Your First Week in Brazil: Exactly What to Do When You Arrive

Your first week in Brazil will be overwhelming in the best possible way. There is a lot to do, a lot to figure out, and a lot to experience. Here is the exact priority list — what to do first, what can wait, and what will make the biggest difference in your first days.

Day 1–2: Get Your CPF

Your first priority is getting your CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas) — Brazil's tax identification number. You cannot open a bank account, sign a lease, get a phone plan, or access most services without it. Go to a Receita Federal office or a Banco do Brasil branch with your passport. Arrive early — lines can be long. The process takes 30 to 60 minutes and is free. This is the single most important bureaucratic task of your first week, and everything else flows from it.

Day 2–3: Get a Brazilian SIM Card

A local phone number is essential for everything in Brazil — WhatsApp (which is how Brazilians communicate), banking apps, delivery services, and ride-sharing. Visit a Vivo, Claro, or TIM store with your passport and CPF. A prepaid SIM card costs $5 to $10, and monthly plans with unlimited calls and data start at $15 to $25. Get the SIM before you try to open a bank account — you will need a Brazilian phone number for the bank's two-factor authentication.

Day 3–4: Open a Nubank Account

Nubank is Brazil's leading digital bank and the easiest option for foreigners. Download the Nubank app, apply with your CPF and passport, and you will typically be approved within 24 to 48 hours. Nubank issues a Mastercard debit card and a credit card (credit card approval may take longer for new residents). Once you have Nubank, you can receive PIX payments, pay bills, and function financially in Brazil. This is your bridge while you set up a more comprehensive banking relationship.

Day 4–5: Explore Your Neighborhood

Walk everywhere. Get lost on purpose. Find your local padaria (bakery) for morning coffee, your neighborhood mercado (market) for groceries, and your nearest beach. Download Google Maps offline for your area. Download iFood for food delivery and Uber for transportation. Try to order something in Portuguese every day — even if it is just "um café, por favor." The city will start to feel familiar faster than you expect.

Day 5–7: Join the Expat Community Online

Join the "Expats in Florianópolis" and "Americans in Brazil" Facebook groups. Introduce yourself, ask your questions, and read through recent posts to get oriented. These communities are invaluable — someone has already navigated every challenge you are about to face, and they are generally happy to share what they know. You will likely have your first coffee with another expat within your first week.

What Can Wait

Do not try to do everything in week one. Finding a long-term apartment can wait until week two or three — spend your first week in a short-term rental and use that time to explore neighborhoods before committing. Getting a Brazilian driver's license, enrolling in language classes, and setting up long-term banking relationships can all wait until you are settled. Your first week is about getting oriented and functional, not about completing your entire Brazilian life setup.

The Most Important Thing

Go to the beach. On your first day, or your second at the latest. Sit there for an hour. Let it sink in that you actually did it. The bureaucracy, the language barrier, the logistics — all of that is real and manageable. But the reason you moved here is the life on the other side of all of it. Give yourself permission to feel that before you dive into the to-do list.