How to get a CPF

A CPF is an 11-digit tax id. Every contract, PIX, phone plan, and lease asks for it. Foreigners can get one. It is free at the Receita and at consulates.

Get it before you fly

If you are a foreigner living abroad, go to the Brazilian consulate that covers where you live. Bring a passport, proof of address, and the FCPF form from the Receita site. Consular inscription is the reliable path.

The email channel ([email protected]) is for Brazilians abroad. Do not build a foreigner’s move on it.

Get it in Brazil

After you land, apply at:

• Receita Federal (book an appointment)
• Some Banco do Brasil and Caixa branches
• Correios in some cities

Bring your passport and a local address you can write down. Branches may charge a small fee. A despachante will do this if the queue is absurd.

You get the number quickly. The plastic card is not the point. Write the number down. You will type it daily.

What the CPF is not

It is not permission to work. It is not a visa. It is not an RG or a CRNM. Holding a CPF does not make you tax-resident. Earning money here will, and the Receita will want this number.

After you have it

• Open Nubank or similar
• Buy a SIM
• Sign a lease
• Register on gov.br
• File IRPF if you become resident for tax

Treat the number like a password that many offices also hold. Brazil leaks data. Do not post it in public photos of your CRNM.