give the extreme importance of a cpf, it is not that hard to get one - brazil offers temporary and permanent cpf's.

whether someone is applying for a temporary cpf number as a tourist in brazil, or a permanent cpf number as a resident, applicants must fill in a cpf form, provide a photocopy of their passport, and pay a small fee at the post office (correios).

this can be done within the country in just a few days, or in a brazilian consulate on foreign soil, with the application usually taking about two months to process.