What better way to ring in the new year than on a beach in Rio de Janeiro? While it was not completely part of our plans, we have decided that from Argentina we will be spending two weeks in Brazil. The only problem with planning a last minute trip to Brazil as an American citizen is that you have to physically go to the Brazilian consulate and apply for a visa. There is no visa on arrival for traveling to Brazil so I was worried that because the offices are closed over the Christmas holidays, the visa would not be ready in time for my flight on the 28th. All worrying aside, I am happy to say that today I received my Brazilian visa and I will in fact be celebrating the New Year on the beaches of Brazil!
How to Get a Visa for Brazil in Buenos Aires
The process of getting a Brazilian Visa in Argentina turned out to be much easier than I had anticipated and seems to be much easier than it would be in the US. Applying for a Brazilian visa in the US, you have to go to a Brazilian consulate and if you don’t happen to live near one, then you’re going to plan a trip to the nearest one.
Step 1 – Schedule an appointment online by visiting the Brazilian consulate’s webpage for visa application and select one of the available date and time slots. A short questionnaire will pop-up, fill it out, submit it and don’t forget to write down the time you scheduled. Walk-in’s are not allowed and they are stringent about this rule. (The office is open from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.)
Step Two- Print out and bring with you all the necessary documents including online visa application, bank statement for the last three months, flight information (arriving and departing from Brazil), hotel confirmation.
Additional documents that you need to bring with you for a Brazilian Visa are:
- Valid passport
- Passport size photo ( background must be white)
- Address of hotel or relative you will be staying with in Brazil
- Phone number of hotel or relative you will be staying with in Brazil
- Email of hotel or relative you will be staying with Brazil
- Credit Card
- Address of hotel or relative you are staying with in Buenos Aires
- Phone number of hotel or relative you are staying with in Buenos Aires
Step Three – Completely fill out the online visa application and download the last page which is a form you will have to print and fill out. If you’re not able to open the file because of the .DO extension, you can convert it to a PDF. After you print it out, fill out the form’s few questions and bring it with you to your appointment.
What to Expect When you Arrive at Your Brazilian Visa Appointment
When you get to the Tourist Visa window, have all the required paper work organized and ready to get looked over and just be polite and friendly the entire time. While there, they will ask you for all of the information and it doesn’t sounds like they make exceptions. For example, I didn’t have the email address of the person who is hosting us because I didn’t know it was necessary, but he insisted he needed it and waited until I found it online. Regarding the bank statements and credit card, they want to see that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay in Brazil. They don’t require you to bring a credit card statement, but they do want you to show that you have a credit card and the type that it is. After showing him my credit card, he wrote down MasterCard on my application.
They absolutely do require proof of departure from Brazil. That means you need to have proof that you purchased a plane or bus ticket exiting the country. They don’t care so much for proof of entering Brazil because many people choose to enter by bus while visiting Igauzu Falls. If you want to enter the Brazilian side of Igauzu falls, you do need a visa.
Once you’ve been approved for you’re Visa which is instant, you will be asked to take a voucher down to Iatu, a Brazilian bank on Avenida Santa Fe 831, which is a few blocks away to make your payment. You don’t pay for the visa at the consulate office, but once you’ve paid the bank, the bank will let the visa office know and the next day you return to pick up your passport from the Brazilian consulate.
The woman in front of me had a flight the next day and since she came in early enough they gave her the okay for a same day visa, but that is completely up to the visa officer’s discretion. Generally, estimated return time for a Brazilian visa at the consulates office in Buenos Aires is next day, but I don’t recommend waiting until the day before your flight because if the consulate has a lot of visas to process you may be out of luck.
Cost of the Brazilian Visa
The Brazilian Visa for US Citizens in Buenos Aires is $1768 ARS and it must be paid in cash. Depending on the exchange rate, that is about $114-$208 USD, but at least it’s valid for 10 years. As a tourist with a valid visa you can stay in Brazil for 90 days in 2 increments per year for up to 10 years.
Location of Brazilian Consulate in Bueno Aires
The Brazilian consulate is located on Carlos Pellegrini 1363 on the 5th floor, you’ll see a Brazilian flag on the face of the building. It’s right off of 9 de Julio, the widest boulevard in the world and is easy to get to.
Now, bring on the Açaí bowls and beautiful beaches!
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