Here is my passport history

4/1993 - Got my second passport
4/2002 - Had pages added to my passport, and also got my Brazilian visa
4/2003 - Got my new passport
6/2003 - Got a new passport because I lost the other one.

I have two questions for the vets:

1. Since my passport is about to expire, can I renew it in the Brazilian embassy here? Or do I have to do it in the US?
2. When I get my new passport, I plan on only showing my new passport and my passport that has my visa. This will essentially erase all records of one year's worth of trips to Brazil. Sort of starting with a clean slate. If they only renew me for another year, then this is a great way around the 6 month stay problem in Brazil. Does that make sense?

BT

I'm confused. You just got a new passport in 4/2003, which should be good until 4/2013. Correct?

If you do need a whole new passport, for whatever reason, just make sure they return your old passport with your visa in it. They sometimes "forget" to.

Lastly, I don't know if you can get a passport renewal in Brasil, unless you have a residency visa for Brasil. If you're just there on a tourist visa, they'll probably say to get it when you go home, because how long could you possibly be staying in Brasil on one trip?

Call the consulate in Rio, though, and see what they have to say. Or just go down there - you'll probably meet some cute garotas in line. Pretend you work at the consulate or something and get some free tail out of it!

Catacony,

I forgot to say that when I lost my passport in 6/2003, they only renewed it for one year so my passport is going to expire 6/2004.

BT,

You can get a new passport in brazil, but it's a 30 day process. Passports are are either sent to the US to be made, or are done at the embassy in Brasilla (Not sure if they got the new digital equipment yet). The only passport the consulate can make is an emergency one to get you out in a hurry.

Dood

when I got a new passport, I had my US visa in the passport for years on end. I just showed the old passport at entry, they stamped the entry stamp into the new passport with the comment "viopp" Visa in old passport.

I imagine Brazil works the same way. It should, as they always like to reciprocate .......

I just realized that I am going to be in Washington DC for a few days in April so I will try and get it done then.

But I am still trying to figure out whether when I get my new passport, whether my passport from 6/2003 to 6/2004 is effectively cancelled and therefore I never made all of those trips to Brazil.

BT.. they count the stamps.. So you're ok

Question for the board.

My passport expires in Feb of 2008. I have a Brazil trip scheduled for Jan 15-28th of 2008. (I heard somewhere that you need to have at least 60 days left on your passport for you to travel internationaly) Can I get a new passport before my old one expires?

What happens to the brasilian visa that doesnt expire until May of 2008? Will it carry over to ny new passport?

THX for any info you guys can provide.

You can get a new passport but ought to do this ASAP to make sure it is returned to you in time. With only about 30 days left, you need to ask and pay for expedited service.

You also will need to carry your old passport with you with the visa intact. DO NOT remove the visa from your old passport.

I never have been able to figure out precisely what Brazil requires with respect to amount of time remaining on your passport. Some countries require six months but I don't believe Brazil is one of them. If you could somehow determine Brazil has no requirement at all regarding remaining time on the passport (other than it has to extend at least until the time you plan on leaving Brazil) then you could, of course, wait until you return to get a new passport.

Are there agencies that you can go to for expedited services? Or do you ask for expedited srvices at the post office when you submit the application?


Not sure how many days Brasil requires on the passport. Since my passport expires about 3 days after my scheduled return trip, i doubt if they will let me travel with it.

Here is a link to a good company I have used in the past for both passport and visa. - Hemp

http://www.traveldocument.com/

Thumper and Laguy,

Brasil IS one of the countries that has the 6months remaining requirement; whether they are enforcing it the day an individual arrives is another issue. It could be as simple as explaining a two week stay (with no time prob with months remaining) if asked, or being denied entry. I just renewed my passport last week to avoid this very situation. What a disappointed to fly that far and be denied entry, not worth the chance IMHO.

The alternative to using a passport service to get an expedited passport is to send it by overnight mail to the US government passport office (somewhere on the east coast) responsible for processing expedited passport requests. A google search should give this to you, along with the required forms.

At one point, there was an issue of a passport application backlog, but in the midst of this I did get mine back in about three weeks. I tend to doubt whether a passport service would be able to do better than this, although having never used one for this purpose I cannot say this with much certainty. I suppose another marginal advantage to using a service is at least they will (presumably) review the application to make sure you filled everything out correctly and didn't miss any steps.

CFK: Interesting about the Brazil 6 months requirement. The last time I looked into this I was unable to find anything supporting this requirement, and, if memory serves me right, called one of the airlines (probably United, meaning I then got this information from a member of a satanic cult) who told me there was no 6-month requirement. I then entered Brazil with less than 6 months on my passport, assuming my recollection is correct. I also entered Argentina on the same trip, and although the immigration officer pointed to my passport expiration date and told me I should get a new one, I was let through without any problem. Of course, none of this proves anything, but to clear up any confusion it would be nice if someone could post a link to a definitive source on this issue, ideally a list country by country list of these sort of entry requirements (or, at least, something for Brazil).

(Message edited by LAguy on December 12, 2007)

I just got back a couple of days ago, I was really lucky that the immigration officer in Brasil didnt notice the expiration date on my passport.

I am hoping that an agency can get me the passport back in a few days, I cant afford to wait 3-4 weeks.

Copperfield,

Incorrect, I called about this for my March trip this year. My passport expired at the end of April and I asked the Embassy before I left what the requirements are. She told me that as long as the passport is valid when you enter and you have a valid visa when you enter, that's all you need. Technically, the visa can expire when you're there and you're good (assuming you leave in 90 days or less). You're passport can expire and you're good, they don't give a shit since they don't look at passports on the way out, just your entry slip to see if you've overstayed and your ticket to make sure you have your departure tax stamp on it.

Thumper,

All an agency will do is send it to your closest passport agency - which you yourself can do. I think you live in NYC, so all you need to do is call the 800 number and make a reservation to drop of your paperwork and payment. Schedule it for whenever, then go down on that day/time. I would suggest early morning, since the lines will be shorter. Anyways, drop the stuff off and pay on one day, you can usually pick up anywhere from same day or in a couple of days - you'll have the choice. Just have proof of a flight you're taking within a couple of weeks - not a big deal, reserve something, print it out then cancel the res. They won't investigate it, usually it's just the security guy who wants to make sure you're eligible to use the service.

If you don't have the time to go do it yourself then an agency will work, it just costs money on top of what you'll pay the Passport Agency.

I'm now a bit more skeptical of CFK's 411 on whether Brazil requires 6 months before expiration of your passport for entry. I just went to the U.S. State Department's website that lists the requirements for entry into other countries, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html and found that while for the Philippines the website correctly states your passport needs to be valid for six months after entry, no such statement is made with respect to Brazil. This is consistent with my previous understanding of the entry requirements for both.

So the question that arises is whether we should consider information from a Satanic cult (such as United Airlines, see my above post; or perhaps the U.S. government) or from CFK as the more reliable. I suppose one test of this is for those of you who know other countries with six-month requirements to go to the website and see whether the requirement is listed; if it is in all such cases, then it would appear the failure to list it for Brazil means there is no such requirement.

So click away.

[After initially posting this, I see that Catocony reached a similar conclusion]

(Message edited by LAguy on December 12, 2007)

(Message edited by LAguy on December 12, 2007)

Here is a link for expedited (and other) passport services. http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/processing/processing_1740.html

Laguy,
Only because it throws a little more confusion on the issue; from the Brasilian Consulate in NY
"In order to be admitted into Brazilian territory, all foreign nationals must carry a passport valid for a minimum of six months from the date of intended arrival in Brazil (except Argentinean, Chilean, Uruguayan and Paraguayan citizens entering Brazil by land, who need only a photo ID)."

http://en.brazilny.org/index.php?/consulado/tourism/entry_requirements

Now I'm really confused.

Cat and Laguy,

besides what CG just stated, my source (I called them direct as I too had a passport expireing in May 08 and didnt want to risk a problem)was the US Govt Passport website, followed by a telephone call in which I asked about three countries:Peru,Costa Rica, and Brasil. Was told the following: need 6 mos for Brasil (as CG just stated)no req as long as its valid at entry for CR, and they didnt ahve an answer for Peru..remember however, this was coming from our experts at the office that should be in the know!
There, clear as mud!
CFK

Oh, BTY, I did call the Brasilian Consulate here in Houston and asked them and they also said you need the 6 months, forgot to mention that in prior posts.......it's a pain in any event....

CFK

I have had good results dealing with PassportsandVisas.com. I got my original 5 year Brasilian visa in 4 business days. Later they got pages added to my passport in 5 business days and recently got my 2nd 5 year Brasilian visa in 4 days. I sent it via FedEx overnight on Monday and it came back to me on Friday.

It is likely that other services will provide equally good service but this is the only expediter that I have used and can confirm their service.

Well, I went down twice with less than six months left in my passport, with zero issues. I also went to Costa Rica with about three months left, and the Dominican with three weeks left. No problems anywhere.

As always, trust the Embassy, not the Consulates.

Thx Catocony! I saw the 800 number listing on the GOV Travel website. Unfortunately, you have to be traveling within 2 weeks to use their services. You also have to schedule an apointment, they dont allow walk ins.

I think what I will do is give them a ring and make an appoitment the first week of January (that way I will be within the 2 week timeperiod).

I am now wondering whether some of you are confusing the requirements for getting a visa with those for entering Brazil. TO GET A VISA you need to present a passport that does not expire within six months of the date you are proposing to visit Brazil (this information is on the New York Consulate website). However, I still haven't seen anything to suggest if you have a visa from a previous trip, there is any such six-month requirement.

Any info to the contrary??

I should add if Cat flew a U.S. based air carrier to Brazil and was let on the airplane with a passport with less than six months on it, it is highly likely there is no six-month rule for those who already have visas. The airlines tend to be more diligent in enforcing the regulations than the immigration officers, since if they let someone try to enter without valid paperwork they are fined.

As to me, I flew from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo on a non-US (but international) carrier when I "tested" this, which may not be as good a test although may be worth something.

All airlines use a service called "Timatic" as the final word on whether they will or will not let you on a plane or not to any given country should any controversy arise. In other words if you argue with a check-in agent she will look it up in Timatic and that is the law as best as the airlines can understand it. You can look up countries in Timatic at this web site. http://www.skyteam.com/EN/travelPlanner/timatic/index.jsp

It says "Passport must be valid at least for period of intended stay"

Also notice the part about how the airline will get fined $2000, charged for your detention and charged for your deportation if an airline should deliver a passenger who does not meet the requirements. The airlines rely on Timatic to be right in the real world. If one traveler had EVER been rejected for less than 6 months on their passport you could be damn sure the airlines would alter their policy.

I have read on various US gov. sites, you need 6 mos.left on your passport. The reason is the legal stay in many of these countries is 6 mos. that way you will have a valid passport for the extent of your POSSIBLE stay. I have to agree with CFK if you need to renew in the near future anyway why not renew before you fly and be safe and not have your trip decided on the whim of some pissed off immigration officer in some 3rd world country?

For everyone's benefit, one of the only places you can get a passport in 24 hours is at the tax collector's office at City Hall in San Francisco. They have some special arangement with the passport agency in SF. It sounds crazy, but if you go to the US gov't office in SF needing a passport in a pinch they will send you to SF City Hall. People fly into SF from all over the west coast to get their passport expedited. Hopefully this info will help someone.

I got mine 2 weeks ago in 48hrs at the Passport Office here in Houston....not bad!

I got mine 2 weeks ago in 48hrs at the Passport Office in Houston....not bad!

Man, I hate it when that happens: A DOUBLE POST!

S O R R Y