🇧🇷
In-person meetings & travel
São Paulo
Brazil · America/Sao_Paulo · UTC-3
São Paulo is Brazil's commercial capital and the largest urban economy in Latin America.
Current time in São Paulo
--:--:--
Loading…
🗓️
Next public holiday
Independence Day
Monday, September 7, 2026— in 85 days
Business hours & meeting culture
- Working hours
- 09:00–18:00
- Workweek
- Monday to Friday
- Culture
- Brazilian business meetings are warm and relationship-led. Punctuality is appreciated but not strict; meetings often run over.
- Meeting tips
- Carnival (February or March) is effectively a four-day national pause. The Christmas-to-Carnival window is the slow season.
Travel & logistics context
Quick reference for business travelers — climate, currency, and language.Currency and language are country-level. Climate may vary across the country.
🌤️
Climate
Humid subtropical
Best: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Avoid: Dec–Feb (hot/humid in Rio), Jun–Aug (cold/foggy in São Paulo)
🔴 Currently a tough month
São Paulo cooler/foggier than Rio; both share rainy summers.
💱
Currency
R$
BRL
Brazilian Real
Loading rate…
🗣️
Language
Official
Portuguese
In business
Portuguese, English in MNCs
English: Common in international firms
🔌
Plug & voltage
C/N
type127/220V · 60Hz
Voltage differs by region; type N is Brazil-specific.
See plug types ↗🤝Business etiquette
- Greeting
- Warm handshake; cheek kisses common, especially socially.
- Cards
- Standard exchange.
- Gifts
- Modest gifts welcomed at relationship-building stage.
- Tipping
- 10% usually included; round up extra for good service.
- Dress
- Smart, well-tailored; appearance matters in business.
- Dining
- Long lunches; expect personal conversation before business.
Time difference vs. major business cities
Computed for 2026. Daylight saving will shift these by an hour during transitions.
| City | Time zone | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 🇯🇵Tokyo | Asia/Tokyo | +12h |
| 🇮🇳Mumbai | Asia/Kolkata | +8h 30m |
| 🇦🇪Dubai | Asia/Dubai | +7h |
| 🇬🇧London | Europe/London | +4h |
| 🇺🇸New York | America/New_York | -1h |
| 🇦🇺Sydney | Australia/Sydney | +13h |
| 🇺🇸San Francisco | America/Los_Angeles | -4h |
| 🇨🇳Shanghai | Asia/Shanghai | +11h |
Public holidays in Brazil, 2026
Commonly observed national holidays. Regional holidays and bridge days are not included. See also the global holiday calendar.
- 2026-01-01
- 2026-02-16
- 2026-02-17
- 2026-04-03
- 2026-04-05
- 2026-04-21
- 2026-05-01
- 2026-06-04
- 2026-07-09
- 2026-09-07
- 2026-10-12
- 2026-11-02
- 2026-11-15
- 2026-11-20
- 2026-12-25
Plan a meeting with São Paulo
Use the meeting planner to compare times across multiple cities, with weekend and holiday awareness.
Open meeting planner →