Anthony + Fabi

VISA

In order to enter Brazil from the US, you will need to submit a form at the following website to obtain a digital tourist visa.

Requirements

- Fill out the form on the webpage above. It takes 15 minutes.

- Passport-style photo, less than 2MB.

- $81 application fee.

Details of the eVisa

- Valid for 10 years

- Can stay in Brazil for up to 90 days per year

- Should take a few days to process the visa, but it’s recommended that you apply at least 1 month in advance of your trip

TIPS

Prep

- Make sure your passport is valid through May 2027. It's advised to have 6 months validity beyond your entry date to avoid trouble with immigration.

- Apply for your eVisa at least a month ahead of the trip: link.

- Change your phone plan to international.

- Brazilian electrical outlets are different. Buy an adaptor ahead of time (link) or when you land.

- (optional) If you want foreign currency, get it beforehand for better rates (BofA link). At max, take out $100, or R$500. However, almost everyone accepts card.

Travel

- US cities with direct flights to São Paulo: Boston, New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles.

- Best airports in Brazil:

- Guarulhos (GRU): Main airport in Brazil, great for international flights, it's 40 to 1h30 away from São Paulo city center, depending on the trafic, and the Uber costs at most USD40

- Congonhas (CGH): More central airport, great for domestic flights. As it's smaller, it's easier to walk around it.

- Viracopos (VCP): It's an airport in Campinas, 1h30 away from São Paulo. There are shuttles to São Paulo.

- The underground Metro in SP is clean, reliable and often faster than a car. As of 2023, you must buy tickets using cash as a foreigner.

- Uber also works for short trips. The same app works.

- Most of Brazil is 2 hours ahead of EST during November. Brazil doesn't observe daylight savings time.

Where to stay in São Paulo

- You can find places to stay at Booking.com or Airbnb. The main hotel chains are available in São Paulo and you can find options for every budget.

- The wedding will be in Brooklin, which is not the most touristic area, but you can stay close to the metro/train stations (Brooklin or Morumbi Claro)

- Our favorite neighbourhoods are Pinheiros, where we live, and Vila Madalena. It's a cool area, full of restaurants, bars, stores and good public transportation.

- Another great area to stay is close to Paulista Avenue, very cultural, live, with many museus/art institutes and restaurantes. On Sundays, the avenue closes only for pedestrians.

Money

- Tips are welcome, but not customary in Brazil.

- Currency in Brazil is the Real (Reais for plural). Exchange rate is usually $1 = R$5.

Safety

- Don't take out your phone out on the street. If you need to make a call, walk into a store. Phone theft is common.

- Don't go for long walks at night, unless it's a busy area.

- If you want to do adventurous activities, we highly recommend seeking advice and company of Brazilians.

- Do not enter favelas (Brazilian slums). It should be obvious by lack of shops and people outside, but when in doubt, research the neighborhood before visiting. Favelas in São Paulo are usually at the farthest limits of the city, but in Rio they can be next to nice neighborhoods.

- If you don't want to look a foreigner, wear relatively simple clothes. Nice watches, sneakers and high-end brands will make you stand out.

- Don't drink water from the tap. It's not dangerous, but not advisable.

Portuguese

- 'Gringo' is a commonly used word for foreigner.

- Try learning basic phrases in Portuguese. Brazilians are patient and will really appreciate the effort to learn about them.

- Spelling in Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, but pronunciation is very different. If you speak Spanish, you should be able to read Portuguese decently.

- When a word starts with an R, or has RR within a word, it's pronounced as an "H". Rio is pronounced "Hee-oh".

- Before an I, or before an E in the final syllable, Ts are pronounced "CH". Quente (hot) is pronounced "Ken-chee".

- Before an I, or before an E in the final syllable, Ds are pronounced "J". Bom dia (good morning) is pronounced "Bom Jee-uh".

- CH is pronounced "SH". Rocha (rock) is pronounced "Ho-shuh".

- K, W, and Y are "foreign letters." No word originating from Portuguese contains them.

Other

- Women and men, or women and women greet each other with a kiss on the cheek (x2 in Rio) if you know the person.

- Do not throw your toilet paper in the toilet! Instead use a small bin in the room. Brazilian pipes are not built to withstand much, and you can clog them.

More questions about your trip?

If you have more questions, we have a whatsapp group where you can get help from other wedding guests, both from the US and Brazil. Please text Anthony to request that he add you.

Visiting more cities in South America?

We will also organize groups to connect guests who want to visit other cities in South America before and after the wedding. To be added to these groups, text Anthony which cities you are interested in visiting.