Welcome to São Paulo.

It has no wall-to-wall skyscrapers like Manhattan, but São Paulo is the heart of Brazil’s business life, and where Manhattan rises, São Paulo sprawls. It is vast: most travelers see American or European cities as villages in comparison. Be ready for the differences – traffic jams at 3 a.m., men pulling horse carts, guava or papaya or mango at all meals, a city where even the kids are expert salesmen. You’re moving to the most important city in South America, a place where expatriates soon learn to blend in, talk Portuguese, and enjoy life like Brazilians. Let us help you get started.

Getting There
Get it right first time – book your tickets here, check out visas and permits, find yourself a hotel or interim housing, and prepare yourself for culture shock! Need a work permit? Advice on bringing a pet? Vaccinations? Renting a car? Find it here.

Living There
Morumbi or Moema? Where do you live? Is there an English-speaking realtor? Any good doctors out there, dentists? Is it worth buying a car? How do you hook up a phone and find a cell phone? Find a church? And where can you get some flying sushi?

Raising Kids There
All the critical stuff: first-rate schools and childcare recommendations. How will the locals treat them? How safe are the streets and parks? And where can you bring them on those long hot days – Ibirapuera Park? Hopi Hari? Any good water worlds? And where do you dress in clothes that don’t cost the world but look a treat?

Playing There
Brazilians love to have fun. And whatever your interests – sightseeing, keeping fit, cinema, Bossa Nova, music, art, food, English libraries, nightclubs, beaches, spas, weekend trips – we’ll help you find them.

Working There
How do Brazilians do business? Learn the inside track on business etiquette as well as details of how to start a branch or main business in Brazil. Need an office, banker, lawyer, accountant, courier, translator, staff? Find them here.

Spouse Survival Kit
So you are here with your partner? Does that mean you have to sit at home? Our survival kit helps you make the leap – form friendships, find work, join clubs, network, take courses, keep busy.


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