DRI - Practical Information

Public Transport

Rio de Janeiro’s public transport system comprises bus lines, subways, trains and ferryboats. Click here for more info.

UFRJ's campuses are Ilha do Fundão, Praia Vermelha and Macaé. Besides, there are several off campus faculties, located mainly in Rio's downtown.

Housing

UFRJ does not offer on campus accommodation to exchange students.

We recommend that appropriate housing arrangements are made prior to the student's arrival.

As commuting can be challenging due to traffic jams, it is important to find accomodation close to campus.

Banking

Many banks offer university accounts with low fees.

The documents usually required to open a bank account in Brazil are:

Identification document with photo;

CPF (taxpayer registry) which can be issued abroad at the Brazilian Consulates or online upon arrival.

Proof of residence;

Proof of enrollment at the university.

Bank agencies are open from 10 AM to 4 PM, while there are 24/7 ATMS available all around the city.

Real (R$) is Brazil's currency. Payments are possible with credit, debit and prepaid cards with international coverage. You can also withdraw Reais in ATMs.

Phone

To purchase a GSM chip, you may go to a mobile operator store with a valid passport or simply to a newspaper stand. There you can purchase prepaid cards with credits to use the voice and data services offered by the mobile operator of your choice.

The Brazilian international telephone code is +55.

Intercity calls: 0 + operator’s code + city code + phone

International calls: 00 + operator’s code + country code + phone

To make a collect call, substitute the first 0 for 90.

To call to service phones (900, 0800, 0900, etc) it is not needed to include the operator’s code.

Climate

Rio de Janeiro has a tropical climate. The average annual temperature is 22° Celsius, with higher temperatures during the summer (December to March). In the winter, a sweater shall be enough.