The CPF (or say pay effie) is a must-have if you are going to spend much time in Rio or make any major purchases. From what I can tell, it's like a Social Insurance Number in Canada (or "Social Security" number in the US). I have one. I was told when I got it that I would never need it. In reality, I need it all the time.
It's interesting to me that in a country where you are told explicitly never to give any information over the phone to anyone, (even so much as your name!) that we are asked for our CPF number constantly - in fact the other day when I was getting a manicure done, they asked me for it so they could put me in the computer system.
I guess the idea behind this is that the government can track the spending of its people because merchants are "required" to get the CPF of the customer whenever there a note fiscal or receipt is given. Obviously this does not happen every single time, but there have been many instances where I have been refused when I have been trying to buy things because I didn't give my CPF. (Things meaning big ticket items like furniture. At first I didn't always have it with me!)
I find this bureaucracy to be ridiculous, considering that I have yet to get an "accurate" head count for how many people live in Rio, let alone Brazil, and so on and so forth. This CPF tracking is an enormous waste of time and resources. A major frustration for foreigners (and I would imagine locals alike).
So if you are moving to Rio, make sure that you get a CPF... and don't be shocked that you might have to give some guy's brother $R50 to get it...
UGH!! You hit on one of my pet-peeves!! While I am willing to overlook whether the CPF is really necessary, why is it that any Brazilian can sign up for one (or get a replacement) through a simple procedure at any post office or Caixa Economica Federal, but foreigners have to actually go to the Receita Federal and stand in those aweful lines?? Because we don't have a voting title, and the system has no code (like the 999 beginning Social Security numbers for foreigners for the US) that can be entered in that line. The foreign population in Brazil is not large, but it ain't small either. You think they could spend the $$ to adapt the system to such instances!! Would it REALLY be THAT expensive? Our RNE is usually not understood by a lot of information systems either since it is a different format and issued by a different agency than the RG. Of course now that my US-based credit card has a Brazilian address, I don't fit in a lot of US internet shopping systems either. Kudos to stores that have spaces for foreign addresses!! Maybe Brazilian agencies could learn from them!!
Posted by: Corinne | July 28, 2008 at 08:26 PM
It does freak me out that they ask for your CPF at the hair salon. I just pretend i don't have one. If someone calls you out of the blue asking for your personal info and 'posing'as the telephone company. be carfeful!!! Identity theft exits here too
Posted by: Lisa the Canarioca | July 29, 2008 at 05:22 PM
Identity theft, not to mention those fake kidnappings where they pretend to have your family member... it is unfortunate that we have to be so closed off about information about ourselves and makes it hard to meet Brazilian friends in my opinion...
Posted by: DRL | July 30, 2008 at 03:22 PM
When living in Brazil and let's say you purchase something online at a US WebSite to be shipped back to Brazil - what happens? Can you do this? during the import process, so you still need to supply your CPF? Do you get excessively taxed? How does this work? Thanks in advance for your response.
Posted by: dan vionic | June 22, 2010 at 04:02 PM
Hi Dan - depending on the web site, you may be able to. Amazon ships books and DVDs to Brazil. Last time I shipped something, I paid 70% in import fees, just depends...
Posted by: Daily Rio Life | June 24, 2010 at 01:40 AM
Creditors 4 have better memories than debtors . haaa
Posted by: New Balance 574 | October 15, 2010 at 10:31 PM