Living in Brazil

[tomcougar 0]

Although my wife and I currently reside in the U.S., we may opt to move to Brazil at some point in the future. Is there anyone here who understands Brazilian requirements for U.S. citizens married to Brazilian citizens who want to relocate to Brazil?

I've already considered the "family reunion" visa but it has been explained to me that being married to a Brazilian citizen that the visa isn't necessary and that I am eligible for some other program where the Federal Police issue an ID card which grants permanent residence and authorizes employment. It is supposedly renewable every nine years so long as the couple remain married. If anyone here has knowledge of this program, I would certainly appreciate your input.

[koolaidman23 0]

Check out this link.

He helped me out a lot with information before I came to Brasil and married a Brasileira... also I met the guy after I came here. He lives in the same bairro as me and is very nice and helpful.

If you look at the link, something that Volker wrote is totally correct... you do want to apply for the Family Reunion Visa through a Brasilian Consulate in the US. I have been here 26 months and I still have not received my ID card. If I had gone through the Miami Consulate, it would have been a couple of months.... but oh well, we are leaving now anyway.

But if you decide to get it in Brasil, the Policia Federal will give you a temporary card which is the same thing.

What field do you work in, or are you independently wealthy? Of all of the ex-pats I know, I am the only one that had work (under the table) and the pay wasn't so great, only R$1200 a month. And I was very lucky to get the job I had, as it was in English doing some consulting for a friend who is a lawyer and works from down here.

My advice to anyone moving to Brasil is first, ask yourself if you can live without certain things. I am a pretty tolerant guy, but the little differences in Brasil were the things that bothered me the most. Like when you buy something, there are no refunds. Real vanilla ice cream only exists at McDonalds. Good quality clothing is fairly expensive, at least in my experience. Electronics are 2x to 3x more expensive, at the least. Brasil has the worst wealth distribution ratio in South America.. seeing high rise condos next to favelas is commonplace. Are you fluent in Portuguese? Will you live in a safe area? Or at least relatively safe? I live in a neighborhood where going outside after 9 pm is generally not advisable. Is this a problem for you? Noticing things like this doesn't happen when you are here for a few weeks of tourism, but when you live in it, it is completely different.

Sorry for the rant but when I arrived here, I thought things were going to be fairly easy, like finding work, learning Portuguese... but my experience has been particularly poor. Also, I dont want to make it sound like Brasil is some kind of hell, because it isnt... the people are generally very friendly and generous. But be prepared.

[tomcougar 0]

Check out this link.

He helped me out a lot with information before I came to Brasil and married a Brasileira... also I met the guy after I came here. He lives in the same bairro as me and is very nice and helpful.

Thats great! I will try to contact him myself, I have a few questions for him, hopefully he has time to answer them, or point me toward some who can.

If you look at the link, something that Volker wrote is totally correct... you do want to apply for the Family Reunion Visa through a Brasilian Consulate in the US. I have been here 26 months and I still have not received my ID card. If I had gone through the Miami Consulate, it would have been a couple of months.... but oh well, we are leaving now anyway.

It is my intent to apply in the U.S., as your advice has been echoed by a number of brasileiros.

But if you decide to get it in Brasil, the Policia Federal will give you a temporary card which is the same thing.

Okay. There was some confusion about what was what in regard to what my wife told me, so it appears that I still must go through the visa process even though my wife is Brazilian.

What field do you work in

Information Technology. We are becoming more and more rare stateside and the best places to pursue IT opportunities are Brazil, India, and China.

or are you independently wealthy?

Heh heh heh... I can dream, can't I? ;-) No, I earn a modest living. My wife and I live without need in regard to a roof over our heads, food in our bellies, and clothes on our backs.

Of all of the ex-pats I know, I am the only one that had work (under the table) and the pay wasn't so great, only R$1200 a month. And I was very lucky to get the job I had, as it was in English doing some consulting for a friend who is a lawyer and works from down here.

There are some concrete opportunities and I have many contacts in Brazil, it is just a matter of finding an opportunity that cannot be filled by a brasileiro. They exist, it's just a matter of patience and persistence.

My advice to anyone moving to Brasil is first, ask yourself if you can live without certain things.

I can live without my Ale-8 provided I have a steady diet of Guarana ;-) Seriously, I think my biggest challenge would be learning to drive in Brazilian traffic... I'll probably start with a moto if I even need that. I'll miss shopping at Walmart at 2am... fast mail delivery... and a big fat internet pipe, but all of those things are not necessities. On the other hand, I'm addicted to flip-flops, love the warmer climate, love the friendly nature inherent in many of the brasileiros I know, and my wife's family treat me as if I'm their own. Portuguese... well... eu estou apprendendo mais todas as dias. Eu nao fala muito bom aindo mas logo eu vou :-)

I am a pretty tolerant guy, but the little differences in Brasil were the things that bothered me the most. Like when you buy something, there are no refunds.

Sort of like RTA furniture, once you put it together, it's yours... or electronics from ebay... the source of my stereo and computer equipment.

Real vanilla ice cream only exists at McDonalds.

Heh heh heh... Ice cream is my wife's passion. She had several little shops that we would frequent in her home town.

Good quality clothing is fairly expensive, at least in my experience.

Yeah, discovered that just purchasing a good pair of speedos.

Electronics are 2x to 3x more expensive, at the least.

I've got my own equipment although I'm not sure how much I could get through customs before they start wanting to tax it. Mostly vintage stereo equipment and OEM computers, not worth a whole lot, but still, I take care of it and it looks pretty good.

Brasil has the worst wealth distribution ratio in South America.. seeing high rise condos next to favelas is commonplace.

One of the most striking visions noticed during my first visit was the busride from Sao Paulo, I noticed some homeless people under an overpass had marked off their patches of "territory" with string on the ground... several blocks away, posh businesses and fancy apartments.

Are you fluent in Portuguese?

Nao muito mas eu falo um pouco e apprendo mias, obrigado para minha esposinha e amigos.

Still make lots of mistakes, but after each trip I noticed that I could speak more and more and have more meaningful conversations with my wife's parents.

Will you live in a safe area? Or at least relatively safe?

Relatively safe so long as I temper my presence with a modicum of caution and common sense.

I live in a neighborhood where going outside after 9 pm is generally not advisable.

We could be outside but travel after dark was ALWAYS by car.

Is this a problem for you?

Not at all, although I will miss the superficial security of having fast access to a .45acp for home defense. Those are for military use only in Brazil ;-)

Noticing things like this doesn't happen when you are here for a few weeks of tourism, but when you live in it, it is completely different.

I have no illusions of easy living and after three trips I feel I have a pretty good idea of what I can expect as a resident versus what I experienced as a visitor.

Sorry for the rant

I don't consider your post to be a rant, you appear to be speaking from the heart. Sincere expression is what it is and I appreciate that someone took the time to express it.

but when I arrived here, I thought things were going to be fairly easy, like finding work, learning Portuguese... but my experience has been particularly poor. Also, I dont want to make it sound like Brasil is some kind of hell, because it isnt... the people are generally very friendly and generous. But be prepared.

Muito obrigado por sua palavras meu amigo!

I do have a question or two I would like to ask privately, does this forum have a private messaging facility? Btw, sorry for reformatting your quotes in italics... the forum software rejected my post for having too many quotations ;-)

Thanks again!

Edited March 7, 2007 by tomcougar

[Nessa 23]

This is a very interesting thread with good advices. I believe that when we consider moving to another city there are things we have to think about, consider the differences and all, now can you imagine moving to a whole different country?

It's normal consider if you could live without certain things, I'm sure a lot of people that came to the United States asked themselves first if they could:

Starting with the worse, leaving family and friends behind (yes we can start a new family and yes we can make new friends, but the ones we left behind are NOT replaceable);

Leaving a career or a good education that counts there in Brazil but won't be worth sh!t in the States.

Then the food, in Brazil we could buy fresh, succulent fruits and vegetables anywhere, anytime, in the States we can find some and similar, but they just don't taste the same. When you are on your lunch hour in Brazil you can decide between all the buffets with homemade style cooking with lots of choices of meals, where they have salads, steaks, chicken, pasta, beans, etc. and here you have to decide between all the fat fast food brands, mc donalds, taco bell, pizza hut, burger king, kfc, subways, etc.

I believe being fluent in the language of the country you're moving is a must. Knowing portuguese in Brazil would help a lot, the same as being fluent in english in the States. Fortunately I'm fluent in english, it's not perfect, I know, but I can easily communicate. If I wasn't I'd consider it a major problem, since for me at least would be hell having to need my husband going with me everywhere and doing things for me, like I'm a 4 years old or he's my parole officer

Living in a safe place can't always be a choice. Like everywhere in the world there are crimes. I'm glad I moved to a fairly secure place, but still I can't walk at night to go anywhere, I'd need a car for that. In Brazil was different, I could walk at night if I needed to go to the pharmacy or buy cigarettes at some bar or the gas station am/pm, or even if I wanted to eat ice cream in the middle of the night I'd find a walmart opened (well for that I'd need a car). Here I need a car to go everywhere but as Curitiba (where I lived in Brazil) I can find places opened, which is good.

So deciding to move to another country is a big decision and it's never easy. You need to be prepared for a lot of changes. I'm still getting used to a lot of things here, like losing the internet sign when it's snowing, because we only have 2 internet options here, and in Brazil I'd have a lot of options with faster internet;

fresh air, everywhere in here is closed with central heat, I'm still getting used to blow my nose every morning and seeing dry blood come out of it, when in Brazil we can leave our windows opened when it's hot and just breathe fresh air;

Having to tip people everywhere just because it's polite even tho I think they did a crappy job;

etc.

I apologise for the ranting, I really love a lot of things in here, they're different yes, it's not going to be easy to adjust, yes, will I try because the person I love is here and it's worthy, definitely yes.

So good luck with your decision

[koolaidman23 0]

And more interesting ainda!

I am sorry if I offended. But, I think that my advice applies well to the Suldeste part of Brazil. Crime is rampant and the streets are scary after dark. Three times in the last 15 months a person has been shot (2 of those times people died) within a 2 block radius of my apartment building. Since the beginning of the year, how many people have disappeared in Contagem and Belo Horizonte, without a trace? Or better yet, how many bodies of a 10 year old boy have been found next to a river, harvested of all of their organs?? This place is scary. Sorry that I think so. I do not think that Curitiba, Porto Alegre, or Londrina are comparable to the rest of Brasil. Personal wealth is higher, crime is much lower, and the cities and countryside reflect that in their appearance.

In any case, I think Tom sounds totally capable of living in Brasil. Though, I cannot stress enough how difficult it is to find a job in Brazil.

I just wanted to give him some advice. I believe my advice is sound, and is from my experience. Not everyone who comes to Brazil is wealthy, and can live somewhere that is safe, nice, and clean. (Which is my case). Once again, sorry to offend any Brazilians.

[Alex+R 0]

It is great to be optimistic, but someday you WILL need to buy electronics, for example, and the jobs you can get that a Brazilian can't do aren't going to be that great. Both koolaidman and I worked in professional capacities doing jobs only an American/English speaker could do and did not earn much at all per month. When your Portuguese is a lot better, you might be able to work in your field, but try to think of some other ways you can earn money before that time. Teaching English is actually a viable option in most places, but it pays terribly (like everything else).

You are going to do what you want to do, and I think Brazil is a great place, but you might consider removing the rose-colored glasses for a day. If you are going to be living in SP maybe there are some people we could put you in contact with re: the job search?

[tomcougar 0]

It is great to be optimistic, but someday you WILL need to buy electronics, for example, and the jobs you can get that a Brazilian can't do aren't going to be that great. Both koolaidman and I worked in professional capacities doing jobs only an American/English speaker could do and did not earn much at all per month. When your Portuguese is a lot better, you might be able to work in your field, but try to think of some other ways you can earn money before that time. Teaching English is actually a viable option in most places, but it pays terribly (like everything else).

You are going to do what you want to do, and I think Brazil is a great place, but you might consider removing the rose-colored glasses for a day. If you are going to be living in SP maybe there are some people we could put you in contact with re: the job search?

Rose colored glasses? I'm not sure what I've said that gives you that impression, I have no illusions about an easy life and a huge disposable income.

Concerning contacts in SP, feel free to ping me for my (or with your) email addy, I'll welcome any contacts whether professional or personal. At present, I'm attempting to get an interview with the Brazilian incarnation of my old U.S. employer and English is required to be spoken onsite. The pay isn't what I would make in the U.S. but sufficient to support my family, and *THAT* is my primary concern

Thanks!