Buying a SIM card in Brazil: Best prepaid and eSIM card options
In this article, you will find a complete breakdown of the best options for SIM cards in Brazil for tourists.
As someone who was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, I must admit I was very disappointed once I found out how hard it is for foreigners to get a prepaid SIM card in Brazil. Once I saw how complicated the process was, I immediately decided I needed to put together a guide to help other people as well.
Requirements for buying a SIM card in Brazil
The main reason that buying a SIM card in Brazil as a tourist is a challenging task is that most companies require you to have a CPF, which is our national personal identification number (like your tax number).
As a tourist, you obviously do not have this document to provide. You can buy the SIM card without it, but you cannot activate it without a CPF in most cases.
So, what are the alternatives?
- Ask a Brazilian friend to register your new SIM card under their number, if you know anyone there
- Buy the prepaid SIM card at a newspaper stand, pharmacy, or hardware store, where they won’t require you to have a CPF. Then, head to an official store of the mobile provider and ask them to register it for you. This process isn’t guaranteed to work, but in most cases it does. They will be able to register it with your passport only.
- Avoid all this hassle and buy an eSIM instead. Once you get out of the plane in Brazil, you will already be connected. (Skip to this section for more)
Pro tip: In Brazil, we do not say SIM cards, we call them “chip”. The prepaid one would be a “chip pré-pago”.
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Need an eSIM?
If you’re short on time, check the options from our most recommended providers for mobile internet around the world: Airalo and Nomad.
Available Brazilian SIM card companies
Let’s start with the basics. Brazil has 3 major mobile providers: Claro, Vivo and TIM.
In addition to these, there is also Oi which recently changed its business model and stopped offering mobile plans to focus on solutions for entire households.
Many websites will also tell you there is a prepaid SIM card option offered by Correios (the Brazilian official postal company) but I do not recommend it and this is why I didn’t even cover it here. For us, Brazilians, this is not an option we even consider as the coverage and the plans offered are not nearly as good as the other three main options.
Let me walk you through what each of the main mobile providers offer:
Claro SIM card options for tourists
Claro is one of the most popular mobile providers in Brazil and you will find a Claro store in every major city. They have good coverage throughout the country and are a reliable company.
Claro used to offer a prepaid SIM card option, especially for tourists called Claro Visitors. As of the moment I am writing this post, this option is no longer available (but I am mentioning it here as it is worth checking out whenever you go).
Claro’s prepaid SIM card option has multiple different plans available, with different budgets and data coverage depending on your needs. Check their options here.
Vivo SIM card options for tourists
Vivo is another great option when it comes to buying a prepaid SIM card in Brazil. You will be able to buy a Vivo prepaid SIM card in almost every supermarket, newspaper stand, and local shop. They are very easy to find and top up.
One big advantage of Vivo is that they allow you to buy a prepaid SIM card online through their website. For R$ 20 (cca 4,15 USD) you will get 4 GB valid for 15 GB. You can also top it up further if needed.
What I don’t like about Vivo is the SIM card activation process. You have to download an app and deal with a lot of steps, which are hard to navigate if you do not speak Portuguese. If you are able to go to a shop in person, that is the best solution for getting you all set.
Note: Buying the prepaid SIM card in person at a shop once you arrive in Brazil will give you more options and possibly cheaper prices (Vivo states so themselves on their website). From my experience, I can confirm that the options they have online are very limited.
Check the official Vivo website for more information.
Tim SIM card options for tourists
In my opinion, TIM is the best Brazilian company for buying prepaid SIM cards. When we visit my family, we usually get our prepaid SIM cards from TIM because the whole activation process is the smoothest with them.
It is easy to buy their prepaid SIM cards in stores, supermarkets, and many other outlets. TIM offers a prepaid SIM card made specifically for tourists called TIM Visitors. It costs R$ 25,00/Week (5,15 USD/week) and will give you 1,5 GB valid for 7 days. There are also other options that include minutes and SMS texts as well.
TIM’s prepaid SIM card options are called TIM Pré TOP and are described below:
| Price | Duration | Data available |
|---|---|---|
| R$ 15,00 | 15 days | 9 GB |
| R$ 20,00 | 20 days | 10 GB |
| R$ 30,00 | 30 days | 12 GB |
You can check more about their prepaid SIM card options at TIM’s official website.
Which is the best prepaid SIM card in Brazil for tourists?
In our opinion, the best prepaid SIM card in Brazil for tourists is definitely TIM.
TIM has very good coverage in Rio and most of the main cities in Brazil. The last time we visited Brazil, we went on a trip to Paraty, and during the boat trips, our TIM phone was the only one that had signals (everyone else had Vivo or Claro).
Their prices are competitive, and what makes them stand out is the easiness of the whole process of buying and activating the SIM card.
That being said – you should still be mindful of the fact that you may require a CPF to register the SIM card. Make sure you ask all the details before you purchase your number.
Considering this hurdle, the best option for tourists visiting Brazil for the first time is to get an eSIM beforehand.
What is the best eSIM for Brazil?
The best eSIM for travelers visiting Brazil are Nomad and Airalo.
We have tested and used many different eSIM providers and the only ones we can recommend are these two.
Nomad has amazing service everywhere we go, we never felt like we were left stranded. It is also super easy to use.
Airalo offers amazing data packages all over the world, which makes it very handy for traveling.
Where to buy a SIM card in Brazil?
You can buy a prepaid SIM card in several places around Brazil.
The most popular options are:
- Mobile stores – You will find the official stores of Claro, TIM, and Vivo in every major city in Brazil, such as Rio and São Paulo. The easiest place to find them is in shopping malls.
- Newspaper stands
- Pharmacies
- Supermarkets
- General stores such as “Lojas Americanas”.
Buying a prepaid SIM card in Brazil is very easy, they are very easy to find. As we mentioned before, just make sure you ask about the activation as this is the tricky part of the process.
The most popular questions about buying a SIM card in Brazil
Can I buy a prepaid SIM card at the Rio de Janeiro airport?
There is only one small pharmacy currently that sells prepaid SIM cards, but they only sell the one offered by Correios (which I do not advise getting).
If you do not want to get an eSIM, the best option is to wait until you get downtown and go to an official store of one of the three main mobile providers. There are a few shops selling tourist SIM cards but don’t fall for these as they are just a scam – overpriced and not that good.
Read also: The two main airports in Rio de Janeiro
What do you need to buy a SIM card in Brazil?
As a tourist, the only document you may need to buy a SIM card in Brazil is your passport (but in most cases, you won’t need to provide any sort of personal ID).
To activate the SIM card, some companies may require you to have a CPF number so make sure you will be able to register your SIM card as a tourist when you buy it.
Can I use my US phone in Brazil?
Unless your plan offers coverage in Brazil, you will pay roaming fees if using your US phone number and they are usually quite expensive.
We recommend you to align with your mobile provider before the trip and if they do not offer any good plan for data coverage in Brazil, it is better to buy an eSIM for your Brazil trip instead. Check Airalo’s or Nomad’s eSIM options.
What is the best SIM card for Brazil if I will also be traveling through South America?
Claro and Tim offer nice plans with coverage across multiple countries in South America, but unfortunately, they are only available for registered users, not for prepaid SIM cards.
If you will be traveling through multiple countries in South America, the best option is to get an eSIM card with Nomad. They allow you to select exactly which countries you will be visiting so you can get a plan tailored to your needs.
How can I top up my Brazilian prepaid SIM card?
You can buy credits to top up your Brazilian prepaid SIM card in almost every newspaper stand, general store, and supermarket, besides the mobile provider’s official store.
The top-up options available will vary depending on the mobile provider you pick for your Brazilian prepaid SIM card.
As I said at the start, I am quite disappointed to see that the Brazilian mobile providers made it so hard for foreigners and tourists to get a prepaid SIM card in Brazil. Even though they did create good alternatives during the World Cup and the Olympic Games, unfortunately, this is the current scenario.
We hope this guide has helped shed some light on the whole process. If you need more help when organizing your trip to Brazil, here are a few useful resources:
Organizing your trip
To help you plan your trip to Brazil, we have put together our favorite planning resources:
- Flights: Get affordable flights to Brazil on Skyscanner.com.
- Travel insurance: Make sure you are protected during your trip. We use SafetyWing whenever we are traveling abroad.
- Renting a car: We always use Discover Cars to get the best car deals.
- Accommodation: Find the best hotels and apartments on Booking.com.
- Activities: Get fun ideas of what to do and buy unique activities with Get Your Guide.
- SIM Card: Stay connected during your trip with Airalo.
- Personalized itinerary: We can create a travel plan tailored to your wishes!
- Rio de Janeiro map: All of our favorite places on one map.
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