Currency

The official currency of Brazil is called Real. It is pronounced “Rey-All” (the R is pronounced as the R in the French word ‘rouge’ or as the J in the Spanish name ‘Juan’). The plural of Real is Reais (“Rey-Ice”). It is the only legal tender in Brazil although some (tourist) shops in tax-free zones accept American dollar only. It is generally indicated with the symbol R$. International currency markets use the abbreviation BRL.

One Real consists of 100 centavos. Brazil uses coins of 1 centavo, 5 centavos, 10 centavos, 25 centavos, 50 centavos and of 1 Real. The design of these coines was changed a few years ago. As the old coins are slowly phased out, there are two versions of every coin: old and new style. All coins are accepted all over Brazil.

Brazil uses banknotes of:1 Real, 2 Reais, 5 Reais, 10 Reais, 20 Reais, 50 Reais and 100 Reais. These notes are legal tender all over Brazil, but small shopkeepers are often not able to change the larger ones.

There are two versions of the banknote of 10 Reais. The first is a 10 Reais note that has the same design as the other banknotes. The second has a festive look. It was launched in the year 2000 to commemorate Brazil’s 500th anniversary. It contains a new type of plastic which is tested by the launch of this note. The plastic is expected to last four times longer than conventional banknotes.