Information
During all school semesters the IGc-USP receives undergraduate and graduate students coming from other countries through the International Programs offered by their home universities, aiming to deepen their study area, carry out researches and traineeships, and get to know a little bit more of our culture and get other life experiences.
Apart from its research agreements, we are always open to new proposals and contacts, believing in international experience as an enriching and essential event for any student’s life. Furthermore, it is with great pleasure to receive that the IGc-USP receives its foreign students, always seeking to guide them the best as it can with matters referring housing, documentation etc. You can read about USP student and transportation cards, services provided by USP and the academic life.
The International Office of IGc-USP strongly recommends that foreign students come to Brazil with a Student Visa and that, when applying, they also request a CPF (Brazilian taxpayer identification number) from the embassy. You can read about visas, as well as the legal basis resolutions below:
- VITEM I – Researcher or Professor – For visiting professors, researchers, and postdoctoral fellows without an employment contract in Brazil. Read more: RESOLUÇÃO NORMATIVA Nº 20, DE 12 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2017.
- VITEM I – Researcher or Professor – For professors hired by Brazilian institutions. Read more: RESOLUÇÃO NORMATIVA Nº 24, DE 20 DE FEVEREIRO DE 2018.
- VITEM IV – Students – For undergraduate and graduate students. Read more: PORTARIA INTERMINISTERIAL Nº 7, DE 13 DE MARÇO DE 2018.
- VITEM XIII – Mercosur – The Mercosur Visa is available to citizens of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It is important to note that the University of São Paulo does not work with the Mercosur Visa, and appointments related to the foreigner’s RNE at the Federal Police will need to be made independently, without assistance from Aucani or USP. Read more: DECRETO N°. 6,975, DE 7 DE OUTUBRO DE 2009.
Upon arrival in the country, the foreigner must immediately begin gathering the necessary documents to obtain their RNM – the foreigner identification document in Brazil. Without this set of documents (Visa, CPF, and RNM), it is impossible to open bank accounts in Brazil to receive scholarships, buy a SIM card for a cell phone, or register for the SPtrans Student Card, with which you, as a student of a Public Institution in the city of São Paulo, have access to pay half fares on trains and the subway.
Please note the following situations in which Aucani will not schedule appointments (AUCANI, p.10):
- Any appointments for dependents;
- Appointments with an employment relationship (VITEM V);
- Any Residence Permit that is not for Study Purposes (for example, based on Mercosur or the Community of Portuguese Language Countries).
We emphasize once again that by coming to Brazil with a Student Visa and a valid CPF (Brazilian taxpayer ID), the student greatly advances the process of applying for the RNM (National Registry of Foreigners), a very important step in receiving scholarships.
