Members endlessdream Posted January 14 Members Posted January 14 One of the small accomplishments that I had this time in Brazil was getting my CPF. I was prepared to go to one of the CAC offices, but then I discovered that I could do it completely online. The process was pretty straightforward. But you do need to speak some Portuguese. Basically, all you need to do is to fill out a form online, obtain the ‘protocolo’, then email it together with a photo of your passport, a selfie holding your passport, and declaration of address. here are the links explaining the process: https://www.gov.br/receitafederal/pt-br/assuntos/meu-cpf https://www.gov.br/receitafederal/pt-br/assuntos/meu-cpf/envio-de-documentos-por-e-mail The only tricky thing, is that you have to get to the right person attending the emails. I first tried the email of Bahia. The answer was, it was not possible, because I do not live in Brazil, and I should apply it in the embassy of Brazil in my country of residence, which was obviously contradictory to what’s written on their government portal. I then tried the email of Rio Grande do Sul. I got a reply in two hours, and my CPF in one day. When I talked about this with my friends in Salvador, they all complained about the government officials in their province, saying that most of them got the job through nepotism. Quote
Members scott456 Posted January 14 Members Posted January 14 Years ago when I got my CPF in Sao Paulo, the application indeed required a local address. They sent a physical CPF card to the address. BTW, it is very common for Brazilians to complain about the government: crime, inflation, traffic, inferstructure, broken sidewalk pavement...etc, every Brazilian I know complains. Quote
Members davet Posted January 16 Members Posted January 16 what is the reason for getting a cpf? Quote
Zackbr1952 Posted January 17 Posted January 17 Davet, about the only reason, for a visitor, is to use the CPF number to activate a SIM card to use your phone locally. The type of SIM's that you load minutes by buying them at a pharmacy. If you have a phone from your country that has an international plan that works here, should not be necessary I don't think. Quote
Members Xclay Posted January 17 Members Posted January 17 14 minutes ago, Zackbr1952 said: Davet, about the only reason, for a visitor, is to use the CPF number to activate a SIM card to use your phone locally... I love avoiding the whole hassle of SIM cards, especially in Brazil, and just use a downloadable eSIM. Airalo (www.airalo.com) is the leader. Quote
Members endlessdream Posted January 17 Author Members Posted January 17 If you don’t know why you need a cpf, then probably you don’t need one. But for regular visitors, I do think it’s necessary. Simple things like using city bikes or ordering food on iFood (Uber eat stopped delivering food, but only groceries), you need a cpf. At least now you know how to get one online in case. Marc in Calif and Xclay 2 Quote
Members davet Posted January 20 Members Posted January 20 Checkers at stores always ask me for a CPF but it doesn't seem to matter and I never knew why. Quote
Members endlessdream Posted January 21 Author Members Posted January 21 16 hours ago, davet said: Checkers at stores always ask me for a CPF but it doesn't seem to matter and I never knew why. Most of the time just for store programs. Sometimes there are discounts and offers. Quote
