Just wondered if anyone is getting the 3rd degree at GIG in immigaration just after you get off the plane.

I have been to Brazil 7 times this year, and have gotten the 3rd degree at GIG twice when entering, and once at GIG when leaving.

I have entered at GRU (Sao Paulo), and at FLN (Florionapolis) once, and not had any trouble.

Entering again at GIG in July, and just want to know what to expect.

Appreciate your comments.

Thanks.

OH

Excuse my ignorance here. 3rd degree?

Did anyone ever give you are hard time? When you give someone a hard time, sime people refer to it as the 3rd degree.

The last 3 trips I made to Rio, the immigration guy was a major pain in the ass. He took one look at my passport and started asking me a million questions. He refused to believe that I was not working in Brasil because of all the stamps in my book. He held me up for about 15 minutes before he finally stamped my passport and let me thru.

Last time I entered Rio, I tought they would put me back on the plane,

On my most recent trip to Rio, they were taking photos and fingerprinting(3/17).

Have any of you regular Rio vistors ever tried simply saying "tou no Rio p'ra fuder" - I'm coming to Rio to fuck? The PF guys really dont care, as long as your not fucking minors.

When I arrived at the old terminal (on American) in early March, we were fingerprinted and photographed as well. Apparently it's random. Which terminal did you arrive in, the old one or the new one? The new one would be on United and Varig, the old for everyone else I believe.

Gentlemen, I have only been to Rio once, and that was last year during Carnaval, so I will not pass myself off as an expert. But, when I went, I had the same experience as Catocony in that I was photographed and fingerprinted, which I thought was very odd. I asked about it and was told that the US had started this practice towards Brazilians after 9/11, so they were giving us a taste of our own medicine. I honestly don't think it's any thing more sinister than that.

Prowler1 is exactly right. Brazil has an official policy of "reciprocity" towards US citizens, meaning we will be treated just as Brazilian citizens are treated when coming to the US. So, visa charges are set the same (citizens from most other countries aren't required to have a visa) and they photograph and fingerprint us just as we (and only we) do to them.

The process does seem a bit random. In the past month I've flown into SP twice from the US; I was fingerprinted and photographed the first time, but the equipment wasn't around the second time.

Yes, I think they do pick on the Americans. How do I know this? Here is the experience I had during my first trip into Rio in early 2004. They just instituted the finger print thing not too long ago, and they had a Federal Police strike at the same time and therefore only one firgging guy at the counter.

I arrived in an American Airline flight. I think it was like 7am. I was in the back of the plane and therefore the end of the queue. This is no BS, it took 2.5 hours to move up half the queue. My feet was killing me and my stomach was turning. I was at the end of the queue anyway, so I thought I would go to the men's room, get rid of my upset stomach and sit a while.

While I was still taking a shit, I heard rumbling outside and obviously another fucking plane arrived. I said, "OH SHIT!" By the time I wipe my fucking ass and went outside, I have another 3/4 full planeful of passenger in front of me - on top of the original queue. So, by my calculation I will be there for at least another 4 fucking hours.

But guess what. The second plane is Air France and are mostly French tourists. As soon as the American Airline passengers cleared the queue, the queue moved like 10 times faster. I ended up clearing the queue in like 45 minutes.

This is how I know that they indeed pick on the Americans, on top of the fingerprint and photo thing.

But that's fucking fine. I am there to screw the brains out of their women. That's my fucking pay back.

(Message edited by sex_junkie on April 01, 2005)

(Message edited by sex_junkie on April 01, 2005)

They don't hide the fact - it's an Americanos-only line.

I stood in line last March for about two hours on the way in, but that was more because of the strike than the fingerprinting. I stayed a week, came back home then went back about a month later. The strike was over and they were no longer fingerprinting. However, this time I came through the Varig/United terminal, not the old one where I had come through in March on American. On my trips down in July and November I had no problems; again, on United. This March, I go down for the second time on American and for the second time, I'm fingerprinted and photographed.

I know that most of you go through the old terminal, which is where American and Continental arrive. Has anyone been fingerprinted in the new terminal lately?

I came through the old terminal on a Continental flight on March 18. There was no fingerprinting and 5 agents checking the flight through. I was at the back of the plane and made it through immigration in 20 minutes. I think the fingerprinting thing is just a matter of luck at this stage of the game. Fortunately, mine was good!

As one who was fingerprinted and photographed a couple of days after the policy was instituted last year (around early Jan. at which time they used ink and paper, and from all appearances threw the fingerprints in the garbage in a back room after taking them), and have gone through GRU immigration at least 10 times since, here is my take on things.

First, the fingerprint and photograph routine is a result of Brazil's reciprocity rules, sort of. In fact, whether this level of reciprocity is mandated by the laws may be debatable (e.g., if Brazilians have to wait an average of 1 hour at U.S. immigration, does Brazilian reciprocity require they make the lines one-hour long for Americans? Don't think so). The thing that rankles is the decision to photograph and fingerprint was made by a judge who in his written decision stated the U.S. policy of doing this to Brazilians conjures up the worst atrocities of the Nazi era. This brilliant decision then was applied throughout Brazil, as a result of how court jurisdiction in Brazil works. The mayor of Rio (who otherwise is an asshole, owing to his Christian fundamentalism and view of our hobby) was furious since the decision represented a possible blow to U.S. tourism. BUT, the federal government decided NOT to appeal the decision thereby implicitly accepting it (on this, I don't know the details, and if I am wrong on some of the nuances, please correct me).

If the judge hadn't specifically compared the U.S. to Nazis, maybe we could understand the reciprocity argument, but not only did he write the U.S. was behaving like Nazis, the judge then said Brazil would do the same (Nazi-equivalent) thing to Americans entering Brazil; surprisingly, he did not require that a Nazi flag wave at the immigration checkpoints in Brazil to make clear Brazil too was going to act like Nazis in response to the U.S. Nazi policy.

As to the practical effects, about 70 percent of the time I go through immigration at GRU I am asked to provide my photograph and fingerprints. The other times I am waved through, although when this happens I am usually the first person from my plane at immigration (when I get off that plane I shoot like a motherfucker for the immigration line) and so I am not sure my experience generalizes. There has been a clearly marked "United States citizens only" line at immigration which you need to go through (unless waived) after going to the normal immigration counter.

As to attitudes towards U.S. citizens, I doubt there is anything systematic going on. Indeed, one of the recent reported scandals in Brazil concerned allegations of very close ties between the Federal Police and FBI. While there may be exceptions, as far as I can tell the Federal Police tend to be a bit right-wing, and possibly more favorably disposed to Americans than other governmental institutions in Brazil.

OTOH, during the Police Strike early last year, the Federal Police were trying to hurt most the people who would complain the loudest, since their objective was to make the strike intolerable for the government so they would settle it. Possibly this translated into particularly bad treatment of the Americans, or, the experiences above concerning longer waits for the Americans may have simply represented individual prejudices of individual Federal Police who were not representive of the Police generally.

So FWIW, that is my take on things, at least to the best of what I know.

ive been there 4 times march of '04, july'04 ,novenber '04, and feb '05, never been fingerprinted, though I have been asked why I come so much and he wrote the date I was leaving under my stamp.

Im actually leaving to go 2nite hope I dont have any problems

I arrived yesterday (4/1) in Sao Paulo, and getting through immigration/passport control was way easier than at GIG in Rio. I arrived at about 9:30 am, and despite being the last to get off the plane, it took no more than 5 min to get through. Interestingly, after going to the "normal" booth, Americans have to go to a second booth. It has fingerprinting and photographing equipment, but the attendant just looked at my passport and waved me through.

I can confirmed that getting thru Sao Paulo is easier than getting thru GIG. I have done each 2 or 3 times in the last 12 months. Sao Paulo's customs seems to be a little more efficient.

On top of the fact that I have now concluded ths Sao Paulo is a must-go stop for a monger trip, I think the ideal is to go into Sao Paulo and come out of GIG.

They are fingerprinting again! Got here on thuirsday and they are back to taking pics and fingerprinting.

I went in Jan 04 of last year and was finger printed w/ ink and pic taken with a portable digital camera. Went again in March 04 and they were biometric fingerprint scanners and a digital camera gooked to a computer. I went again in June 04 and nothing was done. I've been 3 times since and the last time FEB 05 still nothing. What made them change their minds?

i have never had problems coming in or with the immigration officials.

however, the last four times i have left the country the airlines have hand searched all of my bags with me present before I get on the plane (i.e. they take me to that little room they have with the airport security guys). this has happened with both aa and continental. it is a real pain in the ass and i never said anything during my pre flight "interview" that should have been a trigger. anyway, i have noticed that they do it to a lot of americans but it is still a pain.

That happened on my last flight. Was a little embarrassing. Had a couple leftover toys that weren't given away. Other than that no problems. Not like I'm smuggling anything back.

Arrived today, photos and fingerprints but I was through in 5 minutes. No big deal.

Ouch! Maybe you should remind the judge the Nazi's fled to South America after WW2.. including Brazil and Argentina.. He must have flunked history class.

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"If the judge hadn't specifically compared the U.S. to Nazis, maybe we could understand the reciprocity argument, but not only did he write the U.S. was behaving like Nazis, the judge then said Brazil would do the same (Nazi-equivalent) thing to Americans entering Brazil; surprisingly, he did not require that a Nazi flag wave at the immigration checkpoints in Brazil to make clear Brazil too was going to act like Nazis in response to the U.S. Nazi policy."

(Message edited by ttboy2100 on April 24, 2005)