Talk:Brazil/@comment-74.212.171.35-20160202173934/@comment-24682153-20160203115556

Hi. There are no phone stores at Galeão (GIG) airport in Rio. But you may get an Oi or even TIM prepaid SIM card at a newspaper stand at the airport.

But this needs to put into perspective for 1st time visitors to avoid further complaints here: SIM cards need to be registered to be active. This is normally done by the CPF number every Brazilian has. For foreigners the passport is registered. You can do this over the phone on the menu. But Oi menu will stay in Portuguese only. Claro and Vivo SIMs need to be registered in a store, if you don't have a CPF. So it's not much use to get them anywhere else without.

Even some stores still can't deal with a foreign passport, but most of them have been getting used to this. So it's hardly recommended to look for a flagship store of the operator in a touristy neighborhood to buy a local SIM (for registration), especially if you don't speak any Portuguese.

Don't expect US-style support or help when setting up, even in phone stores. You are very lucky, if anybody cares for you and speaks some basic English there. Having said this: Yes, you can get a SIM in the airport, but don't expect any help from a newspaper vendor in setting up and most likely you can't get it working unless you speak some Portuguese and have a CPF.