Other Tips


The following tips were provided by foreigners who already live in Brazil. Below, we have compiled what they suggest to newcomers:

  • Foreigners from 11 countries who are already in Brazil were heard. The interviews were carried out by the scholarship holders of the Immigrant Initiation Project and by students of the Foreign Languages Applied to International Negotiations and International Relations Course of UFPB, who took the subjects of Interculturality and Mediations, Negotiations and Foreign Trade, led by Professor Roberto Vilmar Satur.


If you can, come first for a walk and then make a more serious decision about coming permanently;

Your main allies will always be information and knowledge. Therefore, try to know as much as possible about Brazil and the place where you plan to live. Study more about refuge and/or immigration and about your rights;



  • Whenever you can, keep in touch with people from your country who arrived here before you. They have been through similar experiences and can tell you the main things to look out for. Having the support of compatriots helps a lot;


  • Before arriving or upon arrival, go immediately to the consulate or the immigration section of the Federal Police to request reception. Legalize yourself, you are an immigrant or refugee, not a bandit on the run, so do not fear or avoid the authorities. Resolve your residency issues (legal stay) quickly (without delay). Do not miss deadlines. Bring all possible documents with you, as they may ask for certification of everything;


  • Look for public agencies to be guided, have access and be directed to the right place to obtain the documents and have your rights guaranteed;


  • Brazil is very bureaucratic, and things often take time. Sometimes they do not explain well what should be done. If you are in doubt, go back and ask as many times as you need. Attend to the bureaucracy requested very carefully, if you do not know how to do it, look for institutional support (institutions, governments, NGOs, churches, etc.);


If you are a refugee or an immigrant who has been here for some time and has not yet obtained your documents, it is best to go to the Federal Police and explain your situation and get advice on how to proceed. If it is difficult or you are afraid to seek information from the police, try to talk to Brazilians who understand the laws, such as law firms, lawyers, public defenders, NGOs, churches, or associations, asking for help and guidance to legalize yourself. Being illegal means being without rights, the best thing is to try to find a way to become a refugee. If your country is in trouble, this justifies the request. Look on social media for groups of people who have been through similar situations, they can provide tips. If you do not speak Portuguese, look for someone you trust who does and who can go with you to the Federal Police, to the places that make documents or to the bank to open a bank account; because the chance is small that, in these places, there will be someone who understands your language, even if it is English or Spanish;

Ask as many people and authorities as possible about your rights and duties to avoid being scammed by opportunists. Knowing that you are not from the country, anywhere in the world, there may be people who want to take advantage of you and exploit you. Whenever you need any advice or help, first contact the pastoral service for migrants, the church, the authorities or the NGO that welcomed you, and follow their advice. Avoid profiteers;



  • If you can, make sure you know the basics of Portuguese before you come, as most of the local population speaks only Portuguese. As soon as you arrive, look for people who teach the language. Spend more time talking to Brazilians, listening to music, watching movies, and reading books in Portuguese. If you are single or a student and have to share a room with someone to reduce costs, if you can, live with Brazilians, as this helps you practice the language. Knowing the language will help you a lot with your daily problems. In Brazil, each region has a different accent, so learn the local slang as well;



Find out immediately about places that provide help (shelters, food parcels, food). Find out about other immigrants from your country who already live here, look for them to have a network of tips, support and help. Do not isolate yourself or be shy, as this is not good for those who came from outside. Talk to people as much as you can and always ask if you have any questions;



  • Always act within the law and do not accept suggestions that are outside the law, even if they seem advantageous. Avoid people who make these dubious offers. Unfortunately, everywhere in the world there are always some people who want to harm, exploit or take advantage of those who are vulnerable. Don't steal, don't be violent, even if provoked, don't get into conflicts with other people, especially outside your country, and don't commit any crimes. Those who get involved in these issues find it more difficult to obtain documents and become legal;



See shelter as a temporary relief, not a permanent one. Living in a shelter is not about having a perfect life, it is just a temporary relief. At first, it serves to avoid staying on the street with children, as it is a safer place, but it only serves for a temporary time, until the person gets a place to live. Also because there may be other people (family members) wanting to live together, and in the shelter the space is small for that. Don't sit around waiting for someone to offer you a place to live and a job to survive and support your family. Go for it, go for it;



  • Welcome every donation that comes your way, don't reject or snub it, because you never know when you will need it. Help serves as security and safeguard;



Adopt a quiet life and try to adapt to the culture and the way of living of the country you are now living in, avoid conflicts or disagreements with the local people;



  • While in some countries people go out at night and stay until midnight, in Brazil most places, especially in the older city centers, are empty and weird. Most people usually go home after dark. If possible, avoid going out at night, especially if you are on foot and alone. But if you must go out at night, avoid carrying your cell phone and wallet in plain sight. When walking around the city you need to consider the risk of assault or robbery, try to walk with few objects and avoid times and places with few people (little movement). Try to find out from people who already live in the community which are the safest places and neighborhoods to live and walk and which are the most dangerous corners and times to avoid them. In every big city you have to be careful. Brazil is not as dangerous as the sensationalist news shows, but it is not totally peaceful either. So don't be afraid to leave, but be prudent, careful and vigilant. Research on the rights and duties of immigrants/refugees in the country you have arrived in. By knowing the laws you can better defend yourself by reporting violence if you suffer any. If you have suffered any abuse, prejudice, theft, assault or other violence, go immediately to the police, make a Police Report (BO) reporting what happened to receive guidance and support on what to do;



Be aware of the opening hours of things (restaurants, shops, government agencies, traffic). In the Brazilian Northeast, as it is early morning (5am) and early evening (around 5:30pm), almost everything closes between 5pm or 6pm, except in the beach area. Don't walk in the middle of the street as it is exclusive for cars and motorcycles, use the sidewalks;



  • Try to make native friends from your country who are already here, they can give tips, they can talk and ask for things in a better way, so there is less risk of being deceived or exploited. It is also good to form a support network of Brazilians, so you can avoid being exploited in a negotiation, as they will know what to talk about with the other person. Brazilian people always 'find a way' to help, for good or not, so only rely on the help of people you trust. Most Brazilians are very friendly and welcoming;



Always be open to new places and new foods. Know that, in Brazil, they will almost always offer the mixture of rice and beans, with it the salad is served on the same plate. It is normal, at first, to have difficulties adapting to the cuisine, but then you will get used to it. If you miss the food of the country, the important thing is to know how to make it, because here you will hardly find it. Set aside a moment in your week to prepare food from your country and kill the nostalgia;



  • You will only find signs or information in Portuguese, so if you don't know the language, be willing to do a lot of research before you leave for the place you are going and ask a lot. You can also take your cell phone with mobile internet so you can use GPS or translate the information;



Don't get involved in Brazilian politics, as Brazilians don't take well to foreigners giving opinions on their politicians;



  • Always respect the culture of the place you are in, avoid criticizing it or comparing it to your own, to avoid unnecessary conflicts. Usually locals do not take criticism from outsiders well. The Northeastern hospitality and the cultural richness of Brazil are fantastic, the options for work and study are also many (but this does not mean that there are no problems, misery, differences and unemployment). Some immigrants even claim that "the Brazilian people are the most hospitable in the world, without fear of being unfair to others", in some cases they say that "Brazil treats the 'gringos' with more respect than its own people". But this is not always the case, there are exceptions;



Over time you start to find your place in the culture and in the new place, you adapt. Be open-minded, even if you are critical of some things and think they are wrong, as long as they do not violate your principles and values, understand that it is just a cultural issue. You are in another country and you need to have your mode of acceptance or understanding overactivated, understanding that you are a guest who is in a different environment. You don't have to adopt everything you see and encounter, but you must understand that it is part of that culture. This learning is a process that cannot be solved in a week or a month, but can take years. Be patient;


  • Don't fall for the stereotypes about Brazil. It's not just soccer and samba here. Brazil is a very big and diverse country. It is not just São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The culture of João Pessoa (and Paraíba) is very different from the south of Brazil or the Amazon. Enjoy and learn the culture, history and Portuguese language. Enjoy the food and the beautiful landscapes;



After living and working in Brazil for a few years, having good behavior or having Brazilian children etc., you will have the option to apply for Brazilian citizenship. But if you don't want to, you can also go ahead quietly with just the permanent registration.



  • in case of doubts, always seek information from someone you trust: it would be better to talk to police officers, to people who attend churches or go to a social assistance NGO or host entities. If you are looking for something outside and you need to get information, try to ask a security guard from a company, or someone who works in a company nearby. These people tend to stay in the same place, so they know that if they give wrong information people can come back and question the information given, so they will probably be trustful. But when asking for information to any citizen who is walking down the street, there is always the risk that they will not tell the correct information, and also they cannot be located later to be charged for the wrong information.