If you are planning to go to Brazil, have just arrived in Brazil, or are just curious about this land on the other side of the world, then take a close look at this article to get to know Brazil.
Pre-departure preparations, etiquette and taboos, general knowledge of humanities and geography, local life and business information are all shared without reservation.
Pre-departure Preparations
Visa: If you are using an agency, just submit the documents as required by the agency, you will need to prepare more documents; if you are applying on your own, you can click to see this official guide from the visa center. Here is a reminder, Brazil has been very popular in recent years, and visa appointments are hard to get, so prepare to handle your visa at least two months in advance, otherwise if you want to travel on short notice, you will have to pay a high service fee to the agency.
Vaccine: If you go to the Amazon rainforest area, the yellow fever vaccine is mandatory, and it takes effect 10 days after vaccination; if you are just going to cities like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília or the southern cities, it is not necessary to get vaccinated, as I haven't had any other vaccines except for the COVID-19 vaccine in the past decade, and Brazilian entry and exit won't check.
Credit Card: This is also essential, both VISA and Master are accepted, accepted in all major and minor stores in Brazil, more convenient than cash; and you can also link it to the taxi app Uber, basically, you won't need much cash.
Cash: If you are not comfortable without some cash, you can also exchange some. You can exchange it at the Bank of China in your home country, but if the bank offers the largest denomination of 200 reais, then there is no need to exchange it, as it is almost not in circulation here, and many stores do not accept it. If you have a local guide, the guide can exchange it via WeChat or cash, no need to exchange too much, just a couple hundred in small change is fine. Of course, except for those who want to collect it, Brazilian banknotes are red, yellow, blue, green, purple, each denomination has a different animal, which is quite distinctive.
Driver's License: The steering wheel position is the same as in China, if you want to rent a car, bring your domestic driver's license original, international driver's license (online processing is very fast, cheap and convenient) and a credit card.
Phone Card: Mobile operators all have international roaming, China Mobile charges a cap of 30 yuan/day, if you want something more economical, you can buy a Brazilian data card online. It's not easy to get a local card in Brazil, many require a local CPF tax number, if you really need one, you might ask a Brazilian friend for help.
Power Bank: A lifesaver, it's hard to find shared power banks in Brazil, occasionally you will encounter electronic product stores selling them, at least 5 times the price, so it's absolutely practical to bring one.
Adapter Plug: Brazilian plugs are cylindrical, just search online and you'll see, here it's suggested to bring an extra power strip, convenient for various charging needs. As for Brazilian voltage, it varies from city to city, if it's just for charging phones and laptops, you don't need to prepare a transformer, if you bring other electrical appliances, you should ask about the local voltage.
Daily Necessities: Brazilian hotels generally do not provide disposable items, toothbrushes, toothpaste, thermos, slippers, etc. you need to bring your own. Clothes, besides suits and shirts, you can bring fewer casual clothes, as fast fashion stores here are not expensive and are seasonal (Brazil is in the southern hemisphere, spring, autumn, summer, and winter are opposite to those in China).
Documents: Have a color copy of your passport, it's enough to carry a copy when going out; print out invitation letters and itineraries in case immigration officers ask when entering the country; it's best to bring business cards, as it's customary to exchange business cards in business settings here, if you need to print them in Brazil, it not only takes more than 3 days but also costs three times as much.
Software APPs: You can download some apps in advance, use Uber for taxis, WhatsApp for communication, Instagram or Facebook for social networking, Chrome for searching, Google Translate for translation, Apple's own or Google Maps for maps, and Imoney for currency conversion.
Local Etiquette and Taboos
Greeting Etiquette: Although Brazilians have a cheek-kissing greeting when meeting, when we Chinese meet them for the first time, a handshake and a smile will do. After a while, when you get familiar, you can follow the local customs.
Image Etiquette: It's appropriate to dress formally for meetings and negotiations, Brazilian office workers are used to wearing formal attire all year round, if it's not a very formal and serious occasion, it's okay to wear a shirt or polo without buttoning up the suit or wearing a tie, but remember, clothes must be ironed! Many people overlook this detail, which looks unprofessional and cheap.
Riding Etiquette: When getting on a vehicle, it's common to greet the driver, Bom dia/Boa tarde (Good morning/Good afternoon), Tudo bem? (How are you?), and say Obrigado/a (Thank you) when getting off. When taking a taxi, the driver is a professional driver, it's okay to sit in the back seat, but if a friend or client is giving you a ride, pay attention to the passenger seat, if no one is sitting you should sit there, if someone is sitting but gets off early you should also move to the passenger seat (this is a common practice for Brazilians), otherwise, the other party might feel like you are treating him as a professional driver rather than a friend.
Dining Etiquette: It's casual to eat in a Chinese restaurant, just be mindful of the leader's feelings. But when eating in a Brazilian restaurant, be careful, try to eat slowly and not make too much noise, try to take less food at a time and not pile up the whole plate, and don't touch the bowl or plate with your mouth, use a knife, fork, and spoon to eat, talk less while eating, and wipe your mouth frequently.
Gestural Taboos: The "OK" gesture is impolite, to express "okay" or "no problem", give a thumbs up. (To add, the circle made by the thumb and index finger is considered insulting, but making a flat leaf shape with the thumb and index finger is okay, for example, to express "very delicious".)
Smoking Taboos: Basically, you can't smoke anywhere with a roof overhead.
Brazilian Business Information
Cold Calls: In Brazil, it's relatively easy to find contact information and pitch your business, even if it's a cold call or door-to-door visit, as long as you are sincere and explain your purpose, they will generally help you connect and get on line, unlike in China where the front desk or security can block you completely.
Appointments: If it's not a cold call, but you have contacted and want to meet, then you need to make an appointment, and also need to do it 1-2 weeks or more in advance, trying to make a last-minute appointment might not be possible. You can say they are good at planning, or you can say they don't like sudden changes, which is different from our habit of being flexible and adaptable.
Slow Pace: Perhaps because the tropical climate naturally slows their metabolism, or because the abundant natural resources reduce their survival anxiety, Brazilians always seem slow to us. It's a blessing if an email is replied to in three to five days, and it's a miracle if their efficiency can match a quarter of ours. Try to break down tasks a bit, and coax and urge them to complete them bit by bit, otherwise, you can only get anxious.
Government Relations: When you get to Brazil, don't be too convinced by someone telling you how good his relationship with a certain official is, officials here are not as powerful and capable as imagined, most of the time, what can really help business succeed is how many Brazilian consortia and families he knows, how close he is to various Brazilian unions and industry associations, and how deep his local business network is.
Cooperation and Trust: Building business trust in Brazil takes time, after all, most businesses are linguistically incomprehensible, geographically distant, and culturally different. To cooperate, patience and continuous investment are key. Once trust and cooperation are established, most Brazilian parties' loyalty and creditworthiness are high (this is also based on contracts rather than verbal promises), and the relationship between the parties is often very stable and lasting.
Financial Costs: If cooperation has been going on for a long time without achieving scale growth, it might be due to financial issues. The cost of capital in Brazil is high, bank fixed deposits have about 10% per year, small and medium-sized enterprise loans have annual rates of 25%-40% (credit card revolving interest is one of the highest in the world, 340%-450%), so many Brazilian buyers will not easily expand the scale to increase financial pressure, or when they have funds they might choose better investment targets, especially in unstable exchange rate situations.
Marketing Channels: Traditionally we might choose to participate in Brazilian exhibitions to expand our customer base, if it's just to visit the country and expose the brand, that's fine, but if you want better customer acquisition results, you might consider more cost-effective methods.
After all, including airfare, accommodation, visa fees, booth fees, logistics costs, it's calculated in hundreds of thousands, with this budget invested in Brazilian enterprises and social media channels that Brazilians are keen on, such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and even the emerging TikTok for marketing, you might see surprising results.
CNPJ: Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica, Brazilian National Corporate Registration Number, 14 digits, equivalent to the "Unified Social Credit Code" in China. All legal entities registered in Brazil, such as companies, individual businesses (MEI), non-profit organizations (ONG), and foreign company branches, must have a CNPJ number.
To apply for this, a Brazilian legal representative is required, companies in China doing cross-border e-commerce wanting to open an account on the largest e-commerce platform in Latin America must have a CNPJ number. This agency service has already formed an industry in China, just search and you'll find it.
