Brazil

::: Visa Information:
Click here for more information.

::: Electricity Voltage:
Electricity voltages vary from one state to another. Check the voltage before connecting any electrical appliance to an outlet. Eletricity voltage in Rio is 110v.

::: Car Hire:
All the well know car hire firms have counters at the country’s main airports and in the main urban centers. Tourists may also book cars through their travel agencies.

::: Taxis:
The tourist may opt to take an ordinary taxi easily found in the streets or through radio taxi services. It is recommended that accredited taxi services at the airports and at points nearby the main hotels be given priority. It is not usual in Brazil to tip a taxi driver although it is common to round off the amount and let the driver keep the change as a gratuity.

::: Tips:
Most bars and restaurants include a service charge of 10% in the Bill. It is usual to leave a little extra if the service has been satisfactory. When no service charge has been included then a tip of 10% to 15% is the general rule.

::: Currency:
The Brazilian currency unit is the Real ($R). Dollars and Travelers Checks can easily be changed in hotels, banks or travel agencies. Most establishments accept credit cards.

::: Communications and Facilities for the Visitors:
To make an international call, dial: 00 + operator code* + country code + area code (if there is one) + telephone number For reverse charge international calls dial 0800 7032111.
Brazil has an excellent telecommunications system which links the country to the rest of the world. The telecommunications market had a great improvement with the open of the market to the foreign investor. Direct dial and collect calls can be placed from any telephone. Pay phones are located throughout the city and operate with telephone cards. Portable cellular telephones are available to visitors for a small rental charge. The country is also one of the most important market in the Web business, figuring as the third market in the world.
85% of the local tourism is due to the business travels. For that reason, the main hotels are prepared for this profile and offer very good facilities to the guests, such as a business centre and support 24 four hours a day.

::: Operators:

Brasil Telecom 14	Embratel 21	CTBC 34	GVT 25
Intelig 23	Telefônica 15	Telemar 31	Tim 41

::: Climate:
The climate is predominantly tropical with some variation according to the region. The average annual temperature in the north is 28º C and 22º C in the south.

::: Time Zones:
Because of its continental dimensions Brazil has 4 time zones. The official time is Brasília time and it corresponds to 3 hours less than GMT. From September to February the clocks are put forward one hour in most Brazilian States.

::: Language:
The language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese. English is the predominant foreign language taught in schools, and Spanish, if spoken slowly, is understood by a good percentage of the population.

::: Vaccination:
Yellow Fever Vaccine
For tourists who have been in transit over the past three months, or who are coming from certain countries - Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Ecuador, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, French Guiana, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leon, Sudan, Venezuela and Zaire -, an International Certificate of Vaccination against yellow fever is required.
The yellow fever vaccine is also recommended for all national and international tourists who intend to visit the following Brazilian areas: North (Acre, Amazonas, Rondônia, Roraima, Amapá, Pará, Tocantins States) and Mid-west (Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás e Distrito Federal States) Regions of Brazil, to all municipalities of Maranhão and Minas Gerais, to the municipalities located in the South of Piauí, West and South of Bahia, North of Espírito Santo, Northwest of São Paulo and West of the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.

The vaccine should be taken ten days before your trip – that is how long it takes for you to be protected against the disease. The reason for this is that, in some forest areas of the country, there is the possibility of people not having taken the vaccination becoming contaminated and getting sick with yellow fever. The Brazilian coast is free from the disease in the strip that goes from Rio Grande do Sul to Piauí. The forests in the coastal strip ranging from the North of Espírito Santo to the South of Bahia have not registered the circulation of the wild yellow fever virus. It is important to remember that no cases of urban yellow fever have been seen in Brazilian cities since 1942.

Doubts and Other Vaccines
Consult the Brazilian Consulate nearest you, or the Brazilian Embassy in your country, to explain any doubts and to obtain any other information concerning vaccinations in Brazil.

Rio de janeiro

::: Climate:
Rio de Janeiro is a tropical city. The average temperature, in November, ranges between 25ºC and 19ºC.

::: Local Time:
The official time in Brazil is three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT - 3).

::: Business Hours:
- Banks are open from 10 am to 4 pm and are closed on Saturday and Sunday.
- Shops are open from Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm, and are closed on Sunday.
- Hypermarkets are open from 10 am to 10 pm from Monday to Saturday and from 3 pm to 9 pm on Sunday.