Check off what you've done: it's saved only on this device. The links go to the official websites. Rules change, so always confirm with the agency.

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Before you decide

Visit the city on a weekday and, if you can, on a rainy day.You'll see the traffic, the noise and whether the street floods.
Work out your monthly budget in the calculator.Rent, condo fee, utilities and transportation, with the city's prices. Open the calculator
Compare the cities you're considering.Safety, wages, schools and health side by side. Open the comparison tool
Check with Civil Defense before choosing a neighborhood.Ask whether the street has a history of flooding or landslides. SC Civil Defense (Defesa Civil)

Documents

Update the address on your CPF.Your Brazilian taxpayer ID (CPF): through the Receita Federal (Federal Revenue), free and online. Receita Federal: update CPF
Transfer your voter registration (título de eleitor).You must have lived at the new address for at least 3 months. In an election year, registration closes 150 days before the vote and reopens afterward. TSE (Electoral Self-Service)
Retirees and pensioners: update your address with the INSS.In the Meu INSS app/site you can change your address and, if you want, the branch where you receive payments. Meu INSS
Buying property as a foreigner? You need a CPF.Buying as a foreigner: you need a CPF (Brazil's individual taxpayer number) to own real estate in Brazil. Federal Revenue rules require it for residents and non-residents who own property here (Receita Federal, IN RFB nº 2.172/2024, art. 4, II, d). Abroad, you apply in person at a Brazilian consulate; the service is free. Foreigners with an address abroad must also confirm their CPF details once a year in the Receita Federal app. gov.br: get a CPF abroad

Car and driver's license

Transfer your vehicle registration to SC.Anyone who moves to a new city must register the vehicle at the new address. See documents, inspection and fees at Detran-SC (the state DMV). Detran-SC
Update the address on your driver's license (CNH).The license is valid throughout Brazil; the new address is updated at Detran-SC. Detran-SC
IPVA (annual vehicle tax): after the transfer, it is paid in SC.Schedule and amounts from the SC State Finance Department (Secretaria da Fazenda). SEF-SC

Health

Check whether your private health insurance covers the new city.If it doesn't, "portabilidade de carências" is an ANS (the national health insurance regulator) rule: you switch plans without serving waiting periods again, within the conditions. ANS: plan portability
Register at the public primary-care clinic (UBS) in your neighborhood.That's where you get an updated SUS card (Brazil's public health system), book appointments and pick up medication. See the list of clinics in the city guides. Meu SUS Digital
Bring recent prescriptions and test results.It helps your new doctor and keeps you from running out of ongoing medication.

Schools

Ask your current school for a transfer.School transcript or transfer certificate.
SC state schools: enroll through the State Department of Education.Dates and documents on the SED-SC website. SED-SC
Municipal schools: enroll through City Hall (Prefeitura).See each public school's score (IDEB, Brazil's official public-school quality index, 0–10) in the city guides. Schools in Balneário Camboriú

Home

Request your electricity connection.In most of SC, power is supplied by Celesc; some areas are served by cooperatives. Celesc
Request your water connection.Each city has its own utility: in Balneário Camboriú it's EMASA; in Jaraguá do Sul, SAMAE. EMASA (Balneário Camboriú)
Internet and cell phone.Keeping your phone number only works within the same area code (DDD). SC has three: 47 (north and northern coast), 48 (Greater Florianópolis and the south) and 49 (west and highlands). Anatel
Hire movers without rushing.Get three quotes, ask about cargo insurance and check the company's complaints. consumidor.gov.br

After you arrive

Get Civil Defense alerts by text message (SMS).Text your home's ZIP code (CEP) to 40199. SC Civil Defense (Defesa Civil)
Find the nearest UBS and urgent care.Know where to go before you need it.

View sources

Source: official websites cited in each item (Receita Federal, TSE, INSS, Detran-SC, SEF-SC, ANS, Ministry of Health, SED-SC, Celesc, EMASA, Anatel, consumidor.gov.br and SC Civil Defense), accessed Oct 1, 2026. The 150 days of closed voter registration come from Law No. 9,504/1997, art. 91. The CPF requirement for property owners comes from Receita Federal Normative Instruction IN RFB nº 2.172/2024, art. 4, II, d.

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Practical guide to moving to SC