Rio De Janeiro Flights & Arrival Information

Duty Free

You can bring US$500 worth of duty free items into Brazil. In the luggage reclaim area there is a reasonably well stocked Duty free shop. Good for Perfume, Whisky, Cigars etc. If you smoke, Cigarettes are cheap in Brazil so no need to buy in this shop. When purchasing you will need to show your flight ticket or boarding card and you have to pay in US$ or with a credit card. Note that all prices listed are in US Dollars. Perfume is very expensive in Brazil so if you are coming to meet a girlfriend then it is a good idea to buy some perfume here as it is half the price.

Within this $500 limit there are some restrictions. They are mainly in place for Brazilian residents and probably will not concern you. They include a maximum of 24 bottles of alcohol, 10 cosmetic items,20 cartons of foreign manufactured cigarettes, 25 cigars, 3 watches, toys or electronics items.
When passing through customs you have to hit a button which will light up green or red. If green you go straight through. If Red they will inspect your luggage. This is not a random unit although it is meant to appear that way. A customs officer standing nearby has a small device in his hand and can make it turn red if he is suspicious of you. However most "Gringos" get to pass straight through. They are mainly concerned with catching wealthy Brazilians who have been on shopping sprees overseas. Be prepared for long queues passing through the customs area. Two or three International flights tend to arrive around the same time and immigration and customs cannot easily cope at such times.

Transport from the Airport

As you leave the Customs area you will see 3 or 4 taxi booths with good natured Brazilian girls in them who will probably be waving and calling you. These are radio cabs and are the best bet for a hassle free trip to your hotel/apartment. You can pay the girl with dollars/Reais/Credit cards. There are fixed prices to the various areas of Rio, approximately R$60 (24 dollars) to Copacabana for instance. She will issue you a receipt and a porter will take you to the taxi. All these Taxis are air conditioned. The drivers will speak some English.

The regular taxis are cheaper (these are Yellow with a blue stripe down the sides), and can be found out front in the same area as the radio cabs. Most of them are OK but you will get the occasional one who will try and rip you off. If you do take one, insist he turn the meter on ( Say "Hell oje" and they should understand ) otherwise he may grab a price out of the air if he doesn't switch it on. And then turning on the meter isn't always a guarantee as some of them seem to have a "turbo" device fitted to it which makes it clock up very fast indeed. No. Stick with the radio cabs.

The girls in the taxi booths will also change dollars to Reals. The rate they give will not be as good as in town so only change as little as you need immediately. There is now also a money exchange counter opposite the taxi booths. Here too you will not get as good a rate as in town.

Finally there is the bus. They have air conditioned buses going to Central Rio, Copacabana and Barra. They only cost a few dollars ( but you have to pay in reals). They are found outside on the lower level ( departure area) so take an elevator down from the foyer of the arrivals area. They run quite regularly, every 30 minutes or so.

For Basic Information on Rios' International airport click here GIG1 or here GIG2     Need a visa quickly: Brazil Visa Application:  Fast and reliable Brazil visa application service. Or Brazil Business Visa Requirements: Brazil Tourist Visa Requirements with On-line Brazil Visa application forms. Apply for visa to visit Brazil