Brazil Visa

 “THE ISSUANCE OR DENIAL OF A VISA IS THE ACT OF A SOVEREIGN STATE.”
-Brazilian Consulate in Buenos Aires.

We’ve heard some stories about this being a difficult process.  There are always stories. Still, we cruised through pretty easily, despite not having all the ‘required’ paperwork. Here’ s the handy dandy BodesWell Brazilian visa guide for Americans in Buenos Aires. FYI – we need a visa to enter Brazil, since our country requires one of Brazilians to enter the U.S.  Its the whole reciprocity thing.

First, fill out and submit the forms electronically here.

Second, make an appointment here.

Gather the required paperwork noted on the above link…

You will need actual photos on glossy photo paper – we tried color prints and they refused them.  No worries, there is a quicky passport photo place around the corner from the consulate and they will give you directions after you strike out. Adds 10 minutes.

If you travel with a kid (you should), they claim to require notarized ‘parental documents’ and the original birth certificate. We had neither and took a color scan of Bode’s birth certificate. They just made a photocopy and handed it back.

Take your passports and leave them there.

Consulado-Geral do Brasil
Carlos Pellegrini 1363 piso 5
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

They specifically asked for copies of a recent bank statement (I wasn’t going to volunteer it) and they just glanced at it. I had changed all the numbers anyway.

I had a ‘fake’ hotel reservation in my pile of documents since it’s supposed to be required, but they didn’t ask.

I brought my car papers, since we were supposed to have proof of reservations on a bus or plane into and out of the country. They didn’t ask for them, and I mentioned that I was driving. She asked me 5 minutes later if I was driving and I nodded yes. That was about all for transit discussions.

I requested 180 days on the application and she thought we were crazy. You get 90 days max (she even went somewhere to ask if she could make an exception). You can extend it another 90 days once in the country.

They give you a payment stub and directions to their bank. Go to their bank, take a number and wait. Pay in ARS cash. They get notified of payment electronically. It’s about 770 ARS per person (about $175 USD). Yeah, ouch.  It’s the same as the U.S. charges Brazilians to enter the U.S.  That whole reciprocity thing again.

It was painless… they spoke English, Spanish, and I assume, Portuguese.

We picked up our passports and visas 24 hours later.

You must enter Brazil within 30 days to validate the visa. Only now did we realize that they misspelled Bode’s middle name… we’ll let you know if it’ an issue.

It’s one of the largest countries in the world, with over 1 million miles of road… and you get 90 days. Good luck.

Oh, and overstaying your visa comes with a penalty of about $2 USD per day. So, don’t worry about it. Start learning Portuguese.