Not sure if you're kidding or not, but there are no immunization requirements for entering brazil from any developed nation.

Dood

I always got conflicting messages about the need for immunization so I went down to the local health office and got shot for Typhoid, Yellow Fever and Hep A. I was thinking about Malaria pills, but decided against them. All three were something like 100 bucks. I don't know if it was completely necessary, but better safe than sorry.

Dood: have you checked the travel agents down toward the Lido end of NS Copacabana? I found some prices there pretty competitive with the consolidator fares in the US, like within $100. Last checked there in March.
The only time I ever bought a ticket via a website was last April when I bought a NYC-BKK directly from Eva Air, it was the best price to be had anywhere. Otherwise, US consolidators, to my experience, always come in much cheaper than the websites. I have a handful that I check with. This site shows promise, though, and I may be using them next week:
www.vacations-a-la-carte.com

Check out http://www.brazilhouston.org/ It will give you the info you need.

Xenono:

"local health office "

What the heck is that?

Bendejo,

I've been to almost all of them, and none of them could do better then AA.com. Maybe 10 or 20 bucks, but the 1000 bonus miles for booking online wasn't worth the $20 savings. Or saving 50 bucks wasn't worth using another airline.

Dood

Bendejo: I sent my Visa application off without any tickets, but I made a copy of my airline flight card. I believe they will only waive that ticket requirement if you are an airline employee flying on an open ticket.

Msorayas: They won't check the hotel. I wrote down the address of the Debret even though I wasn't booked there. It's just a formality.

Explorer,

Let me be more clear. The "local county health department."

Dood: thanks for the input. I'm intending to hop around SA for a few months, and truly do not know when or where I will be returning from.

When coming into Brazil and going through immigration has anyone ever been asked to show their return or onward ticket? I'm considering heading south from Brazil, probably by land, into Uruguay or Argentina, so I'm getting a one-way ticket to GIG.
Once when applying for an extension, while I did have a return ticket to show, I asked the fellow doing the processing what if I was intending to leave country by land, and he said I could show a bank statement that I had sufficient funds to leave the country; he added that a printout from online access to the account would be ok. This was in Porto Seguro, and all at the visa extension department seemed quite amiable; I was expecting them to be a bit tougher because there are a lot of deadbeat hippie types in those parts.

For you fellow east coasters, which consultate is good for the 5yr variety?

http://www.traveldocs.com/namerica.htm -


try them - Good Luck - Hemp

thanks for the link--lots of good general info. I feel well armed with that stuff along with bwana's guide.

Now time to amble into the consulate in beantown ;)

a couple weeks ago i was in rio, and then took a flight to europe and flew back to rio. when i was in paris the representative for the airline would not give me the ticket to rio unless i could show my ticket from brazil back to america. i did not have any problems getting past the pol fed in brasil but i would not have been able to board the plane in europe without presenting to the airline my itinerary from rio back to the united states.

That's happened to me in any country I've visited, needing a ticket out of that country but never when boarding a plane from the other country. You'd figure they want you to leave their country.

While living and working in the Philippines (was still waiting for my extended work visa approval)I did a side trip to Malaysia for a long weekend, I returned to the PI and didn't have a ticket out of the country on me. I had to buy a ticket out of the country. Good excuse for another side trip and that time I took my ticket back to the states with me. That's one of those mistakes you make only once.

I dont know if anyone can help me with this, but I may have done a dumb ass thing. I sent my passport with all the docs and checks to ABC Visas & Passports in LA (Roger). He is listed on the Brazilian Consulate website. He recieved the overnight 25 days ago and I have called him numerous times and no call back. I am starting to get worried. if I need to get a new passport and visa before my trip to Rio in Sept, I am running out of time. BTW I called the Conselate and the lady I talked to knew him and she took my phone number. Also, he used to work at the consulate in NY, so I thought no problem. Any thoughts, anyone know him? THanks

Just booked a ticket for the beginning of next month, and need to apply for my visa. What should I expect in terms of wait times if I send it to LA? If it's bad enough, I may go over to the Consulate in SF and apply in person, but I'm not really enthused by that idea. Any advice would be appreciated.

Pendejo

Great idea to go down there yourself. Worked for me. Dress professionally and look well groomed and it will all work out well for you, too. Make sure that your passport photo does not look like a mug shot - my buddy got a 30 day visa and his passport photo pictured him with long hair and unshaven - did not represent his best side and I think the 30 day visa was a result.

Good Luck

CB

I dont think you can get visa by mail any more in LA. That's what their web site says.
And they also say you cannot get visa in one day by going there either.

I know that in NY you can no longer get them by mail and it takes 2 days.

At the DC Embassy you drop off one day and pick up 2 days later.

Am glad I didn't go to the Consulate on Monday. Looked like crap. I guess I'm going to have to head back up to San Francisco within the next few weeks to get this matter taken care of.

The only thing that sucks about my upcoming trip is that it is going to be way too short. Three days! Oh well. Here's hoping for that five year visa!

Thanks for the advice guys.

Pendejo

If you live in the jurisdiction of the LA Consulate, the San Francisco Consulate probably will not process your visa application. I don't know how some of the visa services get around this.

In any case, if you dropped off your application at the LA Consulate, it would likely be ready for you to pick up in 10 to 14 days, assuming it was properly filled out, and you follow all the rules.

Crap. What about using a service like Traveldocs through the Embassy in DC?

Or even the consulate in Boston? Will be there twice before my trip, and could easily take my passport over on the first trip, and pick it up on the second. Only problem I can see is that I would have to be one of the first twenty people in line the day I drop off my application, or they won't even see me.

Hmm . . . will have to figure this one out.

Traveldocs in DC does an outstanding service. Just pay the Fed Ex fees both ways and you should be ok I hope. - Hemp

I saw that Traveldocs wants you to fill out the visa form in its entirety, including tourist agenda. What do I tell them? Let's see. . . first stop 4x4, L'uomo after, and then we'll cap the tour off with a small sampling of the offerings at Help. Think that will fly over well?

pendejo,

You put down sightseeing, shopping and making new friends. You know tourist stuff! Like Sugar loaf and the hippie fair.

My passport is two trips away from being out of space. What is normally done in this situation and what about the Brazil visa?

You can get extra pages added to a passport. I had it done at the consulate in Bangkok while I waited (and waited). If your passport expires, carry both the new one and the old one so that you still have your visa.

Mitch -- You can get extra pages added in Rio at the US consulate for free. Drop it off and come back in a couple of hours. Dunno about SP. In the US they wanted $60 and six weeks (!) to add pages.

Actually, it's free in the States as well (had it done last Oct.), but it took about 2 weeks to get it back.

When you get a new passport (which I had to do this year), always request one with extra pages. No extra charge for this. New passports (actually, renewal passports) are taking about 6 weeks now.

I had extra pages added to my passport at the consulate in Rio. It took 20 minutes and it was free.

I had to replace the temporary passport, good for one year, I got at the consulate in Rio. Because I had paid the fees already, I was directed to send it to an office in New Hampshire. I recieved my new 10 year passport in seven days, using the regular mail.

Now for the visa, I contacted Traveldocs and asked about a five year, the guy told me it was really hit or miss at this time and not much rhyme or reason. I asked so what was that all about, he told me that the word is they are trying to thwart missionaries from coming in on tourist visas. Not wanting to be mistaken for a missionary, I filled out the form using L'uomo as my address and phone contact there. As far as my detailed itinerary; I listed drinking beer on the beach until mid afternoon, the rest of the day perusing the various pay for sex venues readily available through out the city. I'll let you know how it goes.

Corto,

I would have thought you would have used Bia's home number and address

He did...doesn't she live at L?

Good luck, Corto. I'm taking mine to the NYC consulate the week after next

Thanks. Where is the US Consulate in Rio?

It's on Rua Mexico in Centro, just a couple of blocks from the Cinelandia metro station.

There's a good sex apartment at 148 Rua Mexico, stop by there while you're waiting on the consulate to process your passport.

Mitch,
Be aware that they do not let you take a cell phone or backpack inside the consulate and will not hold them for you. When I had to get a replacement passport, Sandman went with me and held my stuff while I went inside. When I came out he asked me "Well did you get it all taken care of?", I replied "I need to get photos and I have enough money to either pay for the passport or go to 4X4." Guess what I did? Went back to the consulate the next day to finish up the passport.
CG

Dammit. Shouldn't have put all of those churches on my itinerary of places to visit. Said I was interested in sites of architectural and religious significance.

Oh well. Sent my app over to TravelDocs already. Worst case, I have to apply for another visa.

photos? i do not plan to bring photos with me, just the current passport. that's all i need right?

Mitch,
I needed a whole passport, no you will not need photos.
CG

When I got home this evening my passport was back with a 5 year visa. Took a week. As I stated above I used Traveldocs in DC, thanks for the suggestion Hemp. I was joking about using L'uomo as my destination address(surprise?), I did use Pousada do Sol in Buzios. Here is what I wrote in the Comments section verbatim:

The intent of my trip to Brasil is for leisure travel. I am going to go to Buzios for sightseeing and to relax on the beach. I have been to the beaches in Brasil several times over the last three years and have been to Sao Paulo for the Formula One race. I previously had a five year visa, but my passport was stolen. I hope to visit many more times. I really enjoy the people and culture.

Good luck to others with their applications.
CG

Good deal! Wish me luck in NY next week.

Cortogringo Hemp is always at your service. I am glad it worked out for you my friend. See you soon. Thanks Hemp

There is now a guy outside the American Consulate that will hold your cell phone for 5.reais. He setup a stand with a large woodden box with a lock on it. I have used him twice before and I need to go again today and will use him again..

thats what I call enterprising

Wed. and Thur. of this week I did the walk-in application procedure at the NY consulate. NY no longer accepts mail-in applications.

The consulate web site says you can drop off your visa application between 10-12, then pick up the next day between 2:30 and 4:00. You can actually arrive as early as 9, receive a number, and you'll get out a bit earlier, as the line can get long. Same with the pick-up: arrive at two, get a number, and you'll be out by 2:35. They have a new security system in place at the consulate. In the lobby of the building you are photographed. The photo is printed on a card with your name on it, and you present that card to the receptionist when you get up to the 21st floor.

NY is giving out both 5 year and 90 day visas. I got a 5 year visa, but requested it. They asked me why I would want one, and I told them how much I loved traveling in Brasil, and mentioned that I'd lived there and had many friends. They were curious about why I lived there until I showed them my old passport with a "cultural exchange" visa, after which they were completely cool.

Did you speak in Portuguese or English? What are your thoughts on how that might help guarantee a 5-year visa over a 90-day for renewals?

I spoke both. I started out in English, but when she asked me about my recent 7 month stay, I explanined in Portuguese that I'd had a Temporario I visa, showed it to her, and told her what I'd been doing.

Who knows why I really got a 5 year visa. I was wearing a coat and tie, I had obviously been to Brasil many times, and I spoke Portuguese. Maybe none of those things mattered much. But I doubt that speaking Portuguese or dressing well could hurt.