Travelling to São Paulo for the expo

Yellow fever: needed for your return. Brazil does not ask for a yellow-fever vaccination certificate on entry. Bangladesh, however, requires one from travellers aged one year or older who arrive from countries with a risk of yellow-fever transmission, including after a transit of more than 12 hours in such a country — and Brazil is one of them. Vaccination is also recommended for travellers to São Paulo state and the city of São Paulo. Get vaccinated well before you leave, ask your doctor about the timing, and carry the original certificate in your hand luggage.

Other risks. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes dengue and an increased risk of chikungunya in Brazil, so protect yourself against mosquito bites. There is no malaria transmission in the city of São Paulo. Ask your doctor about routine vaccines, including measles, and about hepatitis A and B.

Airlines and transit countries can apply their own rules to passengers coming from Brazil, and health rules change. Check with your airline before you fly home. Health information checked against CDC travel pages reviewed in August and September 2026.

There are no direct flights between Dhaka and São Paulo. Routings with one connection go through hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Istanbul or Addis Ababa and land at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (GRU). Total travel time is typically 24 to 32 hours, depending on the connection — check your itinerary.

Choose a routing that does not need a transit visa, and check the transit rules for your connecting airport with the airline, especially if you change airports or leave the transit area. Schedules and airspace advisories change, so confirm your routing close to departure.

Samples in your luggage. Brazil's tax and customs authority, Receita Federal, requires travellers to use the goods-to-declare channel for taxable goods above US$1,000, items under sanitary or agricultural control, temporary-admission goods of non-residents above US$3,000, and goods meant for another person or company, which must go through a formal import. The declaration is made electronically (e-DBV). Rules depend on the product, so check with your freight forwarder or customs broker before you pack.

Travel quota from Bangladesh. Under a Bangladesh Bank circular of 30 September 2026, exporters, importers and producers on business travel may use US$400 a day, up to US$4,000 per trip and US$10,000 per calendar year, including through international cards. Private-sector participants at seminars or conferences abroad may take US$400 a day for the programme period plus one day, against an invitation letter. Exporters may also use their Exporters' Retention Quota (ERQ) balances for export fairs and seminars abroad without prior Bangladesh Bank approval (circular of 30 July 2026). Your bank applies the current rules, so confirm with it before you travel.

Brazilian real. Brazil's currency is the real (BRL, written R$). On 9 October 2026 one US dollar was worth R$4.99 (Central Bank of Brazil, PTAX rate); between 2024 and 2026 the rate moved between R$4.85 and R$6.21, so check it before you change money.

Changing money. At GRU, Banco Safra runs 24-hour exchange desks in Terminal 2 (arrivals hall and departures) and in Terminal 3. Near the 2025 venue, Getmoney has an exchange office in Shopping Center Norte (ground floor, store 700), about 0.7 km on foot from the Novotel: Monday to Friday 10:00–21:30, Saturday 10:00–20:00, Sunday 14:00–19:00.

Cards, cash and Pix. Card cloning is common: keep your card in sight, check the amount on the terminal and avoid any ATM that looks tampered with. Pix, Brazil's instant payment system, works only between accounts at Brazilian banks and payment institutions, and opening one in practice needs a CPF (Brazilian taxpayer number), so most short-term visitors cannot use it. Plan to pay by card or in cash.

Arrange mobile data before you fly. Roaming from your Bangladeshi operator, or an international travel eSIM bought before departure, keeps you connected when you land, which helps when you book an app ride at the airport. Compare prices with your provider.

If you prefer a Brazilian SIM card or eSIM, check the operator's current conditions for visitors before you buy. A phone locked to your Bangladeshi operator will not accept another operator's SIM, and an eSIM needs an eSIM-capable phone.

Ask your hotel whether Wi-Fi is included in the rate. In the street, keep your phone out of sight.

Mosques. Mesquita Brasil, Brazil's oldest mosque, is at Rua Barão de Jaguará, 632, Cambuci, about 7.5 km from the venue in a straight line. It publishes daily prayer times for São Paulo on its website and receives visitors who book through its contact form. Mesquita do Brás is at Rua Elisa Whitacker, 17, Brás, about 5.6 km from the venue; OpenStreetMap lists it as a Shia mosque. The city guide also maps mosques in Santo Amaro, in the south zone, and in São Bernardo do Campo. Confirm prayer times locally.

Halal food. Arab halal butchers and restaurants have been reported around Rua Barão de Ladário and Rua Doutor Ornelas in Pari, about 6 km south-east of the venue. Places open and close, so call or check before you go. Brazil's main halal certifiers publish lists of certified manufacturers and slaughterhouses, not restaurants, so ask a restaurant directly where its meat comes from.

Bangladeshi community. There is a Bangladeshi community around Brás and Pari: in March 2026 the city's health unit in Pari had 991 registered Bangladeshi patients, the third-largest immigrant group it serves (São Paulo city government).

If BBCCI arranges halal catering or a prayer room at the venue, the details will appear here.

Brazilian citizens need a visa for Bangladesh. You apply through Bangladesh's visa portal (www.visa.gov.bd) and the Embassy of Bangladesh in Brasília. The embassy's visa page gives a fee of R$170 for Brazilian citizens and processing within 10 working days.

For a business visa, the embassy asks for a letter from your Brazilian employer and an invitation from your Bangladeshi host, with the host's trade licence. A visa on arrival for business visitors with an invitation attested by BIDA or BEPZA, Bangladesh's investment authorities, may be available — confirm with the embassy.

Bangladesh requires a yellow-fever vaccination certificate on arrival from travellers coming from Brazil. There are no direct flights; common routings make one connection, for example in Dubai, Doha, Istanbul or Addis Ababa.

The embassy's visa page was last updated in 2022, so confirm the current requirements with the embassy before you travel.