International Student

Once you are admitted to the PPG-PO, there is a number of important matters to think about prior to your arrival at ITA and UNIFESP.

• Visa to Brazil
• Health insurance
• Housing
• Pre-validation of non-brazilian diplomas
• Authorization to enter the militar area of DCTA - ITA
• Culture and local

VISA

A student visa is required. The visa must be obtained BEFORE the student's entrance in Brazil.

A tourist visa cannot be transferred into a student visa inside the country. Besides, do not apply for a tourist visa. It is valid for only 90 days and cannot be extended.

With the acceptance letter provided by the PPG-PO, the candidate must apply for a student visa at the Brazilian Consulate at his/her country of origin. Important: call the consulate in your particular area of jurisdiction to confirm the procedure, which might differ from city or state.

Entry into Brazil must take place within 90 days from the date when the visa was issued. The visa allows multiple entries. If necessary, an extension may be obtained with the Federal Police in Brazil, if requested at least 30 days prior to its expiration. Student Visa (i.e. VITEM-I or VITEM IV) holders are not allowed to engage in any paid activity in Brazil.

The Brazilian authorities require International students to register their visa in the first 90 days of their arrival. We advise students to request their appointment within 05 days of your arrival at the Federal Police website: http://www.pf.gov.br.

In case of the students fail to register the visa within 90 days, they will pay a daily fine for the authorities and may jeopardize their stay in the country.

HEALTH INSURANCE

During his/her stay in Brazil, the foreigner is allowed to use the services of the Brazilian Public Health System only in emergency cases.

For this reason, PPG-PO requires that students obtain an international health insurance (travel insurance) prior to their arrival in Brazil. It should cover all the period during which the student will stay in the country.

Following, there is a list of some nearby hospitals:

• Santos Dumont (private): Av. Tivoli, 336 - Vila Bethânia, Phone: (12) 3878-1500
• Vivalle Hospital e Pronto Atendimento (private): Av. Lineu de Moura, 995 - Urbanova, Phone: (12) 3924-4900
• Centro Médico Vivalle (private): Rua Carlos Maria Auricchio, 70 - Aquarius, Phone: (12) 3921-3900
• Pio XII (private): Rua Paraguassú, 51 - Santana, Phone: (12) 3928-3300
• Hospital São José (private): Av. Heitor Villa Lobos, 2071, Phone: (12) 3924-2000
• Medical Doctors Serviços Médicos (private): Rua Major Vaz, 247 - Vila Adyana, Phone: (12) 3911-5741
• Policlin (private): Av. Nove de Julho, 430 - Vila Adyana, Phone: (12) 3797-9800
• Hospital Municipal (free of charge): Rua Saigiro Nakamura, 800, Vila Industrial, Phone: (12) 3901-3400
• Hospital de Clínicas Sul (free of charge): Praça Natal, 55, Parque Industrial, Phone: (12) 3932-1300

HOUSING

ITA and UNIFESP do not offer housing for Master and Doctoral programs. For this reason, it is important to seek accommodation prior to your arrival in Brazil or during the first days in Brazil.

The ITA Postgraduate Association (APG-ITA) is a student association that may offer support for housing, insurance, and other matters. Check the website: https://apgita.org.br.

PRE-VALIDATION OF NON-BRAZILLIAN DIPLOMAS

In Brazil, students must have a Brazilian certified undergraduate diploma in order to be granted a DSc. and MSc. degree. If your diploma was not issued by a Brazilian institute, you must validate your international diploma in Brazil.

Before your departure to Brazil, you must notarize all the foreign documents by a Notary Public. See Hague Conventions bellow.

After you arrival in Brazil, we must request the validation process on the website: http://carolinabori.mec.gov.br.

We advise the students to start the validation process as soon as they arrive in Brazil, once the entire process may last up to 180 days.

Brazil is a party to the Hague Conventions. Practically, any document certified by the embassy of a state that is a party to the Hague Convention is also legal in Brazil.

Before coming to Brazil, please, make sure to certify all the required documents properly. Otherwise, it may not be accepted in Brazil.

For other countries, contact the Brazilian embassy to certify the documents before coming to Brazil.

AUTHORIZATION TO DCTA-ITA

As ITA is located in a military base (DCTA), accepted candidates must also apply for authorization to enter DCTA as a regular student immediately after receiving its student visa. The information below must be sent via e-mail to elenice@ita.br with Subject: SOLICITACAO DE AUTORIZACAO DE INGRESSO – ALUNO ESTRANGEIRO.

• Digital (scanned) copy of the passport pages corresponding to identification including photo and student visa, if applicable.
• Name, Name of father and mother, City of Birth, Date of Birth, Nationality, Passport Number and Validity
• Working address (if applicable, must include ZIP code), Permanent residency address (must include ZIP code)
• Profession and branch of activity, telephone and e-mail address

CULTURE AND LOCAL

Brazil is well known for its natural wonders, food, music, happiness, and festivals: Carnival, football, beaches, the largest Comic-Con in the world, Rock in Rio, etc. Besides, its people are descendants from many countries around the world, and it makes Brazilians one of the most welcome people to foreigners and different cultures and religions.

São José dos Campos (SJC) is a city in the estate of São Paulo. It is located between São Paulo (89 km or 55 mi), the biggest metropolis of Latin America and the 8th most populous city of the world, and Rio de Janeiro (276 km or 171 mi), the second biggest city of Brazil and already elected the largest international tourist destination in the entire southern hemisphere.

Besides smaller than São Paulo and Rio, SJC is a big city with all the required infrastructure: public transportation, hospitals, airport, shopping malls, etc. SJC is a city of business and technology known by its research institutes, manufacturers, and startups. Among them, we should cite GM, Cherry, Johnson & Johnson, Petrobás, Embraer (headquarter), etc., and the research institutes: ITA, UNIFESP, INPE, etc.

Brazilian people speak Portuguese, can understand a little Spanish but they are not so familiar with English. Thus, some level of Portuguese or Spanish is desired to live and interact with people in Brazil.