How to Get a CPF Number in Brazil: Step-by-Step Vocabulary for the Wandering Expat
Breaking the Ice with Bureaucracy A Simple Misunderstanding at the Supermarket It was a balmy Tuesday in Salvador when the cashier asked, “CPF na nota?” My Dominican-honed Spanish mind froze, and I replied, “¿Perdón?”—the poor woman blinked, switched to slow Portuguese, and repeated the question. Right there, among mangos and mandioca, I realized that without […]
Opening a Bank Account in Brazil: Key Terms Every Expat Should Know
Why My First Bank Visit Turned Into a Language Lesson Back when I still carried a pocket dictionary—before smartphones made dictionaries feel quaint—I walked into a modest branch of Banco do Brasil in Fortaleza, clutching my passport like a security blanket. I had rehearsed a few expressions, but as soon as the guard told me […]
Falando de Juros e Empréstimos: An Expat’s Guide to Bank-Talk in Brazil
I still remember the Tuesday morning when I walked into a branch of Banco do Brasil holding a folder that contained one single, spectacularly crumpled utility bill. I was twenty-four, newly arrived from the Dominican Republic to São Paulo, and convinced I could charm my way into a loan for a used motorcycle. Ten minutes […]
Understanding Bills & Utilities in Brazil: A Real-World Guide for Expats
How a Flickering Bulb Taught Me More Than Any Textbook I still remember the Tuesday evening when my kitchen light pulsed twice and surrendered. I was fresh off the plane from Santo Domingo, living in São Paulo’s leafy Perdizes district, staring at a folded piece of paper stamped ENEL that I assumed was just another […]
Passport to Reais: Using ATMs Safely and the Portuguese Phrases You’ll See on Screens
A Morning Misadventure: My First Brazilian ATM Encounter I was standing in flip-flops outside a Banco24Horas kiosk in Recife, sweating more from nerves than tropical heat. Ten years in the Dominican Republic have made me fluent in Spanish, but that morning I realized my Caribbean confidence didn’t automatically translate to Brazil. The ATM kept flashing […]
Buying Real Estate in Brazil: Portuguese Vocabulary for Expats Who Mean Business
A Simple Misunderstanding That Almost Cost Me a Beach Apartment Ten years of sun-drenched living in the Dominican Republic prepared me for many things—Caribbean heat, improvised merengue, even bureaucratic patience—but the first time I tried to buy an apartment in Salvador, Bahia, I discovered that Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese dance to different rhythms. I strolled […]
Talking About Taxes in Portuguese: An Expat’s Field Guide from Praia to Receita Federal
When a Coconut Water Meets a Tax Receipt I still remember the first time I tried to claim a tax-deductible business lunch in Brazil. I was sitting at a seaside kiosk in João Pessoa, sipping água de coco straight from the shell, when the waiter asked, “CPF na nota?” I froze. My brain, marinated in […]
Currency Exchange: “Câmbio” Phrases Every Expat Should Pocket
First Coins & Confusion: My Baptism by Reais I was fresh from Santiago de los Caballeros, still carrying dust from the Cibao Valley on my sneakers, when I landed at Congonhas for a weekend that turned into a decade. My first mission was simple: trade a stack of U.S. dollars and a few rumpled Dominican […]
Navigating Brazilian Insurance: A Guide for Expats and Your Portuguese Vocabulary Toolkit
A Coffee, a Fender-Bender, and My First Brush with Seguro I still remember the day my Dominican barista hands me a steaming café passado just as a motorbike clipped my parked car outside the bakery in São Paulo. Ten years in the Caribbean had prepared me for tropical rains and spontaneous merengue, but Brazilian bureaucracy? […]
Credit Card Conversations in Brazil: Applying, Limits, Payments, and the Portuguese Vocabulary You Need
The Day I Almost Maxed Out My First Brazilian Card I’ll never forget the Thursday afternoon when my freshly issued cartão de crédito squeaked in protest at the supermarket checkout in Salvador. I was 23 reais short, the line behind me was growing hostile, and my Portuguese was still wobblier than a newborn calf. I […]