🇧🇷 Learning Portuguese in Brazil

A joint programme of the city's human rights and education secretariats, with its own purpose-written textbook series at basic, intermediate and advanced levels. Open to immigrants regardless of migratory status — you do not need documents in order to enrol. Classes are decentralised across municipal schools in different regions so you attend near where you live rather than travelling to the centre. Enrolment reopened in March 2026 and runs continuously through the year; contact the human rights secretariat listed on the page, or go through the CRAI immigrant centre.

A public facility of the municipal human rights secretariat, open since 2014, offering multilingual help with migratory regularisation, access to social rights, legal guidance and referrals, regardless of documentation status. Worth being clear about what it is: an intake and referral point rather than a language school — it does not teach classes itself, but it is the natural place to be routed into Portas Abertas and other services if you do not know where to start. Walk in at the address on the page or phone ahead.

Run by Rio's municipal citizenship secretariat with a partner organisation, serving immigrants, refugees and stateless people since the centre opened in 2023. Classes run midweek at the centre in Gamboa, covering basic through advanced levels alongside a Celpe-Bras preparatory track, with childcare offered during class times. Registration is through an online form linked from the city page. One caveat: the most recent official announcements date from the centre's opening period, so confirm current terms and times with the centre before travelling.

A commercial school in Ipanema running group intensives of twenty hours a week, a dedicated track for Spanish speakers, private one-to-one tuition, immersion weekends, in-company programmes and Celpe-Bras exam preparation, across levels A1 to C. Prices are published on a full rate card on the site, starting from an hourly rate that drops with course length. It is accredited by IALC, the international association of language centres, and channels part of its tuition into a local social project. Book online after a free level test.

A private school in the Barra district running since 1989, with group morning classes four lessons a day Monday to Friday, combination tracks that add private afternoon lessons, and fully private programmes. Teaching is communicative and conducted in Portuguese only, with accommodation placement and cultural add-ons such as dance and capoeira available alongside. New courses start every Monday, which makes it flexible if you are arriving mid-term. Prices are not published on the programmes page — request a quote through the site.

Run as extension courses by the language centre of USP's Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences, and explicitly open to immigrants and refugees from outside the university as well as USP people. The course is free, runs about forty hours over a semester with weekly afternoon sessions on the Cidade Universitária campus. Two enrolment traps to avoid: you apply through the centre's own online form plus a level test, not through the university's general Apolo system, which disqualifies you; and places are allocated by lottery rather than first-come. Check the current semester's page for the next registration window.

An extension project of UFRJ's Faculty of Letters that doubles as teaching practice for its undergraduates, which is precisely why the prices stay low: students pay a small non-refundable registration fee rather than commercial tuition. Explicitly open to the external community, not just UFRJ students, and CLAC has published dedicated Portuguese-for-foreigners course calls. Registration is per semester through the sign-up form on the site under each semester's call. Confirm the current fee and dates by email, since the amount is set per edition.

An extension programme of UFRGS's Institute of Letters offering basic, intermediate and advanced courses, each with additional stages and dedicated variants for Spanish speakers, plus teacher training and a Celpe-Bras preparatory course. Prices are published per semester and scale with course length, making this one of the few university programmes you can budget for in advance. People in a refugee situation get special enrolment conditions — email the programme rather than assuming the listed price applies. Enrolment is per semester through the PPE site.

A Scalabrinian migrant-service centre serving migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, with free beginner-level classes running Monday to Thursday mornings in person in the Liberdade district, plus online options. Applicants from outside São Paulo are considered subject to volunteer-teacher availability. Sign up by WhatsApp or in person at the address on the page. Two things to know: attendance certificates from these classes are not valid for naturalisation purposes, and advanced students are referred on to partner institutions rather than kept in-house.

ADUS has run Portuguese classes since 2013 and states it has served over four thousand refugees, treating language as the gateway to health, education and work. Courses span basic to advanced and are funded from the organisation's own resources and partner contributions rather than student fees. For refugees and asylum seekers, at its office in central São Paulo. There is no self-service enrolment form and the site does not publish the current term's schedule — email the organisation to ask about the next intake.

Run by PARES Cáritas RJ since 2014 in partnership with UERJ, which supplies the methodology, materials and classroom space in Maracanã. Eligibility is tightly targeted: you must have been in Brazil under one year, hold a refugee protocol or, for Venezuelans, an RNE, and not have taken this or another Portuguese course before. Classes run twice weekly in the morning, with transport top-ups and meals provided for attendees, which removes the usual practical barriers. Enrolment happens in short windows announced each intake — the most recent ran in March 2026 — with enquiries by WhatsApp.