Before you start

CPF
A Brazilian mobile number, which itself needs the CPF
Passport plus CRNM or the Federal Police protocol
Proof of a Recife address, for traditional banks
A CNPJ, if you will be paid as a PJ contractor

Step-by-step

1
CPF first, always
No Brazilian institution opens anything without one, and there is no workaround. This is the reason to obtain it from a consulate before you travel.
OnlineWho: You
2
Open with a digital bank
Nubank, Inter, C6 and PicPay approve app-based applications from CRNM holders in days, and are far more tolerant of an empty Brazilian credit file than a branch of Banco do Brasil or Itaú.
Mobile appWho: You2–7 days
3
Register Pix keys immediately
Link CPF, phone and email as keys. Pix settles in seconds, costs nothing between individuals, and works at any hour. It is how you pay rent, the beach vendor and a tradesman.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
4
Learn to pay a boleto
Rent, condomínio, IPTU, IPVA, insurance and many subscriptions are billed as boletos — a slip with a barcode and a digitable line. Any banking app scans or accepts the number and pays it. They have a hard due date after which interest accrues automatically, and they cannot be part-paid.
Mobile appWho: You
5
If you will be paid as a PJ, sort the company first
A large share of senior technology work in Recife is contracted to a pessoa jurídica rather than through a CLT employment contract. That means a CNPJ, an accountant, a Simples Nacional or Lucro Presumido election and a business bank account, and it changes both your tax position and your immigration route. Decide which model you are on before you sign anything.
OnlineWho: You
6
Set conservative Pix limits and plan the transfer around IOF
Set reduced night-time limits and register your devices. Separately, the federal financial-operations tax applies at different rates depending on the purpose of a transfer, so compare landed cost rather than headline exchange rate when you move relocation money in.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

CPF
Passport
CRNM or Federal Police protocol
Brazilian mobile number
Proof of Recife address, for traditional banks
CNPJ and company documents, for a PJ account

Things most newcomers don’t know

PJ contracting is the norm in Recife's tech sector and it is a tax decision, not a paperwork detail.

Being paid through your own company rather than as a CLT employee changes the effective tax rate substantially, and also removes the statutory employment protections — thirteenth salary, FGTS, paid holiday, notice. Foreign engineers offered a headline figure as PJ are often comparing it against a CLT figure that is not equivalent. Get the comparison done by a Brazilian accountant before you accept.

Source: community-reported; confirm your own position with a Brazilian accountant

The boleto is the other half of Brazilian payments and nobody explains it.

Rent, condominium fees, IPTU, IPVA and most recurring bills arrive as a barcoded slip rather than a direct debit. Any banking app pays one by scanning it. What catches newcomers is that a boleto has a hard due date, accrues interest automatically the day after, and cannot be part-paid — so a bill misfiled in an email folder becomes a penalty rather than a reminder.

Source: Febraban and Banco Central payment standards

IOF is charged by purpose, and choosing the wrong one is expensive for no benefit.

Bringing money into an ordinary availability account, spending abroad on a card, and routing funds to an investment account are taxed at materially different rates under the IOF decree. On a relocation-sized sum the gap is real money. One conversation with a Brazilian accountant before the first big transfer usually pays for itself several times over.

Source: Decreto 6.306/2007 and subsequent amendments

A fresh CPF scores as unknown rather than clean, and that mostly hurts you when renting.

Serasa and Boa Vista files start empty. Digital banks will open an account anyway; seguro-fiança underwriters, which is the rental guarantee most Recife agencies prefer, generally will not. Paying utilities in your own name and holding a secured card builds a file over a few months, so start on day one rather than when a landlord asks.

Source: community-reported, consistent across Brazilian arrivals

Common mistakes to avoid

Attempting any account before the CPF exists.
Accepting a PJ rate as if it were equivalent to a CLT salary.
Missing a boleto due date and accruing automatic interest on rent or condomínio.
Comparing transfer providers on FX rate while ignoring IOF.
Leaving Pix night-time limits at the default maximum.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.