A visa is required for US citizens wishing to visit Brazil. Passports valid for at least six months from intended date of arrival must carry a visa for Brazil. Tourist or transit visas are generally processed within two working days. They are obtained through the nearest Brazilian Consulate. Two passport-size photographs, along with your round-trip ticket and a duly completed and signed application form are required to apply for your visa, valid for 90 days.

Brazil is an informal and casual country. Jackets and ties are not required anywhere, anytime. Sport clothes are the norm. During our winter – June, July and August, a light jacket or sweater may be advisable in the evenings, but only due to the weather.

« January 1st; « January 20th (in Rio de Janeiro only)
« Carnival week (4 days preceding Ash Wednesday)
« Good Friday (Easter Weekend)
« April 21st (Tiradentes – a Brazilian Hero;
« April 23rd (in Rio de Janeiro only)
« May 1st (Labor Day)
« Corpus Christi (variable date – between May and June)
« September 7th (Independence Day)
« October 12th (Religious feast – Our Lady of Aparecida)
« November 2nd (All Soul's Day;
« November 15th (Republic Day);
« November 20th (in Rio de Janeiro only)
« December 25th (Christmas)

Brazil is Latin America's largest country. It covers almost half (47.3%) of South America's territory, totaling an area equivalent to 8,547,403 square kilometers. It is the world's fifth largest country, following the Russian Federation, Canada, China, and the United States. Except for a minor number of islands, the Brazilian territory extension is uninterrupted and continuous. The Equator line crosses the northern country, next to Macapá, while the Capricorn Tropic crosses the southern country, next to São Paulo.
Brazil's east-west territorial extension (4,319.4 km) is almost equivalent to its widest north-south distance (4,397.7 km). Brazil borders with ten countries: the French Guyana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, and Colombia at north; Uruguay and Argentina at south; and Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru at west. Ecuador and Chile are the only two countries of South America with which Brazil makes no frontiers. The Atlantic Ocean extends along the entire Brazilian east cost, forming a 7,367-km seacoast.

The Brazilian monetary unit is the Real (R$). The exchange rate available to visitors is published daily in the newspaper along with the commercial dollar rate of the day used in official international business transactions. Cash and traveler checks, especially US Dollars, can be exchanged at most banks or exchange houses as well as the major hotels. All major credit cards are accepted in Brazil and some stores even accept foreign currency.

Portuguese is the mother language, although very different from that spoken in Portugal and other ancient Portuguese colonies. Some people state that currently Brazilians speak “Brazilish”, with a pretty different accent and intonation. A comparison can be made with the English spoken by American and English people:
each one has its own regional characteristics. Many Brazilians also speak German and Italian, especially in southern cities, thanks to the influence of colonization.