Use Uber or 99, expect CPF barriers, and carry backup cards and reais
Check the entry rule for the passport you will use before departure.
Since 10 April 2025, Australian, Canadian and US passport holders need Brazil's official eVisa for ordinary visitor trips; other nationalities follow different rules. A CPF, Brazil's tax identifier, is often requested by local apps and websites. A short-stay visitor should not invent one: use a passport-supported checkout or a service built for international travelers. International Visa and Mastercard cards are widely accepted, but contactless payment and foreign cards can fail, so bring two physical cards and some Brazilian reais.
Pix is accessed through participating financial accounts, not a separate tourist app, and should not be assumed to work through an overseas account. Check the amount on every payment terminal and choose BRL rather than home-currency conversion. Phone theft and robbery are serious risks in some cities. Plan or request rides indoors, keep the phone out of sight on the street, and never resist an armed robber.
Call 190 for police, 192 for an ambulance and 193 for fire services.
Brazil's everyday channel for hotels, restaurants, guides, reservations, location pins and direct delivery orders.
The best general starting point for Brazilian addresses, businesses, urban walking and public-transport planning.
Live bus arrivals, route planning and service alerts in hundreds of participating Brazilian cities and operator networks.
Useful for Portuguese text, camera translation and downloaded language files when mobile data is unavailable.
Reservations and remote waitlists for participating restaurants and bars across Brazil, with coverage varying by venue.
Reliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
The CPF is the real wall: travelers report being turned away at store after store across Sao Paulo and Rio. Topping up Claro by phone or online also needs a CPF, so top up in person or with vouchers. A Brazilian number is the identity layer for WhatsApp, Pix and delivery apps, so a data-only travel eSIM can fail app verifications. The clean fix: a CPF is free and can be arranged before your trip through a Brazilian consulate or Receita Federal's online form.
The carrier most likely to sell prepaid to a foreigner on passport alone, with good coverage including smaller coastal towns. Even so, success varies by store.
The largest network with good national coverage, but the strictest about requiring a CPF.
Hit-or-miss on the CPF requirement depending on the store, and coverage thins out in remote beach areas.
The post office's mobile brand, sold at post offices, some pharmacies and newsstands. Indoor signal is weak.
The essential apps for Brazil are 99, Uber, Rappi, WhatsApp, Google Maps.
We've curated 11 apps across 11 categories for traveling in Brazil, including 7 essential apps.
99 is the top-rated ride hailing app in Brazil. Brazil's major local alternative to Uber, useful for comparing pickup times and quoted fares in supported cities.
Cards, peso cash, open transit payments and dependable local apps
Cash backup, QR payments, cable cars and roadblock-aware travel
Use Uber, learn the local transit payment, and prepare for long distances
Use dispatched rides, carry small pesos, and learn each city's transit system
The right apps, plus the official and offline backups Costa Rica still requires
Dollar cash, exact map pins and city-specific transport tools matter in Ecuador
