Guide for International Students

Dear New Student,

We are delighted to welcome you to our University. The next few years will be a period of exciting changes as well as academic and personal growth for you.

Moving to a new country could be trying in many ways and in Brazil, one of the first challenges will be the bureaucracy.

The motivation of this guide is to help you with the first legal and bureaucratic requirements, starting off on how to obtain your visa,

Once you arrive, you must take steps to legalize your stay in the country and become a member of our community, by registering with the University and create your own PUC-Rio e-mail address.

Visa Information

The Brazilian Consulate in your country of residency is the only legitimate source of information on what is required to have your student visa issued. On this page, you will find links to the Consulates addresses and a list of the main paperwork required.

Fiscal Requirement – CPF (Cadastro de Pessoa Física)

You must register with the Internal Revenue to have your personal tax number. As a student, you will not pay taxes, however, this number is required to open a bank accounts, rent an apartment, purchase mobile chip numbers and so on.

Immigrant Registration – (Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório)

As an immigrant, you must register with the Federal Police and have a Brazilian Identification Document issued. The application is online, most of it in Portuguese and, at the end of the process, you must schedule an appointment for a personal interview at the Federal Police Bureau (Unidade), located at Santos Dumont Airport, in the city centre of Rio de Janeiro.

It is very important that the interview is held within 90 days of your arrival date. Some of the steps of the process are translated on this page and the form to be taken to the interview is at the bottom of the page for download.

Open a Bank Account

The procedure described here is valid for any bank. However, students awarded a grant by the CNPq must provide a Banco do Brasil account number.

PUC Online and E-mail Address

You must register on the PUC Online system, where all academic procedures are made

You should also create an e-mail address at the University domain (@puc-rio.br). This will allow you to use software licensed to the students and join in online classe

Additional information, helpful tips and academic queries can be obtained at the Secretary of your Department. However, please, feel free to get in contact or visit us at the Dean’s Offices, located at the address below.

Decanato do Centro Técnico Científico
12th Floor of the Ed. Cardeal Leme
RJ 22451-900
Brazil
Mobile: +5521993770296
E-mail: bluma@puc-rio.br

VISA Information

VISA Information

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the only Government agency responsible for issuing visas, via its diplomatic representations abroad. 

Visas are never granted within the Brazilian territory. 

Therefore, foreign citizens planning to study here must apply for a Temporary Visa IV: as a student (“Visto Temporário IV: na condição de estudante”), prior to their arrival in Brazil. 

General information on Brazilian visas can be found at:

https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/assuntos/portal-consular/vistos/informacoes-sobre-vistos-para-estrangeiros-viajarem-ao-brasil#outrostipos

Information on the complete list of requirements, deadlines, fees and payment methods, open hours and so on, applicants must contact the Brazilian Consulate in their country of residency.

Required Paperwork:

Only the main documents are listed below:

  • original passport, valid for at least 6 (six) months;
  • recent (at least 6 months) photograph, facing front in a plain/white background;
  • the original of the acceptance letter from the Coordination or the Department of your Programme;
  • proof of financial standing to support yourself during your stay in Brazil or, if you are the recipient of a grant or scholarship, the original letter from the agency or institution;
  • an international yellow fever vaccination certificate, depending on your country of origin.

The online application form and additional information can be found on:

https://formulario-mre.serpro.gov.br/sci/pages/web/ui/#/passaporte-visto

Additional Paperwork:

If your filiation is not stated in your passport, you must take a document that contains this information. The Consulate will inform you if it must be translated, notarized and/or apostilled to be valid in Brazil.

NOTE: If you are a recipient of a grant or scholarship from a Brazilian Agency/Institution, make sure to have enough funds to support yourself for a period of, AT LEAST, two months.

Registration for the Individual Tax Registration (Cadastro de Pessoa Física – CPF)

This is the first document to be issued upon arrival.

The registration is made online (in Portuguese).

https://www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/inscrever-no-cpf

Once there, you should go to:

Etapas para realizar este serviço

Then, scroll down to

If this option is not available, go directly to the form: (see the translation below)

https://servicos.receita.fazenda.gov.br/Servicos/CPF/InscricaoCpfEstrangeiro/default.asp

It should generate your CPF number after submitting (Enviar)

If, after submitting the form, a confirmation slip (protocolo) is generated, you will need to make an appointment (agendamento) at the Receita Federal Bureau (Unidade), taking the protocolo and the required documents. See list below. 

https://servicos.receita.fazenda.gov.br/Servicos/saga/agendamento/RegrasAgendamento.aspx

It is all in Portuguese and you must accept the rules first (Li e concordo) and then click avançar

You must fill out the protocolo number and your date of birth (Data de nascimento)

The address below is the Unidade closest to PUC-Rio Campus:

Receita Federal (Internal Revenue) (By appointment only)
Address: Rua Barão da Torre, 296, Ipanema
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 17:00, from Monday to Friday

As an alternative to applying online or having to make the appointment at the Receita Federal, you can go to one of the federal banks or to the Post Office. There is a R$ 7,00 fee.

The branches closest to the Campus are:

Banco do Brasil – Gávea Branch
Address: Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 10, Gávea
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 16:00, from Monday to Friday

Caixa Economica Federal – Gávea Branch
Address: Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 52, Gávea (inside the Shopping da Gávea)
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 16:00, from Monday to Friday

Correios (Post Office) – Leblon 
Address: Av. Ataulfo de Paiva 822, Leblon
Opening Hours: 9:00 – 17:00, from Monday to Friday

Required Paperwork:

  • your passport with the copy of your visa;
  • a document that states your mother’s name, if that information is not on your passport;
  • proof of residence – a utility bill, such as the electricity, gas, cable tv or landline phone bill.

The form translated 

See the location of the Receita Federal Office in Ipanema on the map below:

REGISTRATION WITH THE FEDERAL POLICE - NATIONAL MIGRATION REGISTRATION CARD (CRNM)

Students issued a Consulate temporary visa must register at the Federal Police within ninety days, counting from the date of entry in the country.

At the end of the process, you will receive a National Migration Registration Card, (CRNM – Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório), which will be your Brazilian ID. 

Once the permission is granted, you will receive a National Migration Registration Card, CRMN), which will be your Brazilian ID.

The process for registration of immigrant holding a temporary visa starts online at:

https://www.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/registrar-se-como-estrangeiro-no-brasil

An English version of this page can be found here. 

However, please note that this version might not be available or working proplerly, .

The prints that follow are from Etapas para realização deste serviço on. (The accessible links can be found after the pictures):

List of documents: a translated version of the list can be found here.

Application Form you can choose “English” on the dropdown menu, on top right, if you get the Portuguese version.

TIP: On the Main Occupation menu, chose 930 ESTUDANTE from the list.

After you summit the form, a “Protocolo” (confirmation slip) will be generated. It must be printed and signed.

You will need the "Código de Solicitação" (application code number) to schedule the interview.

GRU (Guia de recolhimento) – Payment form 

Once you summit the form (Gerar), a payment slip will be generated to be printed and paid.

It must be reissued, if you miss the due date.

Schedule an appointment

Make sure your interview is scheduled within 90 days of your date of entry.

To sum up:

Fill out the form,

Check the list of documents (to register with a temporary visa) here.

Pay the (GRU)

Schedule an interview: scheduling form

You can check the status of your process here

The declaration of e-mail address and other means of contact can be found here.

The translation can be found at the end of this page.

The interview is held at:

Santos Dumont Airport 

Praça Senador Salgado Filho, s/n° – Rio de Janeiro – RJ
CEP: 20021-340
Location: Departure terminal – first floor

How to Get There:

The airport is located on the city center and there are a number of ways to get there.

By Bus:

You can check the numbers and itineraries for the bus lines on the English version of their website:
http://www.vadeonibus.com.br

By Taxi:

On Taxi-Rio App it is possible to estimate of the costs before calling for a taxi. (In Portuguese)

By VLT/MetroRio:

There is no metro station at the airport. You need to catch a VLT (tram) on Cinelândia station. There is an English version of the site below and an App. However, you might be directed to information in Portuguese:

https://www.metrorio.com.br/

Translation_Declaration of e-mail address and other means of contact

 

Procedure to Open a Bank Account

It is mandatory to have the CPF and the Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório – CRNM or the Policia Federal registration Protocolo (confirmation slip) to OPEN the bank account.

Most traditioanl banks offer the option of opening an account via their app. However, there might be restrictions if you were awarded a grant from State or Federal Agency. Please, cheque before you open an account via an App or on a Virtual Bank.

There are two branches at the Campus, Banco Itau and Santander, however, the students awarded a grant from CNPq might be requiered to provide a Banco do Brasi account number.

The nearest branches of the bank are listed below.

  • Agência Gávea
    Address: Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 10 – Gávea
    Opening Hours: 10:00 – 16:00, from Monday to Friday
  • Agência Jardim Botânico
    Address: Rua Jardim Botânico 707, Jardim Botânico
    Opening Hours: 10:00 – 16:00, from Monday to Friday
  • Agência Leblon
    Address: Av. Bartolomeu Mitre, 438, Leblon
    Opening Hours: 10:00 – 16:00, from Monday to Friday

Required Paperwork: (Note:Most banks allow openning an account via app, however, the following paperwork must be present at a branch for verification.) 

  • the original of the CPF;
  • the original of your CRNM or the application (protocolo) for the Police registration;
  • the original of your passport;
  • a document that verifies your mother’s name, if that information is not on your passport;
  • proof of income – a letter from the department stating that you’ll receive a grant;
  • proof of residence – an original of a utility bill (electricity, gas, landline telephone and cable services) in your name.

If you do not have a bill on your name yet, you must present a declaration from your landlord, stating that you live on that address, a copy of their ID and a copy of the bill on their name, dated within the last two months.

The signature on the declaration must be notarized by a Public Notary.

PUC Online for Students

Once you have your registration number, you must register at the Academic System (SAU) – where you will manage your academic life – on the “PUC Online para Alunos” at:

http://www.puc-rio.br/ensinopesq/academicas/

On the form that follows, you will be asked:

  • to fill out your name exactly as it is on your admission form (abbreviations and accent marks included);
  • for your address;
  • for your mother’s name;
  • to create a password.

After you are registered at SAU, you can either access the system and check the list of services available or go to the RDC site to open your PUC-Rio e-mail account.

E-mail Account

You will only be able to open a student e-mail account after you are enrolled and are registered at PUC Online.

Go to:
https://mailadm.rdc.puc-rio.br/CncMail/WebCncLogin.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fCncMail%2f

Fill out the form with your registration number (no check digit) and your PUC Online password.

The user address will be: login-name@alunopuc-rio.br.

The password must have 8 to 16 digits (letters and/or numbers) and does not need to be the same created for the PUC Online.

Tips on login names:

The user should avoid choosing a login name:

  • The user should avoid choosing a login name:
  • that may be offensive;
  • that may be associated to any trademarks or legal entity, other than PUC-Rio;
  • that may be confused with institutional login of the organizational units of PUC-Rio;
  • that is made up exclusively by words of generic use, such as “student”, “engineer”, “graduate” etc.

You can access your account, via webmail at:
https://webmail.aluno.puc-rio.br/

Further information on RDC can be found, in Portuguese, at:
http://www.rdc.puc-rio.br

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