By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-10-04 05:08:24 | Updated at 2026-10-04 06:08:16
1 hour ago
LatAm Expat & Nomad Daily Guide — Sunday, October 4, 2026
The Short Version
In short: Your LatAm expat and nomad daily guide for Sunday, 4 October 2026. Brazil votes today, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time, and the first results arrive from 5 p.m. Peru votes today in regional and municipal elections, and its dry law ends on Monday at 8 a.m. Colombia’s deadline to transfer older permanent-resident visas is 31 October, 27 days away. Hurricane Rachel is moving away from Mexico but still sends waves and rain to the Pacific coast. Local markets are closed today, so Friday’s exchange rates stay in force until Monday.
01
Brazil votes today. About 158.7 million registered voters choose a president, governors, all 513 members of the Chamber of Deputies and two-thirds of the Senate. Polling places close at 5 p.m. Brasília time, which is 20:00 UTC and 9 p.m. in Lisbon. The TSE (Brazil’s electoral court) begins publishing results at the same moment. A candidate needs more than half of the valid votes to win outright, otherwise the top two meet on Sunday 25 October. Our results timetable shows when and where to follow the count.
02
Peru votes today. More than 26 million citizens are called to elect regional, provincial and district authorities for 2027 to 2030, according to Peruvian media citing the electoral bodies. Mayors are chosen in a single round. Voting runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Peru time. The dry law, a ban on alcohol sales, ends at 8 a.m. on Monday 5 October. Governors need at least 30% of valid votes to avoid a regional runoff on 29 November; our Peru standalone explains the rule and the counting timetable.
03
Colombia’s visa-transfer deadline is 27 days away. Foreigners holding a permanent-resident visa issued under earlier rules must transfer it by 31 October 2026, the Foreign Ministry reiterated on 15 September. Our earlier explainer sets out who is affected and how to apply.
What changed since yesterday Election day has arrived in Brazil and Peru. The Mexican weather service says Hurricane Rachel has weakened to Category 1 and will not make landfall in Mexico. Local FX fixings are unchanged because markets are closed: Mexico’s FIX stays at 18.1903, Brazil’s PTAX at 5.2238, Colombia’s TRM at 3,273.49. Chile’s UF moved to 41,089.96 pesos.
00The LatAm Expat Nomad Daily Guide Status Board
| Brazil election | Sat: polls shut for the day | Today, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília; results from 5 p.m. | Runoff on 25 October if nobody passes 50% of valid votes |
| Peru election | Dry law from Saturday 8 a.m. | Today, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Peru time | Dry law ends Monday 8 a.m. |
| Hurricane Rachel | Cat. 1 off Mexico’s Pacific coast | Moving west, away from land (SMN) | Weakening to tropical storm around 7 to 8 October |
| Mexico peso (FIX) | Thursday: 18.3688 | Friday: 18.1903 (in force until Monday) | Peso firmer on Friday |
| Brazil PTAX (sell) | Thursday: 5.2079 | Friday: 5.2238 | Real weaker for a second day |
| Chile observado / UF | Thursday: 972.60 | Friday: 983.84; UF 41,089.96 today | No new fixing until Monday |
| Colombia TRM | Friday: 3,307.73 | 3,273.49, valid Saturday to Monday | Peso firmer |
| Argentina blue dollar | Thursday: 1,535 / 1,555 | Friday close: 1,540 / 1,560 | Edged up on Friday |
| Colombia visa transfer | 31 October deadline | 27 days left | Permanent-resident visa labels |
01Getting Around
Brazil: an election Sunday. Only Brazilian citizens vote, so foreign residents are spectators. Expect heavier traffic around schools and other polling places in the morning, and check your city’s notices for local rules. Results start after polls close at 5 p.m. Brasília time (20:00 UTC).
Peru: the dry law runs 48 hours. From 8 a.m. on Saturday 3 October until 8 a.m. on Monday 5 October, shops, bars and restaurants may not sell alcohol, according to Peruvian media citing the electoral authorities. Public gatherings within 100 metres of polling places are barred from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Plan meals and travel around those hours.
Mexico’s Pacific coast. The national weather service (SMN) reported on the evening of 3 October that Hurricane Rachel had weakened to Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, moving west, about 430 kilometres south-south-west of Cabo San Lucas on Saturday evening. It does not expect landfall in Mexico. Waves of up to 4 metres are reported along the coast of Baja California Sur. Heavy showers are forecast in Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero and Oaxaca. Beach conditions can stay dangerous even when the storm is far offshore. Check the SMN bulletin before swimming or boating.
02Cost of Living & Money
These are Friday 2 October rates. Most local markets are closed today, so they remain in force until Monday. Each measure is labelled.
Brazil. The central bank’s PTAX fixing (the official reference rate) was 5.2238 to sell on Friday, up from 5.2079 on Thursday. At 5.2238, R$1,000 is about US$191. The week’s fixings were 5.2132 (Monday), 5.2204 (Tuesday), 5.1809 (Wednesday), 5.2079 (Thursday) and 5.2238 (Friday), all to sell.
Mexico. Banxico’s FIX (the rate used to settle dollar obligations) was determined at 18.1903 pesos per dollar on Friday, against 18.3688 on Thursday. At 18.1903, MXN 10,000 is about US$550.
Chile. The observado (the official daily dollar rate) was 983.84 pesos for Friday, against 972.60 the day before. At that rate CLP 1,000,000 is about US$1,016. The UF (Chile’s inflation-indexed unit used in rents and mortgages) is 41,089.96 pesos today. The next observado comes on Monday.
Colombia. The TRM (the official representative rate) is 3,273.49 pesos per dollar, valid Saturday to Monday. That is down from 3,307.73 on Friday. COP 1,000,000 is about US$305.
Argentina. Closes per DolarApi: official Banco Nación 1,490 to buy and 1,540 to sell; wholesale 1,520 to sell; blue (the informal market rate) 1,540 and 1,560; the CCL (contado con liquidación, a rate for dollars bought through securities) 1,623.8 to sell. ARS 1,000,000 is about US$649 at the official sell rate and about US$641 at the blue sell rate. ArgentinaDatos shows country risk, the extra yield investors demand on Argentine dollar bonds, at 655 points on Friday 2 October.
03The Calendar Ahead
Mon 5 OctBrazilian markets reopen after the vote. Peru’s dry law ends at 8 a.m.
Thu 8 OctChile’s September inflation from INE (August: 4.1% a year).
Sun 25 OctBrazil’s runoff, if no candidate wins outright today.
Sat 31 OctColombia’s deadline to transfer older permanent-resident visas.
Dates come from the statistics offices’ own calendars; we did not verify release times. The region is not moving as one block: Colombia’s peso firmed while Brazil’s real weakened last week, and each release can move that either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can foreign residents vote in Brazil’s election today, and what changes for them?
No. Only Brazilian citizens vote, and voting is compulsory for citizens aged 18 to 70. Polling places are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brasília time (9 p.m. in Lisbon) on Sunday 4 October 2026. Voters choose a president, governors, the 513-seat Chamber of Deputies and two-thirds of the Senate. If no presidential candidate wins more than half of the valid votes, the top two meet in a runoff on Sunday 25 October. For foreign residents this is a logistics day: expect more traffic near schools used as polling places.
When do the first Brazilian results appear, and where can I follow them?
The electoral court (TSE) starts publishing results at 5 p.m. Brasília time, which is 20:00 UTC, 4 p.m. US Eastern time and 9 p.m. in London and Lisbon. The Resultados portal at resultados.tse.jus.br and the Resultados app show the count in real time. How quickly a winner or a runoff becomes clear is not known in advance.
Does Peru’s dry law apply to foreigners, and when does it end?
Yes. The restriction applies to the sale of alcohol, whoever the buyer is. It began at 8 a.m. on Saturday 3 October 2026 and ends at 8 a.m. on Monday 5 October, according to the electoral authority’s calendar as reported by Peruvian media. Peruvian media also report that drinking at home is not banned. Peru votes on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Peru time in regional and municipal elections.
Sources: Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (Brazil’s electoral court; voting hours, results release, runoff rule); Peruvian media (RPP, Gestión, Infobae Perú) citing the Jurado Nacional de Elecciones and ONPE (dry law and voting hours); Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (Mexico; Hurricane Rachel bulletin of 3 October 2026) as reported by Publimetro; Cancillería de Colombia (visa-transfer notice of 15 September 2026); Banco Central do Brasil (PTAX, Olinda API); Banxico (FIX); Banco Central de Chile via mindicador.cl (observado and UF); Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia via datos.gov.co (TRM); DolarApi and ArgentinaDatos (Argentina rates and country risk); EODHD economic calendar (release dates).
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