BUREAUCRACY TIP #1: PREPARING TO VISIT THE FEDERAL POLICE
BUREAUCRACY TIP #2: BACKING UP YOUR FILES
BUREAUCRACY TIP #3: BUDGET EXTRA TIME
Bureaucracy
Some say that Brazil is home to one of the largest bureaucracies in the world. Red tape abounds, and at some point during your extended stay in the country, you are almost guaranteed to find yourself in one bureaucratic situation or another. Our goal in this section is to give you a head start on the vocabulary and terminology you'll need to be most successful in these situations.
Our bureaucracy section has four subsections of relevant vocabulary. Click on the buttons below to dive into each subsection, and scroll down further for bureaucracy tips and reflections. Our bureaucracy recordings feature a female student from Piracicaba, São Paulo!
Burocracia
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When registering as a foreigner in Brazil, you will likely pay a visit to the federal police (polícia federal). It is better to be over prepared when dealing with the federal police. You should have multiple photocopies of every important document (i.e., passport, visa, birth certificate, Fulbright grant document, etc). You should even photocopy the receipt they staple on your visa - it is very important. It is also important to have your parents’ information. If possible, bring a photocopy of your parents’ passports, identification cards, or some official way to prove they are your parents.
To play it safe, you may want to have a ‘safety’ flash drive with photocopies of all of your important documents. It may also be a good idea to send someone at home copies of every document you've signed with Fulbright, your CPF, and police identification card(s) Brazil. If something were to happen, it will make your life easier to have a backup of your documents to make sure you can get a new passport or identification cards.
When you set out to complete a bureaucratic task, it is unlikely you will complete it on the first try. Even if you arrive over prepared, you may find the attendant asking you for something you didn't expect, or come across a rule you didn't know about. Try your best to be patient and respectful, but make sure you understand what you need to do in order to keep the process going. If you need to vent, we can almost guarantee you a local friend will be down to commiserate with you or even give you tips on how to work things out.
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