Sweet Home Floripa, Florianópolis, Brazil

Dreaming about living in Brazil usually includes fantasies about tropical rain forests, surfing on perfect waves, or dancing the samba with thousands of happy revelers.  In other words, Brazil means good health!  However, ensuring that you remain healthy in Brazil requires planning and forethought.  A good health care plan is fundamental for all expatriates.  Sweet Home Floripa would like to spotlight the international health-care services and insurance provided by the UK firm, Aviva. 

Aviva offers a comprehensive international health care plan called International Solutions.  This service is
for those who will be living overseas for more than six months out of the year.  (They also have a separate
traveler’s insurance.)  International Solutions helps pay for treatments, therapies, hospital accommodation and meals, nursing care, drugs and dressings.  However, the plan is flexible, so you can also choose to include extra benefits on your policy.

Aviva’s service allows you to receive private medical treatment in private, Brazilian hospitals.  It includes specialist fees, diagnostic, tests, hospital charges, and even psychiatric treatment–all at private clinics, hospitals, and out-patient facilities.  While public health care is available in Brazil, long wait times are common in clinics.

Aviva also has a 24-hour telephone service where qualified medical personnel will be on hand to give you advice, travel information and guidance on dealing with symptoms, or directions to find further care. Aviva also provides a 24-hour multilingual telephone service that allows you to consult with staff in your own language.  This is especially important during that early period in Brazil if you haven’t yet fully mastered Portuguese.

Best of all, if you sign up for coverage in Brazil, your policy will cover you for the rest of the world, too, with the exceptions of the US and the Caribbean.  They have a separate policy that covers those countries.

Find out more about Aviva’s global health insurance by downloading the International Solutions brochure for International Solutions.

Finally, notice that in addition to their overseas health services, Aviva also provides home insurance that protects your home while you dancing the samba in Rio or sailing down the Amazon.

If you are new to Floripa or to Brazil, you may be looking for a pleasant place to learn Portuguese. Located in the heart of Lagoa da Conceição, The Language Club is a well-established language school with over eighteen years in the business, with many, many happy students from all over the world. Not only does The Language Club (or TLC) offer excellent Portuguese language instruction, but the school also provides the documents necessary for obtaining a student visa.  And if you need it, TLC offers foreign visitors that extra tender loving care: they can find a place for you to stay and even help negotiate your rental contract in the process. Read the rest of this entry »

SHF:  I heard somewhere that you have to have a Brazilian partner—or buy into an existing Brazilian business—in order to get an Investor’s Visa.  Is that true?

Dr. Carlos Zoéga, Senior Partner at Zoéga Coelho & Advogados

CZC:  No, that’s not true.  What you do have to have, though, is a person who is a Brazilian citizen or a permanent resident to be what’s called an “administrator.”  The administrator has to be Brazilian or a (foreign) permanent resident because the government requires someone with a permanent Brazilian address to receive documents on behalf of the company.  An administrator must be appointed when the documents are filed to open the company.  So, someone besides the person opening the business will have to be an officer of the company—at least at first.

SHF:  Well, six months after filing the articles of the company the visa holder will become a permanent resident.  Can he or she them become the administrator?

CZC:  Yes, they can and that sometimes happens.

SHF:  Do visa applicants feel nervous about appointing an administrator to run a company in possession of R150,000 of their cash?

CZC:  Usually the decision to open a business is taken among friends.  People rarely just appoint a stranger or an acquaintance to be their administrator.  Usually it’s an important contact or connection in Brazil.  It’s usually a person that the investor knows well. It can’t be just anyone.

SHF:  Now, let’s talk about once the visa process is completed.   What are the investor’s responsibilities?  I once spoke to a person who has an Investor’s Visa.  I asked him how his business was going and he shrugged, grinned and then confessed that he wasn’t doing much business.  Instead, he was just lying on the beach and drawing the interest on his investment each month. He seemed quite pleased to be getting a steady return. Is that okay?  Or is there some oversight to make sure that you really are running a Brazilian business?

CZC:  No, that’s a problem.  When you take out the Investor’s Visa you have to explain the nature of your business.   Later, the Polícia Federal, which monitors all visas, will ask you to prove that you have been engaged in the type of business stated on your application.  If you have not been involved in business of that nature then you will be asked to leave the country.

SHF:  How long before you have to report to the Polícia Federal and show that you are running a business?

CZC:  It used to be five years.  But now it’s only three.  Many people don’t know about that, but it’s important to know because the police WILL check your economic activity.  It’s not clear yet whether people who received their Investor’s Visas when the period was five years will be checked after only three years, but it is possible.

SHF:  Why did the law change?

CZC:  The law was actually changed as a result of efforts on the part of the Ministry of Labor.  You see, the Investor’s Visa is supposed to give foreigners the right to live in Brazil in exchange for creating jobs in Brazil.  It’s not just a formality, it’s a real policy goal.  The amount a person had to invest in Brazil used to be much higher, but the government lowered it in order to attract investors.  They are working with the assumption that people will bring in their investment money, open businesses, and then hire Brazilians to work for them.  The Ministry of Labor wanted to make sure that these jobs would really appear.  So they shortened the time limit.

SHF:  So, what would happen if you go to the authorities after three years and they see that you have no economic activity to speak of and you say, “Well, I meant to run my business, but one thing led to another, there were so many sunny days, I took up surfing.  I’m very sorry.  I’ll try harder next time.”

CZC:  Well, then you’ll be asked to leave the country.  The police will say that you are obviously a tourist and not a businessman at all.  So you are to leave and return on a tourist visa, which allows you to stay in the country for six months every year.

SHF:  Well, what if you haven’t done any business, but you hire a maid and a gardener?  Does that count?  Will the authorities ask you to leave and take away those jobs?

CZC:  No, that doesn’t count.  Domestic jobs are out of the immigration policy focus. You will be asked to leave the country, because your visa will not be renewed.

SHF:  So, I guess that means that you can’t take your investment cash and buy a house with it?

CZC:  No.

SHF:  Well, what about a hotel?  What if you build a hotel and your house is part of the hotel?

CZC:  In that case it might be okay, but you would have had to list “Hotel” as the nature of your business when you filed the original documents for the Investor’s Visa.

SHF:  What about if you open a business, do regular commerce, but don’t hire anyone.  For example, what if you open a translating business and work it yourself.   Or if you open a consultancy business where you are the only employee.  In other words, the nature of your work excludes Brazilians.  What then?

CZC:  When you are applying for an investor visa, you need to attach to the application form a document showing your investment plan, the number of jobs that will be generated, the type of earnings your business will provide, the increase of productiveness, etc. If you declare that your business will not generate a single job, it is very probable that the authorities will not grant you the investor’s visa.

SHF:  Lastly, what about if you open a business and you just can’t make any money.  You hire people, you advertise, you do whatever you can do, but the business just doesn’t cut it?  Can you lose your visa?

CZC:  You don’t have to make a profit.  You don’t have to make a big success.  But  you do have to show that you were engaged in the type of economic activity described on your application.

SHF:  Dr. Zoega, on behalf of Sweet Home Floripa, I want to thank once again for helping our readers understand Brazilian law.

CZC:  My pleasure.  See you next month.

Dr. Carlos is Senior Partner at ZOÉGA COELHO & ADVOGADOS Rua Adolfo Melo, n.38, sala 202 – Centro 88015-090 Florianópolis/SC – Brasil Telefone: (55 48) 3223-4729  Fax: (55 48) 3322-0483

SKYPE: carloszoegacoelho

I met Dr. Nascimento in her office just off the Beira Mar and around the corner from the Polícia Federal.  I had been to her office many times and and her signature and stamp mark many of my documents, but this was the very first time I had actually met Dr. Nascimento in person. It turns out that Dr. Nascimento is not only trained as a lawyer, but also earned a doctorate from UFSC. She did part of her doctoral studies at the University of Massachusetts and did research at the University of Massachusetts Translation Center.

 “Why,” I asked her, “did the government set up a translation industry in the first place?”

“In order,” Dr. Nascimento responded in the measured phrases of a university professor, “to comply with the law.  First, in order to be valid in Brazil all foreign documents must be translated into Portuguese.  How can the government know that these documents, which will become valid in the Brazilian legal system, have been translated correctly?  That’s where we come in.   

“At the same time, we are self-employed professionals, and not paid or employed by the state.  We work for ourselves and we are responsible for our translations.  Once I sign a translation I am responsible for all legal ramifications if there is a problem with the translation.”  

In fact, she told me, “If I see evidence that any alterations have been made to the document that may indicate that it has been tampered with I am obliged to report the fact using a translator’s note.”

Dr. Nascimento’s duties extend beyond translation and she also works as an interpreter in legal cases.  If you get into trouble with the law while in Brazil you should be sure to contact an authorized translator to make sure you are heard accurately by the judge. 

Dr. Nascimento told me of one case in which a foreigner was accused of both a civil and a criminal offense.  “The judge listened to him and decided that his Portuguese was good enough. Then this foreigner lost his civil case.  When it came time to try his criminal case he hired me to go to the courthouse to help him.  However, the secretary told me that I was not needed. I told her, ‘OK, but my client was the one who hired me to come here today, so please tell the judge that if he is dismissing me I would like the record to reflect that I was here today and he was the one who dismissed me.’ 

“So they let me in.  I sat quietly and listened and my client asked me to step in whenever he needed help.  And it turned out he did need it, because at one point he explained that something had occurred in the “Parking,” which the judge understood as the “Park.” The real word of course was estacionamento.  So it was very important to have an independent, but authoritative, translator present.”

Dr.  Nascimento has also attended weddings and made sure the foreign bride or groom knew what they were promising their soon-to-be spouse:  “If you are going to utter those vows, you’d better know what they mean!”  

After hearing all this I was willing to acknowledge that there was much more to the translator/interpreter’s work than I had understood, but Dr.  Nascimento was intent on dispelling the idea that, “Brasileiro adora carimbo,”or “Brazilians love bureaucracy.” 

“In the United States,” she said, “it’s sometimes much worse.” Taking care not to jeopardize her client’s confidentiality, she gave the example of an American document that she had translated.  The document had been signed and made official by a notary in New York City.  Then she pointed to another document attached to it which was the clerk of the Supreme Court of New York certifying that the notary was, in fact, a notary.  On top of this document was yet a third document, this one certified by the office of none less than Condoleeza Rice, certifying that the clerk was, in fact, the clerk.  “We have nothing like this in Brazil.” 

“The only one they left out was George Bush,” I quipped and we both laughed.

At the end of each translation Dr. Nascimento states the price and how it was reached so that customers understand her fee basis.

So, be aware that whenever you present a foreign document—whether a driver’s license, a marriage certificate, a birth certificate, or anything else—it will need to be translated by someone like Dr. Nascimento in order to be recognized by the Brazilian legal system.

Dr. Lucia Nascimento’s office can be found at Rua São Vicente de Paula, 240 in Agronomica, Florianópolis.  She can be reached at:  (48) 3228-2332 or via email at: traducaojuramentada@gmail.com 

Many foreigners living illegally in Brazil were heartened recently by an amnesty declaration that provided a way for all undocumented foreign nationals to become permanent residents of Brazil.   Recently I spoke to Dr. Carlos Coelho Senior Partner at Zoéga Coelho & Advogados to better understand the ins and outs of Brazil’s new immigration policy. 

 “The amnesty was really part of a larger move by the Brazilian government to distinguish its immigration policies from those of the United States and the European Union,” Coelho told me. “Those governments typically try to restrict the flow of foreign immigration.  Brazil, on the other hand, wants to show the world that it’s a people-friendly country.”   

“On the same day that Lula declared the amnesty,” Dr. Carlos continued, “a new Lei do Estrangeiro (Foreign Immigration Law) was submitted to Congress.  The new laws would guarantee a broad range of basic rights for foreigners.  It would also facilitate their absorption into Brazilian society.”  Read the rest of this entry »

Learning to speak a foreign language is often a question of trial and error, of bravely experimenting with new words and praying that the listener doesn’t look blank and shrug in confusion, or even worse burst out laughing. All too often a slight change in spelling, pronunciation or stress can radically change the meaning, making the language a minefield to be negotiated with the minimum of embarrassment.

Right from the start I knew I was in trouble; in my very first Portuguese lesson I was faced with the words ‘homem’ and ‘mulher’, so I confidently said to the teacher ‘eu sou um homem e você é uma mula’ (I’m a man and you’re a donkey). Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Huan Gomes

You stand ankle deep in the warm sea.  It’s sunset in late February.  The sky has turned from pink to purple.  Just as the sun is about to set behind you, you see it floating up from beyond the horizon:  the moon, full and ripe. You are dazzled, entranced, captivated by the beauty of Florianopolis. You vow never to leave.  You fantasize about buying that perfect piece of land, that dream house you knew you would find someday.

Perhaps it is this bedazzled vision, full of hope and wonder, that have led so many foreigners —and others—to fall prey to the real estate cons and land swindles that occur so frequently on the island.  So before you sign, take a look at the top five.  Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Rolf, a tall man with piercing blue eyes and sandy hair, is a familiar figure around Florianópolis.  Of English and Dutch descent Dr. Rolf speaks English, Spanish, and German as well as Portuguese.  He told me that 20% of his patients are foreign and so he is an obvious choice for those moving to the island or for tourists just visiting for a brief time.  Dr. Rolf trained as a doctor in Porto Alegre and also studied medicine in Germany.

I asked Dr. Rolf about what health issues visitors face in Florianópolis that they don’t usually encounter at home.  “For the most part the environment in Florianópolis is a healthy one,” Dr. Rolf told me, “There is no malaria, no cholera, no rabies, for instance.  Still there are a few tamer ailments that visitors should know about and be able to identify.”

Here are Dr. Rolf’s top five health risks on the island:

Mycosis–or ringworm, as it is commonly known–thrives on the island, especially during the warm, humid months of summer.  Unfortunately, just like all of us, mycosis loves the warm beach.  So before you stretch out on that beautiful white sand, spread out a kanga or a beach towel and help avoid inviting ringworm to make a home in your skin.  While mycosis is not particularly dangerous it is itchy, pesky and ugly to look at.  Remember that mycosis is especially fond of children—or perhaps children are especially fond of playing in the sand and so are particularly vulnerable to ringworm.  So if you see round itchy red splotches on you or your child’s body, treat it immediately to avoid a larger invasion.  You can pick up an anti-fungal medicine like Cetoconazol 2% at the pharmacy.  Be sure to spread it on three times a day to stop this pest in its tracks.

Many visitors think that the mycosis is an allergic reaction and treat it incorrectly.  If you have persistent red splotches on your skin you may want to check with a qualified health professional.

Borrachudos. During the hot, summer months borrachudos, or gnats, come out in the twilight hours to feed on juicy humans.  Known to residents of the hotter regions of the United States as no-see-ems, these pesky insects can leave a patch of nasty bites, especially if you go out walking on the dunes at night.  Even worse, some people are allergic to the bites and the result is a nasty red welt.  The solution?  “Prevention,” said Dr. Rolf, “Using insect repellent is a must to preserve your health on the island.”  (My personal favorite is OFF!) Citronela is another solution and the local pharmacies sell a spray called Citronim by Welleda.  If you find OFF! too strong you may want to try Citronela.  Some local pharmacies sell a citronella based repelant called Citronim by Welleda.  Off! Kids also works for sensitive skin or constitutions.

Bicho-de-pé. A problem familiar to year-round residents of the island, but not to visitors, is bicho-de-pé—or translated literally, foot animal or pest.  Bicho-de-pé appears as a round, black circle that resembles a fish eye, usually on the bottom of the foot.  This circle has alarmed more than a few visitors to the island who, not recognizing the bicho-de-pé, thought it was some sort of malignant growth.  In fact, bicho-de-pé is a female sand flea that burrows into the bottom of your foot in order to nest and have it’s sand flea babies.  The black circle is the pregnant flea.  Treatment is simple—you must dig the flea out of your skin.   Dr. Rolf suggested that a trip to the local posto de saude would solve the problem quickly.

Tetanus. Though bicho-de-pé is not anything to worry about, it does sometimes lead to a much more dangerous condition—tetanus.  Caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani, tetanus strikes victims with painful muscle spasms, including lock jaw and can, if not treated properly, cause death.  “Tetanus is a serious illness,” Dr. Rolf said. “All visitors to Florianópolis should get a tetanus vaccine before leaving home.”

Hepatitis. “All three types of Hepatitis are present in Florianópolis,” Dr. Rolf said,  “and it is important to protect yourself accordingly.”

Hepatitis A is associated with contaminated water. To avoid Hepatitis A drink bottled water and watch where you swim.

“While the waters on the Atlantic side of Florianópolis are pristine,” said Dr. Rolf, “effluents do flow into the bays on the western side of the island.  Florianópolis is growing quickly and its water sanitation system has not yet caught up to the rapid rise in population.”  Because of this, some of the lakes on the island may be less than ideal for swimming as they can harbor hepatitis A as well as other parasites.  While the waters of Lagoa de Conceicao bordering Avenida Rendeiras and the dunes are safe and clean, swimming in the southern lobe of Lagoa de Conceicao is not a good idea.  Some people have recently begun to avoid swimming Lagoinha Pequena, in Campeche, as well because of health concerns.  If you are unsure whether the water is safe  look for signs posted by the city.  The signs identify the water as “proprio” (appropriate) or “improprio” (inappropriate) for swimming.

Hepatitis B is sexually transmitted. Remember folks—use that camisinha (condom.)  Each year the Brazilian government distributes hundreds of millions of free condoms.  There’s a reason for that!

Hepatitis C is passed through blood. First thought to be sexually transmitted, Hepatitis C is now known to be associated with blood-to-blood contact.  Some 300 million people worldwide carry this disease, many without even knowing they have been infected.  The main cause of infection, scientists now know, is recreational, intravenous drug use, specifically the sharing of dirty needles.  A large percentage of injection drug users in the US are infected.  Unsafe sex practices that cause cuts, scrapes, lesions and therefore allow for blood-to-blood contact have also been implicated.  Symptoms include liver scaring, cirrhosis, and liver scarring.  Hepatitis C can be deadly.

Dengué. Dr. Rolf told me that Dengué fever—or bone-break fever, as it is sometimes known—is NOT endemic to Florianópolis, but people who travel here from more northerly places in Brazil do sometimes bring it to the island with them.  Dengué is transmitted by mosquitos so you should take proper precautions if you are traveling further north than Sao Paulo.  Wear that repellant!  While your first dose of dengué won’t kill you, it will cause you considerable pain for two weeks.  The second time you get the illness, it can be deadly.

In all, however, there are few very serious health risks in Florianópolis and with a little education, a little prevention, and a little common sense you should have a very healthy time here on the island. But should you need medical attention Dr. Rolf will be there to help you.

If you don’t speak ANY Portuguese, but need to contact Dr. Rolf urgently call the clinic and say “Por favor, preciso falar com Dr. Rolf de urgencia.” If that doesn’t work just say “Dr. ROLF, help me!!!!”

Dr. Rolf Hillman can be found at Clinica Prontomed in Lagoa, Rua Orlando Carioni, 64—that’s the street running beside the HSBC automatic teller and across from the gas station at the center of town.  For an appointment, call 55 (48) 3232-1704 or 55 (48) 3232-0470.