Registration with the Federal Police.

Copy all your passport pages. No, get them all notarized. Take a cab to the airport. No, take a bus. Get to the airport at 6 AM. Get there at 11 AM.

Arghhhhh. Too many viewpoints on how to properly register with the Federal Police, a mandatory act for anyone that stays in Brazil for longer than 30 days.

If there's one things I wasn't looking forward to once I got here, it was this particular piece of business I had to attend to. I heard tragedies of fellow Fulbrighters being turned away because their papers were crinkled; staying at the airport for nine hours; finding no one who understood English or their untrained Portuguese.

So rather than waiting till the last minute, after spending a day of loveliness walking around Ipanema, Arpoador, and Leblon (see picture above), I got all my paperwork ready and headed to the Federal Police yesterday.

While the language barrier was apparent, it didn't seem to be too much of an issue. I got on a 6:50 AM bus that dropped me off at GIG a little over a half hour later, and scurried up two sets of escalators, down a hall, and around the corner to the Policia Federal for Foreigners (there are two offices; make sure you go to the one for Estrangeiros). After telling a very pleasant, but non-English speaking man that I was here to register, I produced my CPF and passport. Another man, presumably also a foreigner, but with enough Portuguese and English to act as a translator for the two of us, explained briefly how to fill out the form, and wait until my number was called.

I filled it out, was (maybe) the seventh number to be called, and was helped by a lovely woman who also didn't know any English, but managed to help me get my fingerprints taken, fill out any missing information, and hand me my protocolo.

I was back in Copa by 11 AM. Using the bus.

I love it when my expectations have been exceeded.

What you need to register with the Federal Police:

Before you go:

Fill out the forms at: https://www2.dpf.gov.br/gru/gru?nac=1

Note that you must fill out two-- STN 140082 and 140120. Also, these forms also last for 20 days-ish, so try to fill them out quite close to when you're actually leaving. I made the mistake of filling them out way too far in advance, and had to re-print them once I got to Rio, and saw the expiration date.

In Brazil:

Take both forms to a bank, where they'll give you a receipt or the form with an acknowledgement of payment. Make sure to bring cash, and try doing this closer to the middle of the week, when there probably won't be a long crowd.

Pedido do Visto (It's a copy of your visa application form that you should receive when you get your visa. I didn't-- I had to ask the Consulate to send me one, so make sure that you have that paper before you leave.)

What to take with you:

1. Notarized copies of your passport pages (I had mixed stories about this: some people said it wasn't necessary to get the papers notarized, other said it was necessary. I copied all of them-- ask for cópias autenticadas at your local xerox place in Brazil. I paid 77 reais (ouch!) and noticed at the Federal Police that they only took my visa page and the first page of my passport.)
2. 2 3x4 cm photos of yourself (I got these done in the US; just ask the person taking the photos to stand a little farther back and you can cut the passport photos to size. Make sure it's a white background, and you're not smiling.)
3. The payment stubs for the two forms you paid for at the bank (GRU – Guia de Recolhimento da União).
4. I also brought my birth certificate, copies of my parent's passports, and my Fulbright grant terms document, which I was actually asked to produce when registering. So try to bring as many papers that you think will help them explain your reasoning for staying in the country.

At the Federal Police, I completed the Requerimento de Registro. On this form, you will need to provide a phone number, local address, place where you'll work/contact number there. Make friends with the people sitting next to you-- chances are they're bilingual, and can help you with translating some of the application.

*a note about transportation. I know a lot of people use cabs, but the bus was super simple, cheap (8 reais each way) and safe. It's big and blue, and stops by fairly frequently. GIG, the International Airport, is the second airport for that bus, and you want to get off at the LAST stop-- Terminal 1. If you get off at Terminal 2, you have to walk; no big deal, really. When you want to go back, make sure to go to the LOWEST level and catch the bus back-- not the same level you got dropped off at.