Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains answers to questions specific to Brazil. If your question is more general, you may find an answer in the International Volunteer Travel general FAQs page , to be directed there, click here.

Section1: Planning for Brazil Travel
Q1. What languages do I need to speak to be able to participate in your volunteer Brazil program?
Q2. When is the best time to participate in your programs?
Q3 When do the programs begin?
Q4. Where can I read more about Brazil?
Q5. What is the Weather like in Brazil?

Section 2: Traveling and Visa Issues
Q6. What kind of visa do I need? Do I need a work permit?
Q7. How much do I need to pay for a Brazil visa and how do I get one?
Q8. My Visa Processing in the city of entry will take time - will someone wait for me?
Q9. What Airport Should I Fly to?

Section 3: Fees and Money
Q12. How much money should I bring for food, transport and my personal expenses in Brazil?
Q13. What does my payment not cover?

Section 4: Living in Brazil
Q14.What language program is offered in the country I plan on going to, is it the Spanish Survival or the Language and culture program, and how long does it take?
Q15. How much time do I have to spend in your programs abroad?
Q16. Can you book me a hotel since I will be arriving earlier than the scheduled arrival date?
Q17. Where will I live during my time in your program in Brazil?
Q19. What are the living conditions like in Brazil?
Q20. What is the food like in Brazil?

Q1. What languages do I need to speak to be able to participate in your volunteer Brazil program?

Some knowledge of Portuguese or Spanish is recommended but not mandatory in most cases. If you can grasp a little, it will definitely take you a long way. The one-week Portuguese survival program will provide you with needed language skills.

Q2. When is the best time to participate in your programs?

Ans. Any time is just as good. This varies from country to country. In Brazil, any time is just as good.

Q3 When do the programs begin?

Ans. Beginning dates are Second (2nd) and Fourth (4th) Wednesday of each month.

Q4. Where can I read more about Brazil?

Ans. You can click here to go to the Brazil Country Profile Page, where you can read more about Brazil.

Q5. What is the Weather in Brazil like?

Ans. Brazil is a large country with five climatic regions. Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Salvador on the coast have warm climates balanced by the constancy of the Trade Winds, so that there doesn’t seem to be distinct seasons in this region. Although summer is between May and November, along the Atlantic coast from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, mean temperature in the year range from 73°F (23°C) to 81°F (27°C). Most of Brazil has moderate rainfall of between 39 to 59 inches (1,000 to 1,500 millimeters) a year, with most of the rain falling in the summer. The winters tend to be dry, albeit cooler. For more information on weather in Rio de Janeiro and other parts of Brazil, please go to braziltourism.org.

Section 2: Traveling and Visa Issues

Q6. What kind of visa do I need? Do I need a work permit?

You will need a tourist visa since you are categorized as a tourist because you do not get paid for any services you provide while in the country. For the same reason you do not need a work visa. A non-tourist visa is unnecessary, difficult to obtain and twice as expensive as the tourist visa.

Q7. How much do I need to pay for a Brazil visa and how do I get one?

Any traveler in Brazil can stay on a Brazilian TOURIST visa for 3 months at $100 US dollars for US citizens. The fee varies between USD 20.00 and above for other nationals; please refer to the Brazilian embassy in your country or refer to the link above.

Q8. Can I get my visa at the airport in Brazil?

Ans. Citizens of most countries including USA, Canada and Australia need a visa to enter Brazil. Citizens of some countries are exempted from visa requirements. If you need a visa to enter Brazil, you will not be able to get the visa at the airport in Rio de Janeiro. You must get the visa before beginning your trip to Brazil. Please refer to the Brazilian embassy website or the consulate in your country.

Q9. What Airport should I fly to?

Ans. You will fly to Rio de Janeiro international Airport (Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport). The conventional airport Code is GIG.

Section 3: Fees and Money

Q12. How much money should I bring for food, transport and my personal expenses in Brazil?

The amount of money you bring depend on you. Most participants can live on USD 20 per week for personal out of pocket expenses excluding food and transport. You can budget for about USD 5.00 per week for transport to and from project and USD 63 for your meals for a total of USD 68.00 per week. A weekend out will cost you between $ 200 and $500.

Q13. What does my payment cover?

Ans. Please go to the Brazil Fees page and our terms of service page to find out what the fee does and/or does not cover.

Section 4: Living in Brazil

Q14.What language program is offered in the country I plan on going to, is it the Spanish Survival or the Language and culture program, and how long does it take?

Ans. The Survival Portuguese program is offered in Brazil. The program takes one week and is mandatory for those staying for more than 3 weeks unless you have a working knowledge of a Latin Language including Portuguese, Spanish or Italian.

Q15. How much time do I have to spend in your programs abroad?

Ans. You can spend a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 24 weeks with our programs in Brazil.

Q16. Can you book me a hotel since I will be arriving earlier than the scheduled arrival date?

Ans. If you want us to book a hotel for you we can do that - it will mean though that weather you spend a night there or not you will have to refund the coordinator the cost of that hotel accommodation, if they pay for it, since the hotels wont refund it. The country coordinator can also provide you with telephone numbers of a few hotels that you can call up from the airport incase you miss your pickup.

Q17. Where will I live during my time in your program in Brazil?

Ans. Volunteers abroad and overseas interns in Brazil will most likely live in a special volunteers house, owned by our Brazil partner organization. Rarely, when there is an overflow in the house, overseas volunteers are housed in local youth hostels. The international volunteer house is equipped with cooking facilities so volunteers can prepare their own meals. International Volunteers and interns may also eat at local Brazilian restaurants. If you would rather stay at a hostel or hotel that can be arranged with costs borne independently by you.

Q19. What are the living conditions like in Brazil?

Ans. The volunteer house and the hostels will be economy accommodation but will have running water and electricity; you might have to share a room with another person of your gender.

Q20. What is the food like in Brazil?

Brazilian food is hard to define, but comes close to international cuisine: pasta, seafood, beef, and chicken. Except in Brazil, these are served with a regional flavor. Brazilian beef is made from open range and grass-fed cows making for a very lean beef which comes in uniquely Brazilian cuts such as picanha (tender rump steak), fraldinha (bottom sirloin), or alcatra (top sirloin). And of course, no Brazilian meal is complete without farofa and rice or black beans.