You may be asked for a declaração de residência (",[52,72,63],{"href":61,"rel":73},[56],"). More about why a CPF may be \"invisible\" to systems on the ",[52,76,78],{"href":77},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fdocuments\u002Fcpf","CPF"," page.",[10,81,82,85,86,91,92,64],{},[47,83,84],{},"Tariffs."," Packaged, with nothing unlimited. You can top up from a local card or with cash at most shops: they ask you to enter the number on the payment terminal. R$ 20 a month was enough for the author. The first two digits of the number mean the state, and the international code is +55. Abroad the chip does not work without a separate option; the author managed to enable roaming on Vivo, but could not get TIM to work (",[52,87,90],{"href":88,"rel":89},"https:\u002F\u002Ft.me\u002Fsvoibrazil\u002F192",[56],"post, 07.01.2024",", ",[52,93,63],{"href":61,"rel":94},[56],[20,96,98],{"id":97},"home-internet","Home internet",[10,100,101,102,107,108,64],{},"Fibre internet is set up at an operator's shop under a one-year contract. In January 2025 in Rio Vivo refused because its system would not accept the CPF, while Claro set it up: about US$ 20 a month for 500 Mbit\u002Fs on a one-year contract. The family also added two eSIMs of 25 GB each to the contract, about US$ 35 a month in total for home internet and two SIMs; an engineer installed the equipment within an hour on the appointed day. Because they could not move their old numbers, they changed numbers three times in two months (",[52,103,106],{"href":104,"rel":105},"https:\u002F\u002Ft.me\u002Frusso_no_brasil\u002F95",[56],"post, 28.01.2025","). For comparison, in June 2022 the same speed at Claro cost R$ 120–130 a month, and connecting the fibre took more than a week (",[52,109,112],{"href":110,"rel":111},"https:\u002F\u002Ft.me\u002Fbrazil_lifehacks\u002F76",[56],"post, 30.06.2022",[20,114,116],{"id":115},"brazilian-apps","Brazilian apps",[10,118,119],{},"Banks, local government services, delivery, transport and shops work through apps that may be missing from your App Store or Google Play if your account is tied to a Russian region.",[25,121,122,133,139],{},[28,123,124,127,128,64],{},[47,125,126],{},"iPhone:"," either change the Apple ID region to Brazil (you must first cancel subscriptions and clear any debts), or create a separate Apple ID with the region set to Brazil, install the apps and go back to your main account (",[52,129,132],{"href":130,"rel":131},"https:\u002F\u002Ft.me\u002Frusso_no_brasil\u002F577",[56],"post, 18.09.2026",[28,134,135,138],{},[47,136,137],{},"Android:"," the Google Play region is changed in the account settings; for the author it changed automatically after arrival.",[28,140,141,142,64],{},"Some Russian apps will not install with a Brazilian account, so some people keep two phones (",[52,143,90],{"href":88,"rel":144},[56],[20,146,148],{"id":147},"vpn-and-banking-apps","VPN and banking apps",[10,150,151,152,155,156,161],{},"If you launch a Brazilian banking app with a VPN or proxy on, its protection may block sign-in, and you will have to go to a branch (",[52,153,90],{"href":88,"rel":154},[56],"). Itaú works with any non-Russian IP but is sometimes capricious, and the website of the electricity company Light requires a Brazilian IP (",[52,157,160],{"href":158,"rel":159},"https:\u002F\u002Ft.me\u002Frusso_no_brasil\u002F290",[56],"post, 30.05.2025","). Russian services, conversely, need a VPN: a paid one is better.",[20,163,165],{"id":164},"sources","Sources",[10,167,168],{},"Personal experience (channels @russo_no_brasil, @svoibrazil and @brazil_lifehacks, in Russian):",[25,170,171,177,183,189,195,201,207],{},[28,172,173],{},[52,174,176],{"href":54,"rel":175},[56],"A SIM card, 23.12.2024",[28,178,179],{},[52,180,182],{"href":104,"rel":181},[56],"Home and mobile internet, 28.01.2025",[28,184,185],{},[52,186,188],{"href":130,"rel":187},[56],"The app you need is not in the store, 18.09.2026",[28,190,191],{},[52,192,194],{"href":158,"rel":193},[56],"A VPN in Brazil, 30.05.2025",[28,196,197],{},[52,198,200],{"href":88,"rel":199},[56],"More about phones and SIMs, 07.01.2024",[28,202,203],{},[52,204,206],{"href":61,"rel":205},[56],"Getting SIM cards, 14.02.2025",[28,208,209],{},[52,210,212],{"href":110,"rel":211},[56],"Home internet, 30.06.2022",{"title":214,"searchDepth":215,"depth":215,"links":216},"",2,[217,218,219,220,221,222],{"id":22,"depth":215,"text":23},{"id":42,"depth":215,"text":43},{"id":97,"depth":215,"text":98},{"id":115,"depth":215,"text":116},{"id":147,"depth":215,"text":148},{"id":164,"depth":215,"text":165},"SIM card and eSIM, home internet, what to do if your CPF is rejected, how to install Brazilian apps and why banking apps dislike a VPN.","md",{},true,1,"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Flife\u002Fmobile-internet",{"title":5,"description":223},"en\u002Fguides\u002Flife\u002Fmobile-internet","NSzYZneU7lYtL9Geu1WXYbrxKWZSzjBOT86iVMuQed0",[233,237,241,246,251,256,259,263,267,272,276,280,284,288,292,293,297,301,305,309,313],{"path":234,"title":235,"description":236,"order":227},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fcar\u002Fbuy-car","Buying a car","How a foreigner buys a used car in Pernambuco: from a dealer or a private seller, checks, DETRAN transfer, IPVA, insurance and driving licence.",{"path":238,"title":239,"description":240,"order":215},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fcar\u002Fcnh","Exchanging a licence for a Brazilian CNH","How to exchange a foreign driving licence for a Brazilian CNH in Rio de Janeiro: documents, translation, medical and psychological checks, prices and timing; category A.",{"path":242,"title":243,"description":244,"order":245},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fcar\u002Fowning","Running a car: IPVA, fines, tolls","What a year of owning a car in Rio costs, IPVA rates, how to pay a fine, toll tags, fuel, renting and limits on bringing a car in.",3,{"path":247,"title":248,"description":249,"order":250},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fdocuments\u002Fcin-rg","CIN (RG) and a child's documents","The Brazilian ID card CIN: how to get it for a child, how long it is valid, trips around South America and leaving the country with a child.",5,{"path":252,"title":253,"description":254,"order":255},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fdocuments\u002Fcitizenship","Citizenship — naturalisation","How a foreigner becomes a Brazilian citizen: residence period, proof of Portuguese, documents, real timelines and what to do after the portaria.",4,{"path":77,"title":257,"description":258,"order":227},"CPF — the tax number","How a foreigner gets a CPF: the free route, documents, steps, and the SIM card and bank pitfalls.",{"path":260,"title":261,"description":262,"order":245},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fdocuments\u002Fresidence","Residence — grounds and documents","The grounds for a residence permit in Brazil: a child, marriage or stable union, digital nomad, property; the document set and what to check in advance.",{"path":264,"title":265,"description":266,"order":215},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fdocuments\u002Frnm","RNM \u002F CRNM — registration with the Federal Police","How to get the CRNM migration card: filing deadlines, fees, booking with the Polícia Federal, documents and real-world timing.",{"path":268,"title":269,"description":270,"order":271},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fdocuments\u002Ftranslations","Translations and apostille","How to prepare foreign documents for Brazilian offices: apostille, sworn translation, spelling of names and a child's birth certificate.",6,{"path":273,"title":274,"description":275,"order":215},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fhealth\u002Fpregnancy-birth","Pregnancy and childbirth","How to register for pregnancy care, where to give birth under SUS or privately, what it costs, how to get the birth certificate, doulas and protection from scammers.",{"path":277,"title":278,"description":279,"order":227},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fhealth\u002Fsus-and-private","SUS, the UBS clinic and private insurance","How healthcare works in Brazil for a foreigner: free SUS and the UBS clinic, vaccinations and the certificate, a private health plan and real prices.",{"path":281,"title":282,"description":283,"order":215},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fhousing\u002Fbuying","Buying a home","How buying a flat in Brazil works: an off-plan contract, ITBI and cartório fees, the realtor's commission, a consórcio instead of a mortgage and price benchmarks.",{"path":285,"title":286,"description":287,"order":227},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fhousing\u002Frenting","Renting a home","How a foreigner rents a flat in Brazil: short-term lets, a long-term contract, deposit, fiador and insurance, payments, furnishing and checks before moving in.",{"path":289,"title":290,"description":291,"order":215},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Flife\u002Feveryday","Daily life: sockets, transport, shops","Everyday details you learn after arriving: voltage and sockets, public transport and intercity buses in Rio, lift buttons, returning goods and complaints to the city.",{"path":228,"title":5,"description":223,"order":227},{"path":294,"title":295,"description":296,"order":245},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Flife\u002Fsafety","Safety: phone, cards, scams","How to protect money and your phone in Brazil: a street phone, limits in bank apps, phone insurance, checking the amount on the terminal and scammers' schemes.",{"path":298,"title":299,"description":300,"order":227},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fmoney\u002Fbank-account","Bank account, Pix and deposit protection","How a foreigner opens an account in Brazil, what Pix is, the banks and neobanks, the Serasa Score, FGC deposit insurance and what to do when a bank refuses.",{"path":302,"title":303,"description":304,"order":215},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fmoney\u002Ftransfers","Sending money to Brazil","How to bring money in from abroad: SWIFT, cash dollars, crypto exchange; real fees, timing and why large sums get frozen.",{"path":306,"title":307,"description":308,"order":227},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fprologue\u002Farrival","Entry, extending your visit and the first weeks","The tourist period and extending it at the Polícia Federal, how to fly to Brazil, what an airport transfer costs and where to start after arriving.",{"path":310,"title":311,"description":312,"order":215},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fwork\u002Fdomestic-staff","Housekeeper, diarista and nanny","When you need an employment contract with a home helper, what it costs the employer, how a diarista differs from a permanent housekeeper and how to find a nanny.",{"path":314,"title":315,"description":316,"order":227},"\u002Fen\u002Fguides\u002Fwork\u002Fincome-tax","The income tax return (IRPF)","When a foreigner becomes a Brazilian tax resident, who must file an income return, how to prepare the first one and what a late filing costs.",1792334099793]