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11. Moving to São Paulo

São Paulo at a Glance

Moving to São Paulo

Brazil's most international city is a veritable expat magnet.

Moving to São Paulo remains immensely popular among those seeking new adventures and opportunities abroad. São Paulo, Brazil’s economic growth engine and most international city, attracts numerous expats and international students every year. Those who have dared moving São Paulo say you either love it or hate it. Love the Brazilian lifestyle, laidback attitude, and cultural diversity. Hate the lack of free space, daily commute, air pollution, and worries about safety issues.

Moving to São Paulo: Visa Requirements

Familiarizing yourself with visa requirements is one of the first steps for everyone moving to São Paulo. Brazil’s authorities distinguish between short-term and long-term visas. Tourists and those on regular business trips need a short-term visa. All those who consider moving to São Paulo, however, usually require a long-term visa.

While policies regarding long-term visas are rather strict, permanent visas are even more difficult to come by. Applicants need to convince authorities that they possess highly specialized skills which will benefit the Brazilian economy. For those moving to São Paulo as part of an intra-company transfer, bureaucratic hurdles are usually much lower.

Moving to São Paulo: Types of Visa

There are two types of long-term visas which enable the holder to take up work after moving to São Paulo. The first is a visto temporário, a temporary visa (VITERM), which allows foreigners to move to São Paulo for a specific job. To get such a temporary visa, the applicant needs to sign a work contract before moving to São Paulo. The visa expires when the holder leaves that specified employment position. Other types of temporary visas are available, among others, for students, volunteer workers, and media correspondents.

A permanent visa (VIPER), or visto permanente, is much more popular with expats moving to São Paulo. It allows the holder to stay in the city indefinitely and to change jobs without running the risk of losing their work permit after moving to São Paulo.

Moving to São Paulo: Where to Live

Once you have taken care of your visa and other formalities necessary for moving to São Paulo, it is time to give some thought to accommodation. Here are some aspects you should take into account when deciding where you’d like to live after moving to São Paulo:

• the location of your place of work and average commuting time
• the schools where you would like to enrol your kids
• availability of public transport
• safety issues
• traffic and noise levels
• possible flooding during the rainy season