Brazilian Visa WARNING

[Hlitner]

I am sure that most of you are l aware that US citizens need a Brazilian Visa in order to visit that country (even as a port of call). The Visas cost $100 if you present yourself in person or $110 to the appropriate Brazilian consulate. Of course you can use a Visa service, where you still must mail your passport but you get the privledge of paying an additional fee that can easily top more than $50 per person. We just returned from Washington DC where we obtained our Visa for the in-person price of $100. However, Brazil does have very stringent requirments and we saw quite a few folks turned away without Visas. You must have a copy of your cruise booking on travel agent letterhead, and this must include the itinerary. You also must have all of your flight information (in writing) and this can be a real problem. We found that Celebrity would not fax or e-mail our flight information, even though they had this info in their computer. Our travel agent was able to obtain the flight info from Celebrity and after a frantic call from us (while we were at the Brazilian consulate) they faxed a copy directly to the consulate. Even though our paperwork from the TA did show that we had round trip air to Buenos Aires, this was not good enough for the Brazilian consul. They insisted in specific flight information (both ways) which had to be in writing from our TA or the cruise line (even though our flights were to and from Argentina where we debark and disembark from our cruise). The other hassle with Brazil is that they will not issue a Visa on the same day.....you must come back the next day or in some cases at least 2 business days later depending on the particular consulate and their policy. What fun. The good news is that the Visas are good for 5 years. Its kind of strange but although Brazil insists on all kinds of written proof for your first trip to their country, they don't seem to care about any subsequent visits within that 5 year period. Why are they so stuborn with their policy? Its simply in retaliation because of stringent USA Visa policies imposed on Brazilians. I would strongly urge anyone who needs a Brazilian Visa to carefully read all their instructions on their web site. Also be careful that if you mail your application (and Passport) that you mail to only the appropriate consulate for your state (this info is on their web site).

[cboyle]

We are doing B2B cruises from New Orleans to Rio and from Rio to Buenos Aires on the Golden Princess.

 

For the Miami consulate, we sent copies of the two official Princess itineraries (provided by our travel agent), which showed that we would not be staying in Rio. We did not send anything about our flight home from BA and there was no suggestion on the Miami Consulate web site that we should do so. Each of you may want to confirm with your appropriate consulate as to whether flight information is needed if you are not flying into/out of Brazil.

 

One item that the Miami Consulate wanted was a copy of my driver's license (presumablely to prove that I was eligible to apply for a visa at that consulate). I don't know whether other consulates require that.

 

We sent our passports and applications off by Priority Mail and received the visas 20 days later (also by Priority Mail).

 

Carolyn

[Hlitner]

You have it exactly right. Depending on the consulate, and even on the employees within the consulate, requirements can be different. The DC office used to issue Visas in 1 business day...but that changes tomorrow when they will now want 2 business days. While we were waiting in line at the DC consulate we talked to a couple of couriers for visa services who told us that they never knew what to expect with Brazil. On the other hand, they are probably a lot easier to deal with than the US Consulates abroad.

 

Hank

[shellbeachjim]

If it's any "consulation" (spelling and pun intended), they are just as difficult on Brazilian nationals. We handled ours in San Francisco in 2005 and we watched as the rules were applied to everyone who walked in the door. The biggest "drama" was a Brazilian family living in the US who were travelling to Brazil for the first time with their young child born in the US.

 

We were lucky to have all of the necessary paperwork right the first time, but we had to wait at least a week before we could go back to pick up our passports. There were quite a few people who were there for the second time. The biggest hangup for tourist visas was the printed itinerary. I obsessed over every detail on the consulate's website several times trying to make sure I had everything in order. We were on the Royal Princess leaving from Manaus and we had to wait for Princess to provide us with the charter flight information before we could submit the paperwork. I made a copy of our Princess booking confirmation, covering any price information with post-it notes prior to making the copy. This was deemed acceptable.

 

There's another important gotcha with Brazilian visas. You don't want to get it too early. They must be used within the first 60 days of issuance. If you get the visa too soon, then it may expire before you have a chance to use it. It then becomes a calendar watching game - find the best window of opportunity to submit your paperwork and have it processed, but not early, and not too late. Oh, the challenges! :eek:

 

Jim

[Lube]

Thank you for all the Brazilian Visa information. We are headed to Manaus, Brazil on a charter [From Miami} with Princess before we board their Regal Princess. So far, we don't know which hotel in Miami they are putting us in, and where they are "herding" us once we arrive in Manaus at 7 AM{because the ship won't allow us to board until 1 PM}

All this uncertainty and we are leaving Jan.28, 2007.

There is another cruise coming the opposite way that is also 12 days leaving the 16th of January. Is anyone booked on either trip?

Thank you, Lube:confused: :confused:

[Hlitner]

There is one update to Jim's post. The current Brazilian Visas must be used within 90 days of issuance (not 60). We also noted that a lot of the major problems at the consulate were with Brazilian nationals trying to complete various transactions. I should also commend the consulate staff (there was a man and a woman) who did make every effort to help us meet their requirements. I spent 20 minutes on my cell phone (while at the consulate) talking to the cruise line and my travel agent and begging them to fax the additional needed info (my TA was able to provide the necessary info in a fax direct to the consulate).

 

Hank

[xpcdoojk]

All good and accurate information, Hank. A friend of ours married an Argentine girl, and they flew thru Sao Paolo to get to Buenos Aires. He didn't have a visa. They held him in a holding cell for several hours before they finally allowed the couple to fly to meet her parents in Argentina.

 

jc

[shellbeachjim]

There is one update to Jim's post. The current Brazilian Visas must be used within 90 days of issuance (not 60).

Hank,

I stand corrected, thanks. I was doing it from memory, so I'm at fault for providing bad information. Here's what the San Francisco Consulate's website has:

Tourists must enter Brazil within 90 (ninety) days of issuance of the visa. Please, do not apply for a visa earlier than one month before your planned departure. Initially, the tourist visa is valid for a 90 day stay. Applicants who wish to remain in Brazil for 90 additional days should request an extension at the local Brazilian Police Department (Delegacia de Estrangeiros). Tourist visas allow for a maximum stay of 180 days per year (consecutive) in Brazil. Please remember that bearers of tourist visas should not engage in gainful employment.

If you want to see all of the rules, the San Francisco Consulate's website is http://www.brazilsf.org/visa_tourist_eng.htm

 

Lube, The "operational overnight" in 2005 was at the Marriott North in Ft. Lauderdale. We were met at the airport and bussed over to the hotel. The next morning we were bussed back to the airport for our charter flight. The charter used was World Airways. There were 2 flights, and both of them were packed. The planes were then used to bring the passengers whose cruises ended in Manaus.

 

Jim

[joek]

Lube,

 

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