GENERAL INFORMATION
About Brazil
Brazil is the largest country in both South and Latin American
region. The population is 203.238.907 (estimate 2014), and
the capital city is Brasília.The country is divided into 26 states
and one federal district (where the federal capital is located).
The official language of Brazil is Portuguese, and the
Brazilian Portuguese is a little different from the Portuguese in
Portugal. Most Brazilian people do not speak other
languages.
Currency, local time, electric power
Brazilian currency is called “Real” and costs about 0.42
USD (October 2014).
Local time : BRT= GMT -3
Electric Power: 110 or 220 V, 60 Hz.
Business hours, car rental
Business hours – Most stores are open from 9:00 to 18:00 on
weekdays and from 9:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays. However,
many shopping centers work until 22:00.
Car rental – rented cars, with or without a driver, are available
at the main airports.
GENERAL INFORMATION
About Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro city is the capital of Rio de Janeiro state and
is located in the southeast of Brazil. The altitude ranges from
0 to 1021 m above the sea level. The city has 6.453.682
habitants. Rio is one of the most visited cities in the Southern
Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, carnival
celebrations, samba, balnerario beaches, and more. The
main landmarks of the city includes Christ the Redeemer,
Sugarloaf mountain and Maracanã Stadium.
Weather
As the winter approaches, the weather in Rio de Janeiro in
May cools somewhat, although it remains warm. The
average temperature during the day is 26°C and 21°C at
night.
GENERAL INFORMATION
GETTING AROUND IN RIO DE JANEIRO
The Belmond Copacabana Palace (conference hotel), is a
luxury hotel located on Copacabana Beach, which is in the
south zone of the city. From the International Airport of Rio de
Janeiro (also known as Galeão or Tom Jobim), you can go to
Copacabana Palace (and vicinity) by taxi. It is a 26 km ride
that takes about 30 minutes and costs around 60 R$ (26
USD).
If you arrive in Rio at the National Airport (Santos Dumont), a
taxi ride will cost about 25R$ (11USD) and takes around 12
minutes.
If you arrive in Rio at the Bus Station (Terminal Rodoviário
Novo Rio), a taxi will cost about 30R$ (13USD) and takes
about 18 minutes.
WHERE TO STAY
Besides the Belmond Copacabana Palace, there are many
other hotels in the vicinity at different prices. We strongly
recommend that attendees stay in the Copacabana area,
which has good options for food and drinks.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.visitbrasil.com/visitbrasil/opencms/portalembratur/en
/sol-no-rio-de-janeiro.html
Security tips
Your security starts at the airport. Make sure you take care of your
belongings and use only officially recognized porter services.
Similarly, use only transport services recognized by the airport,
including taxis, buses and vans. Do NOT hesitate to obtain
information at the INFRAERO counters, the institution responsible for
the administration of the main airports in Brazil.
Always keep with you the original or a copy of your travel documents
and the entry/exit card issued by Federal Police, as these are proof
of your legal status in Brazil.
Make note on your travel documents of the name, address and
phone numbers of a person to contact in case of emergency.
When you go for a city tour, always try to stay in a group and in
places with public access, and always keep with you the name,
address and phone number of the hotel or residence where you are
staying. Never show openly that you have cash, checks, credit
cards or valuable jewelry in your possession.
In the event of theft or loss of documents during your stay, you
are legally obliged to report the incident at the nearest Police
station, or in an emergency, by calling the Police toll-free on 190.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.visitbrasil.com/visitbrasil/opencms/portalembratur/en/dicaspraticas.html
GENERAL INFORMATION
Visa Information
Foreign participants must contact the Brazilian Embassy, Consulate, or the appropriate
Office of Tourism, in their home country as soon as possible to determine their individual
visa requirements. If you need a personal letter of invitation to attend the event (or as part
of the paperwork for the visa application), please send your request to us as soon as
possible ([email protected]). The required invitation letter request form is
available at http://spie.org/x37840.xml#Letter. Please note that the general procedures
and rules for obtaining visas to Brazil are based on reciprocity protocols ("international
principles of reciprocity") among the countries involved.
Visa requirement for attendees:
As a general rule, conference attendees from countries for which a visa is required to enter
Brazil (e.g., USA, Japan,etc.) should apply for a Temporary Visa in some Brazilian
Consulates (i.e. Boston) this is called Academic/ Cultural/Scientific Visa - not a "Business
Visa"]. However, you must check the exact type of visa you have to apply for with the
specific Brazilian Embassy or Consulate in your region/country.
Visa requirement for spouses:
Spouses accompanying (i.e. not registered for the meeting) a registered participant
should have a valid Tourist Visa to enter Brazil. Again, please double check this
information with the specific consulate in your home country/region. Below we provide a
link you may find useful.
List of Brazilian Embassies and Consulates in many countries (Portuguese):
http://www.migrante.org.br/embaixadas.html
The above link has two tables. The first one has five columns containing the contact
information (including URLs in many cases) of many Brazilian Consulates and Embassies in
several countries. Below we list the five column labels in Portuguese (as written on the
table) and their corresponding translation to English, just in case:
País (Country)
Embaixada no Brasil (Embassy in Brazil)
Embaixada brasileira no exterior (Brazilian Embassy abroad)
Consulado (Brazilian Consulate abroad) and
Vice consulado (Brazilian Vice Consulate abroad).
The info you (most probably) need is on columns 3 and 4.
The second table (on the same link as above) lists the Brazilian Embassies and Consulates
abroad by the names of the cities where they are located. The two columns are:
Embaixadas brasileiras no exterior (Brazilian embassies abroad) and Consulados brasileiros
no exterior (Brazilian consulates abroad).