Foreign exchange in Brazil:

It is more convenient to bring with you American Dollars either in cash or travelers cheques while visiting Brazil. The American Dollar is widely accepted for exchange in most parts of the country. All other major currencies are can only easily be exchanged while in Rio or Sao Paulo.

Foreign exchange transactions are only limited to bank headquarters and major branches within the cities and in most cases you will be required to produce your passport for identification purposes.

You should visit the banks in the morning hours with most closing their foreign exchange departments for the afternoon. Some major hotels can exchange mostly American Dollars.

Airport based banks are open and conduct foreign exchange transactions during normal business hours.

Credit Cards and ATMs:

Major credit cards especially; American Express, Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted in Brazil. You can use your credit card to pay for a number of transactions including; airline ticket booking or paying for your hotel accommodation.

You may also be able to withdraw local currency (Brazilian Real) at some ATMs.

It is important to retain the receipt you obtain for exchanging foreign currency as this may be required if you want to change the Real back to your currency when leaving the country.