Coming to Brazil Coming to Brazil

UFPE's International Office has prepared an International Student Guide which offers essential information on how mobility students should apply to study at UFPE as an international exchange student, including information on application process, student visa and how to issue documents such as the student card, the public transport card (VEM) and the CPF. You can check all the information at this link (make sure to select the USA flag on the right corner of the page to access this content in English or the Spain flag to access it in Spanish).  

Additionaly, we provide here essential information for all those who wish to visit Brazil:

 

Power plug, Sockets and Voltage

In Brazil, there are two associated plug types: C and N. The Type C Plug is commonly used in Europe, South America and Asia and has two parallel round pins, while the Type N Plug has an additional gounding pin and is used in Brazil and South Africa. The power supply in Brazil varies depending on which state you ate in. In Pernambuco, the voltage is 220V. Make sure you have a transformer or an adapter if your equipment has a different plug type/voltage. 

 

SIM Card

Brazil is one of the largest markets for mobile communication in the world. In Recife, there are four major companies for you to consider when buying a SIM Card: Oi, Tim, Claro and Vivo. Any of these networks will provide you with call, SMS and data packages through pre or post paid plans. You can buy SIM Cards at many stores across the city, specially malls. To buy a SIM Card in Brazil, however, it is necessary to have a CPF (more info on the Student guide).

In case you wish to take calls from international friends or to call someone in Brazil with your international SIM Card, the brazilian code number for international calls is +55 and Recife's city code is 81 (if you are trying to reach someone from a different city you should check the specific code, but most cities in Pernambuco have the same code). Also, mobile phones used to have 8 digits, but a few years ago all of them were updated to include a 9 in front of all other digits. If someone gives you an 8 digit phone number you just have to add a 9 before the other digits and you should be able to reach the desired person. Land lines still have only 8 digits phone numbers. 

To wrap it all up, a call from another country to Recife should look like this:

55  81  (9)xxxx-xxxx 

If you are calling someone from the same area as the Brazilian SIM card you acquired, you should use just the 8 (landline) or 9 digits (mobile) phone number. 

 

Culture and Leisure

The International Office has prepared a special guide with information on Brazil's and Recife's culture and Leisure, including popular celebration, food, curiosities and places to visit. You can check this information here.