Expert: Ken Rapoza Cruz - 4/7/2008

Question
Ken

A friend and I are wanting to travel in Brazil and South America for three months in July (we live in the UK). We are both seasoned travellers and have decided that we would like to drive from Sao Paulo to the north and then turn west and go through Peru, Chile and Argentina and back to Sao Paulo again.

How easy is it for a foreigner to buy a second hand car and insure it? What documents are we likely to need and what problems are we likely to encounter? We don't want to travel by bus or fly if at all possible.

Many thanks

Answer
that sounds like a great trip, and a costly one.  You will need a CPF in order to buy a used car from a used car lot, even if you are paying in cash for a $4,000 car. Thats pretty much what you will be paying. CPF stands for Cadastro de Pessoa Fisica. You can get one at the Brasilian consulate in Britian.  YOu will also need a CPF to insure your car. YOu might even need an RNE, Registro de Estrangeiro Nacional, but maybe not. Ask the consulate, cuz you will have to go there anyway to fill out the paperwork to get a visa and/or your CPF.

If none of this works, there are very nice busses in Brazil. First class. Sleeper busses.
Ken