Funny, another night, Valeria even started asking me for her requests since she said I had better luck than her. Brazilians always did what they could to accommodate. Oh, by the way, yes you can get a hotel room in Ipanema for R$ 60. 

Somehow during the month we did manage to look at several homes and decided on a long vacant Mediterranean off Av. Sernambetiba “on the beach”. The casa needs a lot of work but the price was right, R$ 450,000 for 6 bedrooms, two kitchens, bunch of baths and two large living areas indoors and a huge enclosed patio outside. What a future beautiful home, verandas with clay roof everywhere, thick white concrete walls gardens, guest villa; I could just imagine how great it will look after years of intense work. 

Juliana at MR IMOVEIS handled all the investigation and negotiations for me. I also asked her to find out what the deal was with the kioski’s on the beach. A resident can actually buy the 12x24ft beach building from the city starting at R$ 33,000. An established one in Ipanema was offered to me by the owner for R$ 90,000, must be gringo price. I placed a deposit on the house and obtained the application to purchase one of the vacant kiosks in Barra, (there are no vacant ones anywhere else). I was then instructed to set up a bank account in Rio to facilitate the deal. In Brasil you have to deposit the full purchase price in a bank at the time the seller delivers the good title to the real estate to the same bank. Everyone waits about a month then the money is given to the seller, minus the 2% government transfer tax and the new title is given to the buyer.

I took Laura (I always took Laura; I promised her mom I wouldn’t leave her alone in this dangerous third world country) and Valeria, our interpreter, on Thursday and went right to the Banco do Brasil on Friday, we didn’t leave until 2pm and sat in traffic until everyone was closed. Go to the bar; next day...back to the bank. I was told Banco do Brasil is authorized to open accounts, including checking, savings, and credit card on a tourist visa. PROBLEM, you must have a CPF number first or you can’t open an account. A CPF is a Brasilian government issued number similar to a Social Security number. To obtain the CPF you must hire a certified translator (US Consulate referral list) to translate your original birth certificate and passport. I got lucky to find one on the 12th floor of our Barra Bella. R$ 30. Then these stamped papers are taken to the Policia Federal to be registered and a Brasilian ID card ordered. Laura and I next went to Ipanema square to the Receta Federal (right next to Notre Dame on Rua Barao de Torre) and waited in long non air conditioned lines to hand the certified stamped and registered papers over. 

We had to run over to Banco do Brasil to pay a R$ 4,50 and then return to Receta Federal with the receipt before they would accept the paperwork. This process took 5 days, and then we were told to return after 2 days to pick up the number. The Bank closes early and the lines are incredibly long. Almost any utility bill or business you can think of is conducted at Banks. I guess people don’t mail bills here. It creates quite a bottleneck. I also originally thought the fee was R$450 not 4.50 and wasted a day running back to Barra to see my favorite money changer in Barra Shopping mall ground floor exit P. 

Laura and I returned to Receta Federal to find they were simply giving me the number written on a receipt for the CPF. The actual card would be sent to my brasil address I provided them. I accomplished this by giving a copy of my Barra Bella rental receipt and saying it was for a year lease paid monthly. You can also provide a bill in your name with the local address on it.

We took the receipt for CPF to the Banco do Brasil to open an account. PROBLEM, no banks open accounts on tourist visa’s anymore. I tried several different branches and even other banks like Bank Boston, Citibank; no luck. Well getting a business or journalist visa won’t work and it’s only good for 90 day stays. A work visa takes two months to receive and involves first proving to the Brasilian Ministry of Labor that you’re the administrator manager or director of an existing Brasilian corporation, or work for an existing Brasilian or foreign corporation authorized to do business in Brasil by the Brasilian Ministry of Labor, renewed every two years.

Obviously the best way is to go ahead and get a Permanent Visa. I took the following directly from the Brazilian Embassy in Miami web page:  http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/hispanic/brazil/resources/brazil-embassies.html

Permanent visas may be granted to individuals intending to establish residence in Brazil Issuance of a Permanent Visa may be considered if the applicant: 

1. Has previous authorization from the Ministry of External Relations, requested by the employer, Presenting contract of work approved by the
    Ministry of Labor in Brazil. 

2. Shows proof of financial means to promote a direct investment in Brazil (for a minimum amount of   US$ 200,000.00).

3. Is a retired person whose pension (minimum of US$ 2,000.00 per month per person) can be regularly. Transferred to Brazil.

4. Is a member of the clergy and belongs to a religious order or congregation established in Brazil. 

5. One is a relative of a Brazilian citizen or alien permanent resident in Brazil. 

Required Documents 

Proof of residence (income tax, telephone bill or other). 
Passport - original or certified copy showing name, number, place, date of issuance and date of expiration 
Certificate of birth. 
Certificate of marriage (if applicable). 
Police certificate of no criminal record issued within 90 days, for applicants over 16 years of age. 

The Ministry of Health provides health coverage for all employed persons in industry, commerce, domestic servants, and self-employed; public employees have a separate system. Workers in Brazil are eligible for medical benefits including medical and dental treatment, hospital treatment, and medicines. Services provided include general and specialist care; hospitalization; and dental care. Dependents receive the same benefits as the insured. 

Brazilian tax legislation provides that taxes may be levied on income and capital gains earned by individuals residing in Brazil from sources abroad, as well as income and capital gains received in Brazil by individuals residing abroad. Once someone becomes a resident taxpayer (especially when a permanent working visa is granted), individual income tax is due both under withholding basis and yearly return.

Laura, Valeria, Marcelle and I decided to go to Buzios for the week and forget about this for a while. We rented a tiny car for about R$ 70 per day including insurance and drove the two hours west northwest to the little resort peninsula. What a beautiful town, crystal clear water, baby powder beaches, the streets are slabs of dark stone, the stores are quaint and unique and the restaurants are excellent.

Chez Michou for the best crepes ever filled with anything you want, and Estancia Don Juan for the best aged argentine open flame grilled steaks I’ve had south of Chicago. For bars; Guapo Loco’s and another outdoor club, Fashion Cafe, located next to Rua das Pedras, were a blast, dancing and brandy bombs! I even managed to sneak out with a brasilian Bo Derek hair doo look alike who probably needed help with her rent. 

We stayed at Chez Pitu resort right on Geriba beach R$ 120 night including breakfast and lunch. They even left the bar open for us as long as we bought whole bottles of liquor from them. We managed to eat the free breakfast by staying out all night, (meeting locals and going to house parties then stumbling in as the sun came up). We would sit at breakfast laughing and drinking in the clothes we wore the night before as families awoke early for a new exciting day on the beach. Besides some European standing on his balcony in tighty whiteys unintelligibly yelling at us one night; when Laura screamed she was chased by pitbulls, escaped in the ocean and I had to buy a window, can’t remember anything else; every thing else was so happy. I think it was 5 days.

Back in Rio; mail check; my Brasilian ID card was here! Hum, I took the card then took my Barra Bella rental agreement a copy of my certified translated ID and my CPF number and receipt to a Banco do Brasil in Tijuca (a local’s area of Rio near Tijuca forest) and Presto! I had a bank account. Now, I need to get the money in there and close on the house. PROBLEM, I can’t wire the money from my US bank to Brasil until I return to US in person. Fine, the month is over anyway and I need to get home to pack my things for the move. I made arrangements to wire the money to my new account in Brasil. 

Wow, a wonderful fun filled month just to open an account. Can’t wait to come back and close on the house. Bye bye Val, bye Marcelle, love you, miss you...Come on Laura; I gotta get you back to your mom. I don’t need a chaperone anymore.