I hear that a bunch of American hombres are living full time in Rio. How did you get your visas? I'm considering the following options:

(a) Permanent work visa. I spoke with a local immigration attorney about this option -- there is a lot of paperwork involved, and you have to justify your presence in Brazil, including why a Brazilian can't do your job. You also have to declare your salary to the Brazilian feds for tax purposes, and the salary has to be pretty high ($35k-45k min.). If you're a US expat earning dollars from US sources, this pretty much ruins the tax benefit of living abroad.

(b) Get hitched. I could probably drum up someone who would marry me for a green card, but god knows what would happen if she got greedy and tried to sue for alimony.

(c) Student visa. This option has promise. I would like to study Portuguese in a formal setting, and tuition here is cheap. Anyone know of an accredited school in Rio or BH?

(d) Illegal immigrant. Tough to fly back to the states for business visits with this option.

(e) No-stamp border crossings. I read a thread on CH that suggested traveling to Santana da Riveira on the Uruguay border, getting an exit stamp at the border, then taking a cab back into Brazil on the side roads. This option sounds pretty neat, although a little inconvenient. Has anyone actually done this?

I am living in Belo Horizonte, and I may move to Rio soon. However, I have to figure out my visa issue before July or I have to move. For professional reasons, I need my visa to be legal. Your input would be greatly appreciated!

You don't have to get hitched, just engaged, to get the permanent visa process started. Once engaged, you make your visa application and you are issued with a protocol that will allow you to travel freely as they process this. It took two years for my visa to be approved and the protocol worked just fine during that time. The two years also gives you enough time to make a more permanent dicision on your future in Brasil.

Finally, while you are in the protocol process you can earn from a foreign source without having to claim or pay taxes on that income to the Brasilian government.

Get a good attorney to help you through the red tape here. Don't try to do this yourself. They will run you around to the point where you may just give up.

A more radical approach is to have a child with a Brasilian. No need to marry her. You will of course have to support that child but it is an automatic ticket to a visa.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, the engagement idea is something I'll look into. Any chance you have a link to this information?

I spoke at length with a good immigration attorney. He quoted a flat fee of R3,000 to help me with a permanent work visa. I imagine something less strenuous, like a marriage visa, would be cheaper.

I'd be interested to hear from someone who managed to obtain citizenship by siring a little Brasiliero.

Ronald Biggs, the Great Train Robber, of course! (Actually, he didn't get citizenship, only a permanent visa, but close enough).

Try this site. It has an english version and has good information about the visa process. http://www.brazilny.org/