Brazil eSIM

Staying connected in Brazil

Many Brazil trips link Rio and São Paulo with Iguaçu Falls, the north-east coast or the Amazon. Install a travel eSIM at home and switch it on when you land. AirOva sells Brazil plans from $1.99 on Claro, TIM and Vivo, with 4G and 5G where available: a fixed amount of data or unlimited, all data only, with no calls, SMS or local phone number.

Which Brazil plan to choose

GB plans suit most trips: maps, Uber or 99 rides and WhatsApp messages take little data. Unlimited plans give unlimited data with no data cap and no fair-usage limit; you only choose the number of days. On any plan you can still call over WhatsApp. More in our Brazil eSIM guide.

Claro, TIM and Vivo

Brazil’s mobile market is run by Vivo, Claro and TIM, which bought Oi’s mobile business in a deal approved in 2022. The three switched on 5G together in Brasília in July 2022, and it has since reached the state capitals; inland, coverage follows towns and main roads. A plan card that says Tim S.A. or Vivo S.A. means TIM or Vivo.

Arriving at GRU or GIG

Most international flights land at São Paulo–Guarulhos (GRU), Brazil’s busiest airport, about 25 km from central São Paulo, or Rio de Janeiro–Galeão (GIG), 20 km north of central Rio. Manaus (MAO) and Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) serve the Amazon and the falls. After landing, turn off airplane mode, switch the eSIM line on, choose it for mobile data and enable Data Roaming for that line; the plan is prepaid, so roaming adds no charge.

No CPF, and where the signal ends

Local prepaid SIMs in Brazil must be registered to a person, usually with a CPF, the Brazilian taxpayer number; a travel eSIM is bought online, so there is no CPF step. Manaus and Belém have normal city coverage, but on Amazon river trips and at jungle lodges the signal can vanish for days. About 80% of Iguaçu Falls lies in Argentina, and a Brazil plan covers Brazil only: near the border, pick a Brazilian network manually if data stops.

Tip: WhatsApp is how Brazil communicates, so check it works on your home number before you leave. In busy parts of Rio and São Paulo, don’t walk with your phone in your hand; step into a shop to check the map. Download offline maps for the Pantanal, Lençóis Maranhenses and any Amazon leg.