Brazil eSIM

Brazil's local prepaid lines are tied to the CPF tax number, so a visitor's easiest route online is an eSIM installed before the flight to São Paulo or Rio. Once you land, your phone becomes the way you talk to everyone, because hotels, guides and restaurants here run on WhatsApp, and it's also the thing thieves want most on Copacabana.

What a week of data costs in Brazil

Prices for 7 days of data, checked on 3 November 2026. Daily passes charge for each day you use your phone abroad, per phone.

For a family of four on Verizon, that's $336 for one week. If you're on Vodafone Portugal, its Brazil pass is good value; most other home-carrier passes are small or charge by the day. The Brazilian tourist eSIMs are cheap for data, but you can only switch them on after you land.

Landing at São Paulo (GRU), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Brasília (BSB), Salvador (SSA) or Foz do Iguaçu (IGU)

Most long-haul flights land at São Paulo Guarulhos or Rio Galeão. Brasília, Salvador and Foz do Iguaçu take connecting and some regional international flights. Switch the kimsim line on as the plane taxis to the gate, so you can message your driver before you reach passport control.

Visas first. Since 10 April 2025, citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia need an e-visa for tourism, applied for only on the official portal, brazil.vfsevisa.com. The fee is US$80.90. British citizens can visit visa-free for up to 90 days. Your passport needs 6 months' validity, and make sure the officer stamps it. Other nationalities should check before booking.

In order: turn on Data Roaming for the kimsim line only, go through passport control, collect your bags and pass customs. Operators sell SIMs and tourist eSIMs at the big airports, and Vivo has promoted its tourist eSIM at Guarulhos and Brasília. With your eSIM already working, you can walk past them.

Getting a ride. The UK Foreign Office warns about unregulated drivers posing as ride-hailing drivers, especially at airports. Book in the official app and wait at the marked pick-up point. At Rio Galeão, Uber picks up international arrivals on the departures floor at door D, and taxi counters are in Terminal 2 arrivals. The BRT Transcarioca bus leaves Terminal 2 arrivals for Vicente de Carvalho, where you change to Metro Line 2.

From Guarulhos: a free automated people mover links Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to Aeroporto-Guarulhos station on CPTM Line 13-Jade, with shuttle buses outside its hours. Uber works across São Paulo, including airport trips.

Networks and coverage

Brazil has three national mobile networks: Vivo, Claro and TIM. Algar is a smaller regional operator. Oi no longer runs a mobile network: the sale of Oi's mobile business to TIM, Vivo and Claro closed on 20 April 2022, so older guides that mention Oi are out of date. Your phone shows the Brazilian network's name, not kimsim.

5G is growing fast. The Ministry of Communications expects at least one 5G site in 2,220 municipalities by the end of 2026, covering around 80% of the population. That doesn't mean every street in those towns has it. Outside the cities, expect 4G.

Coverage is generally good in São Paulo, Rio, Brasília and the coastal cities. Expect long gaps in the Amazon away from Manaus, across the Pantanal wetlands, in the Lençóis Maranhenses dunes and on boat trips. Lodges there often rely on their own Wi-Fi.

The networks your plan uses are listed above.

Rio, São Paulo, Bahia and the wild places

• Rio de Janeiro: the Foreign Office says thefts affecting British visitors happen most around Copacabana, Ipanema and Lapa. Leave the phone in the hotel safe for the beach, or carry an old one.
• São Paulo: a huge, spread-out city where you'll lean on ride apps and the metro. Keep your phone away when you're on a train.
• Salvador and Bahia: the old town, beaches and coastal villages. Download an offline map before you head down the coast.
• Florianópolis: an island of beaches, where signal is generally fine in the towns. Save your hotel's address offline for the drive across.
• Iguaçu: the falls sit on the border with Argentina, and the Friendship Bridge links Foz do Iguaçu with Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. A Brazil plan stops at the border, so plan your stops and see how regional plans work.
• Amazon (Manaus): good signal in the city, very little on the rivers. The Foreign Office advises against travel to some river areas in western Amazonas.
• Pantanal and Lençóis Maranhenses: plan for long stretches offline. Tell someone your route before you go.
• Fernando de Noronha: TIM switched on 5G on the island in April 2024, but expect gaps on remote beaches.

Getting around

Brazil is enormous, so domestic flights are the normal way between Rio, São Paulo, Salvador, Foz do Iguaçu and Manaus. In cities, use the metro or a ride app. The Foreign Office says not to hail taxis in the street, to use the authorised taxi booths at airports, and to avoid using a phone on trains, where thefts happen. Long-distance coaches cover the rest, often overnight, so download tickets and maps first.

Apps worth having

• Uber works in São Paulo and Rio. 99 is a Brazilian ride app. Set both up at home, because sign-up can send a code by text to your usual number. Use trip sharing, and check the car's plate before you get in.
• WhatsApp is how hotels, guides and many restaurants take bookings and send messages. Log in before you leave, and keep your WhatsApp number working abroad.
• Maps: Google Maps or Waze for driving, and Moovit or Google Maps for buses and the metro. Download offline areas for any trip into the Pantanal or the Amazon.
• iFood for food delivery. Like the ride apps, set it up at home in case it texts a code.
• Pix is Brazil's instant payment system, run by the central bank. It moves money between Brazilian bank accounts, so most visitors can't use it. Bring a card that works abroad.

SIM and phone rules

Prepaid lines are tied to a CPF. Since November 2021, a new Brazilian prepaid chip is activated by entering a CPF tax number, date of birth and postcode, then sending a selfie and a photo of your ID. Claro says foreigners without a CPF must activate a prepaid SIM in one of its shops, with a passport.

Tourist eSIMs from the operators skip the CPF. Claro flex pass needs your passport number and an address in Brazil, and Vivo's tourist plan takes a passport number. You switch them on after you arrive.

A travel eSIM is installed at home and roams as a visitor, so there's no CPF, no shop visit and no registration.

Common mistakes

• Using your phone at the kerb. The Foreign Office says thieves target phones, especially between 4pm and 9pm, and advises against using one in the street. Step into a shop to check your map. Keep your order email somewhere you can reach from another device, and read what to do if your phone is lost or stolen.
• Planning to buy a SIM at the airport. Without a CPF, a normal prepaid SIM means a shop visit. Install your eSIM on Wi-Fi before you fly.
• Leaving Data Roaming on for your home line. That's where daily charges start. Why roaming goes on for the kimsim line only
• Crossing to Argentina or Paraguay on a Brazil plan. The Argentine side of Iguaçu Falls and Ciudad del Este are a short drive away. How regional plans work
• No way to call for help. Police are 190 and ambulance 192. A data-only eSIM can't dial them, so use your home line or any local phone.

More on Brazil

• Does WhatsApp work with a travel eSIM? Keep your number
• How much data do I need for a week abroad?
• eSIM vs roaming: which is cheaper for your trip?

How we put this page together

We checked operators' own pages, Anatel's prepaid rules, Brazil's consular e-visa page, carriers' roaming price pages, airport pages and the other sources noted above on 1–3 November 2026, and we'll keep them up to date. We haven't measured speeds or coverage in Brazil ourselves, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.