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Brazilian here, with a US visa. The appointment in the consulate took several hours, mostly waiting in line. You really have to set aside an entire day. Also,

Brazilian here, with a US visa. The appointment in the consulate took several hours, mostly waiting in line. You really have to set aside an entire day. Also, they keep your passport for a few days, then send it through the mail. I'm still lucky to live a couple hours drive from the nearest consulate. Brazil is a big country, and for many the consulate visit is a travel event in itself.

Fomite 8y ago
In fairness, this is true for getting a Brazilian visa in the U.S. My understanding is this is retaliatory, one way or the other.
- schoen 8y ago
  The Brazilian visa policy is definitely advertised as a reciprocity measure, but the only thing about the experience that's really particularly "reciprocal" in practice is the visa application fee. In addition to requiring a considerably smaller amount of personal data and fewer travel details, Brazilian consulates in the United States don't require an interview for visa applicants from the U.S., and in fact don't even require the applicant to be present in person at all. You can, for example, give your passport to a visa expediter who can deliver it along with your visa paperwork to the consulate and pick it up for you afterward. (An example—among several—is https://www.traveldocs.com/. https://www.traveldocs.com/.) So, you don't necessarily have to travel to the consulate at all. If you do travel to the consulate, you might wait for about an hour and be asked largely pro-forma questions about the nature of your travel. Source: I'm U.S. passport holder who's obtained three Brazilian visas and helped other Americans with their Brazilian visa applications.
- Daishiman 8y ago
  Brazil has a visa reciprocity policy.
- princekolt 8y ago
  Nowadays you can get a Brazilian e-Visa relatively hassle free: http://www.vfsglobal.com/brazil-evisa/ http://www.vfsglobal.com/brazil-evisa/
- marcosdumay 8y ago
  Brazil reciprocates all and any customs process any country implements. It will go as low process as only verifying the foreign documents at the border against a known criminal list, and as high process as demanding an entire day at the embassy on the specific case of the US.
  - schoen 8y ago
    > and as high process as demanding an entire day at the embassy on the specific case of the US. I've obtained three Brazilian visas and witnessed other Americans obtain them, and I've never seen anyone have to spend a full day at the consulate. In fact, we can request them through visa expediters without appearing at a consulate in person at all.
  - CPLX 8y ago
    That’s not the case. Brazilian visas are trivial for Americans to get, they just cost money.
epx 8y ago
I refuse to go to USA as a tourist, because demanding a visa is outrageous to me. If you want me off your country by default, fine. I go to Europe instead :D And the practicalities are also a problem: going through this visa process again with wife and kid, is the stuff nightmares are made of. (The UK-style visa, which just took a couple questions at Heathrow, is ok. It is almost the anti-visa: you get a free pass for 6 months, and the "visa" line was no longer than Brazilian passport check upon return!) I lost two full days on USA visa because the photo was taken at a different place to "speed up" things. I got my visa at Recife, said to be less crowded than São Paulo embassy (which was the nearest for me, "just" 600km), so I scheduled the visa interview in a business trip to a place "nearby" Recife (300km...). I got the visa because my employer paid the ancilliary expenses back then and there was an expectation to go to USA, in the end I didn't go, and hopefully the visa renewal does not need me to go to an embassy.
- donretag 8y ago
  If it makes you feel any better, I am a native US citizen (dual national actually) and I rarely travel in the US. Too expensive compared to most other countries. Hotels are expensive and a rental car is a must. I rarely rent a car in other countries. I actually may go to Brazil for the first time this (northern hemisphere) winter. I will be traveling on my "other" passport since there is no need for a paid visa.
  - geomark 8y ago
    Another native US citizen here. Expat now. Also rarely travel to the US. Aside from the obnoxious visa process (my family are not US citizens), transportation issues are a serious deterrent. You need a rental car in the US and that has become outrageously expensive since I moved overseas. There is also the issue of what happens if you get sick or injured. We all know what a complete mess healthcare is in the US. I have worldwide health issurance that has one exception - no coverage in the US. That's a reflection on the US, not my insurance provider. We travel other places that have decent public transportation and reasonable functioning healthcare systems.
- emiliobumachar 8y ago
jfroma 8y ago
Argentinian here same experience. We are from Cordoba, and the only consultate is in Buenos Aires (800kms away). I dont remember exactly but I think it was two days. The process was really frightening for my children. I remember my daughter had an small water bottle and an officer yelled like if she was a terrorist. Fortunately we got a turist visa for 10 years.

Fomite 8y ago

In fairness, this is true for getting a Brazilian visa in the U.S. My understanding is this is retaliatory, one way or the other.

schoen 8y ago
The Brazilian visa policy is definitely advertised as a reciprocity measure, but the only thing about the experience that's really particularly "reciprocal" in practice is the visa application fee. In addition to requiring a considerably smaller amount of personal data and fewer travel details, Brazilian consulates in the United States don't require an interview for visa applicants from the U.S., and in fact don't even require the applicant to be present in person at all. You can, for example, give your passport to a visa expediter who can deliver it along with your visa paperwork to the consulate and pick it up for you afterward. (An example—among several—is https://www.traveldocs.com/. https://www.traveldocs.com/.) So, you don't necessarily have to travel to the consulate at all. If you do travel to the consulate, you might wait for about an hour and be asked largely pro-forma questions about the nature of your travel. Source: I'm U.S. passport holder who's obtained three Brazilian visas and helped other Americans with their Brazilian visa applications.
Daishiman 8y ago
Brazil has a visa reciprocity policy.
princekolt 8y ago
Nowadays you can get a Brazilian e-Visa relatively hassle free: http://www.vfsglobal.com/brazil-evisa/ http://www.vfsglobal.com/brazil-evisa/
marcosdumay 8y ago
Brazil reciprocates all and any customs process any country implements. It will go as low process as only verifying the foreign documents at the border against a known criminal list, and as high process as demanding an entire day at the embassy on the specific case of the US.
- schoen 8y ago
  > and as high process as demanding an entire day at the embassy on the specific case of the US. I've obtained three Brazilian visas and witnessed other Americans obtain them, and I've never seen anyone have to spend a full day at the consulate. In fact, we can request them through visa expediters without appearing at a consulate in person at all.
- CPLX 8y ago
  That’s not the case. Brazilian visas are trivial for Americans to get, they just cost money.

epx 8y ago

I refuse to go to USA as a tourist, because demanding a visa is outrageous to me. If you want me off your country by default, fine. I go to Europe instead :D And the practicalities are also a problem: going through this visa process again with wife and kid, is the stuff nightmares are made of. (The UK-style visa, which just took a couple questions at Heathrow, is ok. It is almost the anti-visa: you get a free pass for 6 months, and the "visa" line was no longer than Brazilian passport check upon return!) I lost two full days on USA visa because the photo was taken at a different place to "speed up" things. I got my visa at Recife, said to be less crowded than São Paulo embassy (which was the nearest for me, "just" 600km), so I scheduled the visa interview in a business trip to a place "nearby" Recife (300km...). I got the visa because my employer paid the ancilliary expenses back then and there was an expectation to go to USA, in the end I didn't go, and hopefully the visa renewal does not need me to go to an embassy.

donretag 8y ago
If it makes you feel any better, I am a native US citizen (dual national actually) and I rarely travel in the US. Too expensive compared to most other countries. Hotels are expensive and a rental car is a must. I rarely rent a car in other countries. I actually may go to Brazil for the first time this (northern hemisphere) winter. I will be traveling on my "other" passport since there is no need for a paid visa.
- geomark 8y ago
  Another native US citizen here. Expat now. Also rarely travel to the US. Aside from the obnoxious visa process (my family are not US citizens), transportation issues are a serious deterrent. You need a rental car in the US and that has become outrageously expensive since I moved overseas. There is also the issue of what happens if you get sick or injured. We all know what a complete mess healthcare is in the US. I have worldwide health issurance that has one exception - no coverage in the US. That's a reflection on the US, not my insurance provider. We travel other places that have decent public transportation and reasonable functioning healthcare systems.
emiliobumachar 8y ago

jfroma 8y ago

Argentinian here same experience. We are from Cordoba, and the only consultate is in Buenos Aires (800kms away). I dont remember exactly but I think it was two days. The process was really frightening for my children. I remember my daughter had an small water bottle and an officer yelled like if she was a terrorist. Fortunately we got a turist visa for 10 years.