About mrsomerset

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Male

Currently Lives:

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Citizen Of:

United States

Some Forum Posts:

Brazil: Home Schooling in Brazil Legal or Not?:

I recall reading a few articles here and there about home schooling in Brazil. The conclusion was that under current law it's illegal. It's kind of ironic, obviously, given the drop out rates. Have you considered hiring a private tutor to help? Alternatively, you can buy lots of material online these days and help your child out yourself. On Amazon I have been able to get a number of good books. The Brainquest series are popular. Other ones include Math Made Easy, Reading and Understanding Science, etc. You will see in the online reviews which ones are good and actually used by homeschoolers in the US.

Brazil: 90 days almost up. Options on Tourist visa:

What you are talking about doing is pretty typical in my experience though it's been years since I or any of my friends have had to do that sine we have permanent residency visas now. I have never heard of a minimum stay outside of Brazil for 90-day renewals - I think most people do a weekend like you are saying. Have you tried talking directly with anyone from the Policia Federal? I once had a question about my daughter's passport expiring and asked the PF agent at the entrance to the immigration check at the international airport and he was pretty helpful - probably more effective than going to an actual PF station and trying to get an appointment. You probably have to speak Portuguese though.

Brazil: Leaving Brasil - how to get hold of FGTS?:

You can try to make a deal with your employer - ask to be fired and promise to reimburse back to them the additional costs. The additional costs, generally speaking, are a 40% fine they pay on your FGTS balance. Being fired will free up your FGTS for withdrawal. This type of arrangement is not unheard of in Brazil. You just will have to see how flexible your employer is.

Brazil: Potential Move to Rio:

The travel time between your husband's work and the school will likely be at least an hour and could be up to 2 hours, depending on the time of day. So you really will need to see about where you want to be closer - to his work or the school. I would suggest considering the Lagoa as a half-way point. There are many nice places to live with beautiful views of the lagoon, however, they are almost all apartment buildings. If you want a house with a garden you may consider Gavea - up the hill you will find lots of houses available. If you are open to it, you may consider an alternative school - the Escola Suica-Brasileira (http://www.esb-rj.com.br/). They offer bilingual instruction in French and Portuguese. They are located in Barra - a much safer neighborhood and much more modern - which is also right next door to Jacarepagua. In Barra you can find houses with gardens....

Brazil: Looking to Immigrate to Brazil:

One of your biggest issues, just like for everyone, will be getting a visa. One thing that people do to address this is get an investor visa by investing in a company / project in Brazil that will employ Brazilians. I suggest you research the requirements for this since you would be able to kill two birds with one stone by doing so.

Brazil: Ranking of brazilian beer:

I agree that the Baden Baden red ale is good stuff. However, I was disappointed by the Baden Baden cristal and also the Therezopolis Gold. Neither had any significant flavor that I can recall. I am surprised that you ranked them so high. I have not tried the Colorado stuff but probably will do so now. You left out the more interesting Devassa beers - the red, the dark and the Pale Ale. Also, what about the Baden Baden dark and bock beers?

Brazil: need an invitation letter:

If you are travelling with your family then why don't you just go with a tourist visa? You can then go to some business meetings while you are on vacation.

Brazil: Help - considering moving to Rio from the US:

R$20k + a company car should provide a pretty good standard of living, depending a lot, however, on whether you have kids. Also, you need to know if a health plan is included that covers you and your family (because that can be expensive). Important thing when looking at renting apartments is to understand that you will be expected to pay rent (aluguel) + IPTU (property tax) + condo fee (taxas/condominio). So be careful to add all of those up when comparing. As well, many, if not nearly all, places will require a "fiador'" (guarantor). If you don't have someone who can co-sign then you may have to buy the guarantee ("seguro fiador") as fewer and fewer people accept a 3-month deposit as guarantee. Lastly, costs will vary based on size, location and whether they are furnished. Much better if you can get the company to act as fiador - definitely ask for that. So, assume you have approx. 25% of income taxes - that leaves you R$ 15k/month. I live in Barra, so I am not sure about Ipanema, and it really depends on where you live (e.g. near a favela, near the beach, etc.) but let's assume it's R$ 4k all in (rent+condo+fees). That leaves R$ 11k/month for everything else. So that's pretty good. However, private school per kid could cost you R$ 1.5k - R$ 2k /month, depending on the school. For more info on renting apartments and there costs, you can check out The Rio Times - I have seen articles there about this. Don't forget that in Brazil you should get a 13th salary every year + some extra for vacation (ferias) and you accumulate FGTS on top (7%/month).

Brazil: Registration hell in Brazil!:

How does it work in the UK? Do you have any UK documents at all the use your married name? If so, could you consider presenting them as support?

Brazil: Transporting used cars to Brasil:

When you move to Brazil on a work or permanent residency visa, you can import (I think just once) all the personal effects you want and not pay taxes. HOWEVER, you will need to make a detailed list of all this as I believe (I am not sure) is that the agreement is that you will take it all back once you leave. I strongly suggest you contract the Brazilian consulate in LA to talk about this and double-check by talking with some international movers who do a lot of US-Brazil business. Do not accept just 1 answer - make sure you check multiple sources. As well, if you are fluent in Portuguese, you may even check out the official government sites, like the one for the Receita Federal, to see if they have any info. Last point - I definitely agree that taking any expensive car to Brazil is simply asking for lots of trouble - don't do it unless you will be working for the government in Brasilia.

Date Joined:

5/2/2010

Total Posts:

14

Posts/Day:

0.01