First Aid Kit for International Students

Visa and Insurance

In order to obtain your visa, you must take the acceptance letter issued by UFF to your Brazilian Consulate or Ambassy.

All exchange student must have the Temporario 4 visa, which can be valid up to 12 months.

This visa does not allow the student, under any circumstances, to work in Brazil.

It is not possible to change a tourist visa into a student visa if the person is already in Brazil.

It is mandatory to have valid health insurance for your stay in Brazil, which should be subscribed privately in your country.

After arrival

Within 30 days after arrival, you have to register at the Immigration Service, subordinated to the Federal Police Department (DPF). After this period, you have to pay a fine for each day of delay. At the moment of registration, your identification card will be issued.

The necessary documents are:

• passport and one identified copy of the used paged (you can identify the pages at any Cartorio)
• 2 recent color pictures (3 x 4 cm) on white background
• original visa application form (Temporario 4)
• GRU registration form and GRU foreign ID form. Access the website of the DPF and complete both of the forms online (140082 and 140120), print them, go to the bank and pay the fee BEFORE going to the Police Department.

In Niteroi, the Immigration Service is located at

Praca Fonseca Ramos, s/n, Centro

Registration for Erasmus Mundus – Interzones Doctoral Students

You should not forget to register at UFF (immatriculation) for each of the three years of your Erasmus Mundus Interzones Doctorate. You may only geographically study at UFF for one or two semesters, but the research activities between you and your UFF supervisor will be conducted over the entire course of the Program.

To do so, you should contact Silvinha ( silvia@vm.uff.br ), and the Program Coordinator, Prof. Simone (sibonei.sa@gmail.com), every February-March.

Housing

You may ask PPGCOM’s Secretary [See Contact Page] to ask for a placement with a Brazilian family.

In Rio, it is expensive to rent a flat for a single person.

Many people rent rooms, or a bed within a dormitory room. You may or may not be able to access other facilities then, such as the kitchen or common areas. When renting a room, most landlords will not accept that you invite people overnight, or invite people without warning them in advance. Most short term rentals do not have a signed agreement.

Some links for short term room rentals:

http://www.easyquarto.com.br/rio-de-janeiro/rio-de-janeiro-capital-companheiros-de-quarto

http://dividir-apartamento.vivastreet.com.br/alugar-quarto-vaga

http://www.riotemporada.net/

Long term rent agreements are made for a two-year period. While it is easy (but more expensive) to find short term rentals (1-3 months), it is uncommon to find a middle term rental (12 months).

For a long term rental, you will need:

2 people for the guarantee or Seguro Finança (which does not work for students)

It may also be possible to find a landlord who accepts that you pay the rent in advance (for 3 months of insurance + 1 month of rent for example).

A letter of acceptance from the University and the passport may be asked.

To install internet and phone, you will need to get a CPF, which you can do by going to the central agency of Banco do Brasil, pay and then receive a receipt which you will need to take to the Receita Federal.

Transportation

From/to Rio:

Buses: 740D – 750D – 751D – 775D (lapa). R$ 5.50

It is a 45-60min ride, although you should avoid taking the bus from Niteroi to Rio in the morning (until 10am) and from Rio to Niteroi in the evening (from 4pm to 8pm), due to traffic.

In Rio and in Niteroi, GoogleMaps is the best option to find out which bus you need to take. They do not cover intercity busses, however, but you can find the information on www.vadeonibus.com.br

Minivans (similar route than the buses, R$ 5)

Ferry: from Praca XV (Rio) to Avenida Rio Branco (Niteroi). Takes 20 min. Departure every 20 min (on average).

Cultural Events

In Rio, you can find the schedule of all upcoming cultural activities in the supplement of the Friday newspaper, O Globo.