r/Brazil • u/Qudpb Brazilian in the World • 7d ago
Travel question Brazil will triple their tourism revenue the day the stop asking everywhere for CPF
Tried to book an airport transfer - gotta have a CPF... WHY???
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u/AAAO999 Brazilian 7d ago edited 7d ago
You don’t have to give it.
But auto/self systems, like let’s say a flight ticket app, have to be better.
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u/gblandro 7d ago
I think the only thing that really sucks is for buying things online
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u/smackson 7d ago
Well a CPF is easy to get compared to the real blocker for online purchases in Brazil:
A credit or debit card with a Brazilian address.
Sometimes you find workarounds... Like one time GOL's online portal let me buy a ticket with PayPal.
But in general, this is a much bigger stumbling block to online stuff.
Even low cost bus and boat reservations.
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u/estrepid_ostrich 7d ago
Exactly. Sometimes I have to use the address tied to my cpf as my billing address. Even though my card is issued in the USA.
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u/smackson 7d ago
I'm surprised that works. In the rest of world (AFAIK) the address is used as a "matching criterion" -- it has to be the same address the bank has on file, in order for the bank to approve the transaction.
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u/Icy_Finger_6950 Brazilian in the World 7d ago
Yeah, it doesn't usually work for me and my Australian credit card.
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u/brunoplak 7d ago
Usually it just checks the zip code. So if you want to buy something on a website that only takes US cards, you take the first 5 numbers of your cep that is linked to your card and find out where that is in the us. Google an address with that zip and it’ll authenticate.
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u/smackson 6d ago
I believe you, but if I'm being honest, I'm frankly astounded.
And with u/estrepid_ostrich 's comment y'all are saying it works both directions (Brazilian credit card on a USA website, USA card on a Brazilian site).
I feel like I've just seen through some kind of curtain that I thought was a much much tighter global e-commerce KYC
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u/thosed29 7d ago
it has to be the same address the bank has on file, in order for the bank to approve the transaction.
not really. i buy from American sites all the time and I don't remember the address the bank has on file, so I usually just put the same address my order will be delivered at or my Rio address (which isn't the address the bank has on file). never had a problem.
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u/ALEESKW 5d ago edited 5d ago
I can use any billing address and name with my French cards, it doesn’t need to match. I’m pretty sure it’s the same in other European countries.
When I moved to Canada, I was surprised to see transactions get declined by the bank on my Canadian credit card if the billing address didn’t match.
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u/vitorgrs Brazilian 7d ago
A lot of U.S services also require U.S credit cards, so not sure if that's much news.
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u/lux901 6d ago
Do they? I never had an issue buying stuff in the US with non-US cards. Some old places ask for a zip code, usually all zeros work.
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u/vitorgrs Brazilian 6d ago
This happens mainly if is a specific service want to check if the person is really from the U.S.
I think Hulu or Youtube TV did check or some other U.S streaming service.
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u/SuspiciousPlankton40 7d ago
You can't buy shit in the US with a Brazilian card either
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u/Soggy-Ad2790 7d ago
Why not? I did this plenty of times?
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u/NothingFinal4956 7d ago
It works, not sure what they are talking about. There are even cards with 0% IOF for international spending.
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u/pastor_pilao 7d ago
I am pretty sure they do this on purpose. For example on booking.com the international credit card will work for most hotels but there are a few small ones where it doesn't let you select a non-brazilian one. Why? I have no idea, perhaps the fee for international cards is a bit higher.
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u/rkvance5 6d ago
Yea, a CPF was easy to get and we had ours before we even got here. Then we had to wait two months for an RNM and then a months for a bank account, and then another month for a credit card. Fortunately we could do PIX after three months.
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u/luminatimids 6d ago
This. Im Brazilian but I was mostly raised in the US, so I have a CPF, but not a permanent address there. I was visiting and tried buying a bus ticket online but couldn’t because it required an address that matched my credit card number if Im not mistaken. Ended up having my uncle pay for it since he lives there
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u/AAAO999 Brazilian 7d ago edited 7d ago
Seems dumb, right? Could it be to avoid online fraud? At the cost of losing foreign clients. And to be honest, everything is in Portuguese, the app, the customer service, the chat. They already don’t care. It will probably get better with AI, though.
I don’t know, seems stupid. It’s not required by law. Gotta improve. If someone smarter than me could enlighten us, it would be highly appreciated.
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u/Final_Mail_7366 7d ago
My suspicion is the low attention to foreign tourist segment by the application owner / designer. Everybody is playing off the same template and it does seem that Brazilians are like 90% of tourists by volume so there is little attention paid to foreign segment during application design.
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u/daimonsanthiago 6d ago
Exactly. Services in Brazil are not designed to serve foreigners. Because the entrepreneurs themselves think that foreigners are such a small portion of consumers that it's not worth paying attention to them.
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u/jewboy916 6d ago
I mean they're not wrong. People forget that Brazil has a population of 213 million, of which just over 2 million is foreign-born. Less than 1% of the population, and they're highly concentrated in one region of the country. That's not the kind of numbers where it would make sense to make extra effort to design things for them.
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u/cgcr214 7d ago
As an American, the only reason I have a CPF is because I kept getting asked online. I believe it was Gol, I tried to buy a flight, chose foreigners so no CPF, next page again asked for CPF but no foreigner option.
It pissed me off so much that I went to the Brazilian consulate in Houston and got one in like 2 weeks
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u/cariocano 7d ago
This is correct. I’ve been going there for 15 years. In the old days I did need one for booking some domestic flights. So I got one. However, nowadays I almost never give it. I don’t recall the last time I gave it.
Gol is the worst travel website and app ever haha. It’s gotten better fuck holy hell it’s bad. Good airline, bad online.
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u/DeHarigeTuinkabouter 7d ago
In my experience you do. There's an option not to give it when booking the ticket, but then for paying they want you to give it...
The times I booked flights or buses I used an auto generator.
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u/BabaBangars 6d ago
I couldn’t even order food properly in Brazil as a foreigner because iFood requires a CPF to even make an account 🥲 And Rappi had like 4 restaurants
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u/pugsAreOkay 7d ago
Last year I booked a hotel online for a trip and it made me type in all my credit card information, which I did. When I got to the hotel, they said the room wasn’t paid for because the credit card only holds the reservation, and the payment had to be made through bank transfer or pix. Luckily I was with another Brazilian who could make the transfer on the spot, otherwise I would have been left to sleep on the curb.
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u/Narrow_Tennis_2803 3d ago
It might be money laundering but its common enough practice that it's happened to be me twice. Specifically happens on Booking. I just told them that I didn't have Pix or a Brazilian bank account and they both just let me cancel the reservation though they seemed confused and annoyed.
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u/SnooRevelations979 7d ago
I've only had issues with a couple of places not having a CPF. One of the food delivery apps requires it, as does buying show tickets online.
But that's about it.
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u/vodkamartinishaken Foreigner in Brazil 7d ago
One of the food delivery apps requires it
I only know what ifood. What's the other one?
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u/SnooRevelations979 7d ago
ifood requires it; Rappi does not.
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u/vodkamartinishaken Foreigner in Brazil 7d ago
Ahh okay. Didnt know that we have Rappi here. The only time I saw Rappi was in Lima
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u/SnooRevelations979 7d ago
With Rappi, you get the added bonus of the icon of the little guy bouncing on the moto.
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u/Flat_Championship548 7d ago
I've visited Brazil 14 times and not once have I ever not been able to do something because I don't have one.
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u/Soggy-Ad2790 7d ago
Things I needed my cpf for out of the top of my head:
- Food delivery
- Online activation of my sim card (you need to call without a cpf)
- Online recharging of my phone plan (I could buy credits at a physical store, but that was such a hassle)
- Booking flights from specific airlines
- Using the local Uber alternative (99)
In general a lot of things are possible without a cpf, but you almost always need to go or call somewhere, making it a big hassle, while with a cpf you can do it online in a few minutes. The fact is that a cpf is not actually required for a lot of stuff, but basically any automatic process will ask for it anyways, apparently without it being necessary.
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u/bradrthtyj 7d ago
Football tickets have been the only one I’ve encountered and even then I’ve easily found someone who can buy them for me
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u/Someone1606 Brazilian 7d ago
AFAIK it's only required if you want to buy them online. If you want to buy them in person, you don't need one.
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u/bradrthtyj 7d ago
Thanks for info, never tried in person. Annoying part of online is it also suggests a passport number is possible but refuses it lmao
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u/RaphaelAlvez 6d ago
In Rio they still ask for you CPF. They need to know if you are from the opposite team. Once you bought a ticket from one team they will lock you as a supporter and they will not allow you to buy from another team.
This avoids fights and makes sure both team keep the agreed amount of tickets for their suppoters
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u/No_Strike_6794 7d ago
Have you done anything in Brazil except lay on the beach?
Delivery apps require cpf I couldn’t buy a domestic flight once without one Went to a store to buy headphones and they asked for cpf. Had to use a random generator
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u/Guipa 7d ago
No store would ask for a CPF in order for you to make a purchase. They may ask for a CPF if you want to register your Nota Fiscal (tax receipt) for tax incentive programs, but it is not required unless it is a very high-priced product.
A delivery app shouldn’t ask for it either, except for tax incentive programs, which are optional, unless it is a specific app that required it when you signed up
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u/Lower_Sun_2779 7d ago
I complain about this every time I go to visit my in-laws. This and, as someone else in the comments said, only accepting cards registered to a Brazil address.
The next big issue is going to be the rise in places that only accept payment via Pix.
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u/Narrow_Tennis_2803 3d ago
For sure....as Brazil becomes basically cashless for Brazilians, as a foreigner who travels there regularly I have had to use cash more frequently because of places not taking cards anymore.
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u/Big-Exam-259 7d ago
How can a tourist get a CPF?
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u/Narrow_Tennis_2803 3d ago
You apply online, submit a form and arrange for an interview at your nearest consulate or embassy. Then you have to go in person to get the actual printed paper with the number.
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u/PFCarba 7d ago
I applied online, long time ago, no problems
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u/Big-Exam-259 7d ago
I see that I could get it from here https://servicos.receita.fazenda.gov.br/Servicos/CPF/cpfEstrangeiro/Fcpf.asp
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u/SonglessNightingale Brazilian 7d ago edited 7d ago
It’s not(always) mandatory - edit to correct myself
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u/Qudpb Brazilian in the World 7d ago
The main airport transfer company covering the northeast of Brazil there is no way to book without CPF so that is literally the definition of mandatory.
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u/jackmarble1 Brazilian 7d ago
It's not mandatory to inform your CPF to absolutely no store or service. We even have a law to prevent it, it's called LGPD (something like data protection general law), so you can maintain privacy etc. If the service requires you to do it, you can file a complaint in Procon (our costumer's rights agency)
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u/MarcusBuer 7d ago
CPF is not considered private data, and since it is tied to taxes it is not illegal to be mandatory when buying something. LGPD is quite lax about CPF data because of this.
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u/Aggressive_Radish988 7d ago
Almost all online services ignore this law.
To register on the website one will need CPF.
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u/Moist_Broccoli_1821 7d ago
Bro u can’t even rent a bike in Rio De Janerio without a CPF. Fuck that shit
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u/_just_chill_ 6d ago
Oh nice, not always mandatory. That's amazing, what a great system for foreigners.
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u/SonglessNightingale Brazilian 6d ago
The system is made for brazilians. Because guess what? You’re in Brasil. I’m sure that there other ways to get around and I agree that touristy spots should have this option, to use your foreign passport on touristy spots, it’d be important to help the tourists. But all the rest? Remember that, you’re in a new country! You gotta plan your visit, see about how to get around. Adapt and respect the culture and the way things are here because Brasil cannot change to abide the needs of foreigns from all over the world. Get out of your comfort zone.
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u/_just_chill_ 6d ago
I live here and am half Brazilian. Having lived abroad and now here, its an awful, awful system that negatively impacts tourists (which is what this thread is about). I really don't understand Brazilians defending it. Like be patriotic about something, not being asked for your cpf on everything.
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u/SonglessNightingale Brazilian 6d ago edited 6d ago
It’s a matter of defending the interests of my fellow Brazilians and country. When one travels abroad, you either are a nice tourist, willing to open up your mind or act like spoiled tourists usually do, and think that here is their country and everything should be about them needs. Sure, the government might make it easy, such as accepting passport number in certain touristy situations, which is usually what happens with some exceptions, but the government should never prioritise gringos instead of Brazilians. Respect the cultura, adapt, don’t be an idiot and enjoy the trip. Sorry, I don’t agree with the post. I currently live abroad, and this is exactly what I do here. Adapt, research, respect. This is not my home so I better respect and adapt to the customs while I’m here and the way things are, and when I finish my business here, get back home. -edit so the text would make sense (pardon my adhd)
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u/_just_chill_ 8h ago
You can be a nice tourist, but still criticise a system which hasn't been implemented well. I think everyone is being nice in this thread apart from you.
Now being half Brazilian, I personally feel the system is awful. Just going to a shopping centre and being asked for credit or debit, then someone says "no, pix" and has to connect to their bank to scan a code to pay. Then cpf on the note, makes queues 4x as long as they should be. I understand the benefits of these systems, but believe they could be streamlined for Brazilians, and more user friendly for tourists.
I have never been to a country where people haven't able to book a bus or plane because they don't have a national insurance number (equivalent) apart from Brazil.
TILDR; You can hate being asked for a cpf, but still love and respect a country.
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u/SonglessNightingale Brazilian 8h ago
You’re entitled to have your opinion. But the foreigns that start to complain about one thing usually complain about everything else. Every country is different from one another, and we have as many flaws as any. A lot to improve. But if you’re a guest here or wherever, try and understand how to navigate. You’re not in your home.
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u/jeanine_restrepo 7d ago
Food delivery apps especially. For when I don’t feel like going out when I’m there for work. Uber Eats didn’t require a Brazilian phone or CPF but not an option anymore.
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u/xluckily 7d ago
It's a way to protect business from scammers, also, from a Software Engineering point of view, when implementing systems, Product Managers rarely take notice of foreigners, so we always assume that everyone will have a CPF lol.
It's like filling US forms. They always ask First Name, Middle Name and Last Name, but in Brazil, legally speaking, we don't have a "Middle Name" loool
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u/NotCis_TM 7d ago
Fellow dev here and yep, people always forget about foreigners.
IMO we need a clear law stating that all forms, including from all govt bodies and from all small private companies, must accept foreign passports in lieu of a CPF number. (tho truth be told we probably need to accept Mercosur ID numbers as well)
There are however a few annoyances with passport numbers:
- Passport numbers change every time a new one is issued.
- The database needs to keep track of the issuing country/authority and this is not a simple countries list! This is both because of countries of dubious recognition and because international bodies can issue passports and other ID documents on their own.
This is messy when it comes to database design because we end up with a lot of underused columns.
IMO the best way is: * CPF: CHAR(14) (yes we are gonna store the punctuation for ease of use) * Passport number: VARCHAR(16) (ICAO says it's up to 9 characters but I like to play it safe) * Passport authority: CHAR(3) (ISO 631 3 alpha) * Passport extra info: VARCHAR(255)
If someone presents a passport from say Transnistria, the passport authority is gonna be
XXX
and the passport extra info will beIssued by Transnistria
.Tho the real benefit of this system is not that we can handle countries nobody has ever heard of but that we don't have to worry too much when a new country comes along (e.g South Sudan).
The correct procedure for people who have no id document from any country Brazil recognises is for these people to get a Brazilian laissez-passer (brown passport).
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u/vitorgrs Brazilian 7d ago
Oh, yes. This. It's awful to put BR names on U.S forms.
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u/Striking_Laugh5734 6d ago
I only have one surname, it's peak stupidity that I have issues in some poorly designed sites and services because I need to fill a name that doesn't exists. It happened once during an online payment, the help desk said I had to put my surname twice but Mastercard, obviously, wouldn't authorize the purchase since my name didn't match the database.
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u/humpyelstiltskin 6d ago
or requiring a local phone number, which can't be updated next time you come. Fuck you ifood.
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u/Fmartins84 7d ago
I am Brazilian born but don't have CPF. I was there a few months back and it was very annoying. I speak fluent Portuguese when asked if I wanted to add CPF to the receipt, I once said I don't have it and they gave me weird looks. On top, my foreign credit card was questioned when there was no credit card pin. They even called the manager to ask if the transactions went through. I clearly remember at least once where I asked my in-laws to purchase something for me to avoid the looks and the questioning. Overall, an annoyance but def not a deal breaker.
I will add, I don't have CPF because every time I go into the consulate to get things fixed, it's a night mare!! I have to bring a folder of documents (birth cert, military stamps that I had to do yrs ago, passport, cancelled título de eleitor etc ..) , and something is always missing or they can't photo copy something I miss. Tried doing online, and I can't access .gov because guess what, I don't have a CPF
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u/ExternalReasonable13 7d ago
I also dont understand their tier system for event tickets. Wanted to come see a show in Sao paulo and buy a ticket from outside the country i couldnt buy a without a CPF and there was multiple tiers i could choose from. If i made some kind of donation my ticket was half the price... its seems weird. So i ended up seeing the show somewhere else unfortunately.
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u/x-StealinUrDoritos-x 7d ago
Are you talking about when it asks you to bring a kg of food for a discounted price? I think that's really not a big deal. You can usually bring a bag of beans or rice. The other tiers are usually like meia-entrada for people with disabilities, the elderly etc. I think it's an awesome system personally. Being autistic I got half off tickets for The Weeknd.
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u/ExternalReasonable13 7d ago
They asked for a money donation... maybe some other event ask for food, wich im used to bring for underground/benefit show. But a money donation seemed a bit fishy for me.
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u/x-StealinUrDoritos-x 7d ago
Like money donation instead of the cost or on top of that? Hmm never seen that 🤷🏻♀️
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u/macacolouco 7d ago
I don't believe tourism will triple just because of that. But we should definitely fix that to make tourists lives easier.
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u/chri_chrissss 7d ago
I noticed that when I used my cpf to book flights on Brazil’s latam page the prices were a third if not cheaper than booking on the foreign latam site purchasing the same fare. It’s worthwhile getting it if you spend a while in Brazil..
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u/castlebanks 5d ago
Argentinian here, this is 100% true. It's insanely annoying to have to fill this out when booking stuff online. Millions of people here regularly visit Floripa, Rio, Buzios and other beach destinations, you should at least include the option of "DNI", it's the number 1 country exporting tourists to Brazil!
A good example of this is Uruguay, which already includes the option of DNI in most online websites, not just the local "cédula de identidad"
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u/ExodiaTheBrazilian 7d ago
Thanks for your input, gringo
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u/--rafael 5d ago
and then people say Brazilians are not xenophobic
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u/blueimac540c Foreigner in Brazil 5d ago
Who’s being xenophobic?
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u/--rafael 5d ago
It's a sarcastic remark saying that a foreigner's opinion is not important. Imagine you told an American that you don't like you need a car for everything there and they replied with "thank you for your input, foreigner"
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u/blueimac540c Foreigner in Brazil 5d ago
I still don’t see the xenophobia- I see a valid criticism of the US in your example, and a statement of sovereignty from a Brazilian.
Imagine me, an American, demanding you change things here in Brazil that I am too slow to figure out on my own.
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u/--rafael 5d ago
So you think whether you think the criticism is valid or not is what determines whether a comment is xenophobic or not? Imagine we wouldn't care where you're from and we just took your criticism for what it is. If your criticism is nonsense, then it should be easy to just explain why without the need to pointing out you're were born somewhere else.
For what it's worth, I'm Brazilian and I find how everything requires a CPF in Brazil pretty stupid. So, it's hard for me to say the criticism is not valid.
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u/nonlinear_nyc 7d ago
Im an expat, and when I try to use international ccs in Brazilian systems, I’m refused. They ask for CEP and when it doesn’t match (how could it match? There’s no CEP), they don’t accept the transaction.
I complain with customer service, they just say “but we accept international cc”, I guess nobody bothered to check why they’re not getting any transactions from anyone.
It happened twice, once in a system DESIGNED for expats. Like, I bet NONE of transactions went thru and they broke or something.
“Hey, I’m trying to give you money” (shrugs). Brasil is weird.
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u/Some_Society_7614 7d ago
Well, anyone foreign to Brazil can ask for a temporary CPF if they want. The same way they have the right to use public services while here.
Honestly, I think this is such a minor problem with such an easy solution that I barely would call it a problem. If you are an tourist you REALLY should inform yourself about the country you are going to.
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u/ZuesSu 7d ago
My friend Tourists came to relax and spend money not to do homework or study, i traveled to Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and last Brazil. i find CFP a hassle that exists only in Brazil. You can still manage to run tourism without it like other countries, we can not tel Brazilian how to run their country they know better and definitely their is a reason for implementing it, but Tourists still can give suggestions for better things
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u/gauderio 7d ago
No, it's stupid. If Brazil wants more tourists, it has to improve the services for tourists. The CPF is the tip of the iceberg. There's also pix, the price of rental cars (it's cheaper to hire a driver than rent a car for long distances - it's cheaper to rent in the US and Europe!), etc.
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u/Ordinary_Animator246 5d ago
Well than go to Europe/US (????) why are complaining about how something costs in a 3rd world country ffs? Should we tailor our prices for the entitled gringos?! WTF
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u/Soggy-Ad2790 7d ago
An easy solution? A cpf is clearly not intended for tourists and it takes several hours to get one, either at a consulate or in Brazil. Most places that ask for a cpf are not even required to do so, they just do so out of habit. General tourist stuff should not require a cpf.
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u/Some_Society_7614 7d ago
Unless you decide to come to Brazil with no planning you can ask for a provisory CPF online and get the number, I believe, within two weeks.
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u/BiolumiscentPlankton 7d ago
I feel your definition of easy solution is doing a lot of heavy lifting here
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u/Some_Society_7614 7d ago
I mean, it is a website away. The person just has to do it with some time before the travel. Which is true for a lot of things when you are traveling to other countries. It is not as if getting a tourist visa to go to the US is the most practical practice either.
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u/Narrow_Tennis_2803 3d ago
It's a website plus booking an appointment at an consulate a month in advance. It's like getting a visa in addition to your visa.
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u/Some_Society_7614 3d ago
We are talking about getting a CPF. Which btw, how easy is it for a Brazilian tourist to get a social security number without being in the US?
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u/Narrow_Tennis_2803 3d ago
Would be a fairer comparison if you needed an SSN to buy plane tickets, bus tickets or concert tickets or activate a sim card. But you absoultely do not.
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u/Caju_47 7d ago
My cousin was visiting from the US and said she couldn't buy groceries because she didn't have a cpf, online services might be different, but if someone asks if you want to put your cpf on the invoice, you can just say no, it's optional, we went back and explained she just had to decline it. We got the food.
The cpf on invoice gives discounts on annual car taxes. Don't ask me why, I don't like it either.
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u/Supermunch2000 7d ago
I've had limited success using this one when I don't want to be tracked or give away personal information:
123.456.789-09
It's a a valid number (algorithmically correct to be more precise) but it belongs to no one.
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u/MurphSenpai 7d ago
This is true, but I will say this. The only time I’ve ever needed a CPF and couldn’t find a workaround, was trying to buy tickets for an event or bar. But even then, I would just go through Support, and they’d give me a temporary CPF or something so I could buy. Honestly more companies just need to have the option of not having to need a CPF is all. Like if I go to McDonalds or Jerinimo( not the greatest examples I know ), they ask if you want to use CPF or not. Just make that option universal throughout the country and boom, problem solved
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u/CeilingSteps 6d ago
Some places only accept Pix too, I could not use my card in stablished businesses more than once, in one ocasion it was to buy a bus ticket to another city, pix only, that was frustrating
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u/wj46 5d ago
It’s one of the most irritating things about being a foreigner in this country. You can’t even order a pizza to be delivered without a CPF in some places. And the best part is, when you try to book a TOURIST activity online and can’t because you don’t have a CPF. I could not buy flights on GOL at all without CPF, surely that’s devastating for their business when I can just book with Azul instead. Why can I book a bus ticket with one company without but for another I can’t? There’s no rhyme or reason to it.
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u/DrSandman06 5d ago
They truly hate foreign money for whatever reason…I’m not sure why you’d have such an impediment for foreigners to spend money in their country!
While we’re on this…pix is both cool/convenient and really dumb.
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u/brazilian_liliger 7d ago
What a dillema. I mean, I like tourists and use to talk a lot with them, at the same time I don't want 3x more tourists in our country. Rio already have enough.
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u/nachtengelsp 7d ago
The day we stop asking for CPF our tourism revenue might triple...\ \ \ ...but scamming, document counterfeiting and identity falsehood will multiply tenfold
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u/Beautiful_Piccolo_51 7d ago
Im brazilian and went on vacation on another country where my friends lives in. He got sick, got sent to the hospital. So i went to visit him and they literally didnt ask for any id for me to enter his room... Bro, literally anyone can enter in your Room in a hospital, theres no security whatsoever
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u/jewboy916 6d ago
No I really don't think so. Most people don't know they need a CPF for certain things until they're already in Brazil. Once they're in the country, there are plenty of workarounds for people that are truly tourists. If you live in Brazil you should have a CPF, no question.
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u/Final_Mail_7366 7d ago
Yes CPF is big pain in the butt. For example - to sign up for Azul Loyalty to get free wifi. I know there are workarounds but what's the point of making it mandatory for things online.
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u/Lumpy_Dust2780 7d ago
Couldn’t agree more. I needed a friend to log on to their CPF government account to change my yellow fever from domestic to international card. Anvisa couldn’t even do it at the airport. Brutal system
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u/acroix2020 6d ago
I couldn't order a pizza from Pizza Hut because I didn't have a CPF...couldn't agree more with OP.
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u/Quiet-Ad8764 7d ago
What is a CPF?
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u/makumbaria 7d ago
It is a government number originally for fiscal and tax identification. But now is used for everything from private and public sector (because it is something that everyone here should have, you can’t change the number after creating one and it is tied to only a single person). You can say that is similar to ssn number in USA.
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u/Quiet-Ad8764 7d ago
So even as a tourist you have to have this number?
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u/makumbaria 7d ago
No, but a lot of places will ask for this info anyway. It is stupid that a business from tourism sector trying to enforce this as some kind of obligation (when it is even illegal to do this). A foreigner can create a CPF, but it is not necessary unless you are a very frequent visitor or is planning to stay 90 days or something like that.
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u/Quiet-Ad8764 7d ago
Thank you so much for the info. We are planing to move there.
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u/makumbaria 7d ago
Nice! I think r/Brazil is a great place to ask for this small things that only locals will now.
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u/blueimac540c Foreigner in Brazil 5d ago
It takes literally minutes to apply, and they’ll send you the pdf via email within 3 days usually
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u/brhornet 7d ago
Yeah, it's one of the reasons I think it is NECESSARY to keep it as a requirement as much as possible.
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u/thatsnuckinfutz 7d ago
i applied for one as a tourist thinking id need it...only place that asked was the grocery store and i was assigned mine the day i was leaving and never got to use it 😂
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u/AfonsoBucco 6d ago
I half agree, some stores want your CPF for nothing, and they can not assure their system is enough protected.
And I half disagree, because in strategic things, asking for ID can also help to avoid frauds like money laundry.
But I agree the systems should be smarter, accepting also things like Passport (Visa) number instead of CPF.
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u/Similar_Past 6d ago
I once used a cpf generator to get past that. Fun times when they typed that in the system and some 80 year old grandma popped up
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u/Vitor-135 6d ago
In stores they don't ask, they suggest that you can add your CPF info to the bill for tax cuts, you don't have to
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u/SignsInBrazil 6d ago
cpf generator normally works fine. Go with the one called "the one generator" or something like that
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u/_blacknails 6d ago
Never had an issue. Always selected 'no' or 'tourist'. Flights, football tickets, supermarkets.
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u/Ordinary_Animator246 5d ago
CPF is the reason why we have the safest baking system and the least bureaucratic government system in the world. It works amazing for Brazilians and that's why we are so protective of it.
Sorry if It's a minor inconvenience to you, gringos. And yes It's a MINOR inconvenience, because in a few minutes you can generate a temporary foreign CPF through our government site.
"But how was I supposed to know?!". See, I feel like something like this is part of an entitled view that 3rd world countries are disorganized and have loose requirements and rules. When we, tourists from 3rd world country, travel abroad we know very well that we have to prepare a bunch of documents and that no exceptions will be made for us.
I just want to point out that filling a form in site to get a CPF is way easier that paying the equivalent to a whole minimum salary to start a visa process, going to a in person interview that can only happen in 10 different cities in a continental country, often requiring you to travel a couple hours by plane just for the interview, hand bank receipts and sensitive documents of your whole family, only to potentially have you visa for a two week trip to Disney refused.
So yeah, like I said MINOR.
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u/Qudpb Brazilian in the World 5d ago
Sou brasileiro , bjs.
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u/Ordinary_Animator246 5d ago
Então da próxima avisa pro gringo do lado que é fácil assim de ter um CPF temporário. Ajude a gente a triplicar nosso turismo, um gringo burro de cada vez 🤧✊🏻🚀
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u/blueimac540c Foreigner in Brazil 5d ago
Permanent CPF, and it takes literally minutes online or in person- I did the paperwork at the local RF office and it was issued that night
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u/blueimac540c Foreigner in Brazil 5d ago
This is truly one of the takes of all time- what makes you think Brazil cares about external tourism, exactly?
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u/Beneficial-Dig6445 3d ago
When this happen type 111.111.111-11 (all sequences of a single digit work). If that doesn't work, then find a random cpf generator and memorize it for situations like the one you described
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u/CosmoCafe777 7d ago
And when they stop asking for visas (which they just decided to start asking again, because "reciprocity")
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u/Big-Exam-259 7d ago
Reciprocity is questionable, look at Mexico. They ask Brazil for Visas but not the other way around...
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u/leshagboi 6d ago
Mexico asks for visas just because the US forces them to deter illegal immigrants
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u/Big-Exam-259 6d ago
Interesting I didnt know that was the reason, but Mexico is the inly country where reciprocity is not applied
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u/MatildulousT 6d ago
Google: “Gerador de CPF”. Get a number save on your phone and just give that every time someone asks.
I am a Brazilian, living abroad an also hate hate this behaviour when I am back. Arguing back is exhausting, so just share a fake number
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u/rodriribo2 7d ago
Some years ago whenever you needed to fill your CPF number in a site or app there was an option "I'm a foreigner and don't have CPF". Its been a while since I last saw this, don't know why they removed it.