If you are not an American
citizen or if you are not going to Brazil for business, you should not be
reading this page (Click the "back" button). To enter
Brazil, even if only for a few hours, you will need a visa. However, if you
are only in transit through a Brazilian airport on your way to another
country and do not plan to leave the transit area of the airport, you will
need no visa, although it would be advisable to apply for one, considering
that it is always possible that an international flight may be delayed or
even cancelled due to unforeseen reasons and you might be interested in
leaving the airport transit area. Please note that the following information
applies to citizens residing in the states of
Massachusetts, Maine,
New Hampshire,
Rhode Island and Vermont,
which is the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Brazil in
Boston. If you reside in any other state, you must
apply at the Consulate of Brazil of that geographical area. To check other
jurisdictions follow the link: http://www.consulatebrazil.org/jurisd.htm.
PAPERWORK:
If you are interested in
traveling to Brazil
for business, you will have to bring (Monday-Friday 10am-12pm, limit of 20
applications per day) or send to the Consulate General of Brazil (Attn: Visa
Office - 20 Park Plaza, Suite 1420 - Boston, MA 02116) the following
documents:
1)
Your U.S. passport (the actual document, not a photocopy),
valid for a minimum of six months from the date of intended arrival in
Brazil. Please note: this does not
mean that you need to have had the passport for over 6 months when applying
for a visa - you may actually apply with a brand new passport that was just
recently issued. This requirement has to do with the expiration date of your
passport. The passport cannot expire within 6 months of the date of your
arrival in Brazil.
(i.e.: if you apply for a visa in April, your travel itinerary shows arrival
on June 1st, 2006 and your passport expires on Nov 10th,
2006, then this passport is not acceptable for visa issuance and you will
need to obtain a new passport before applying for your Brazilian visa).
Additionally, your passport needs to have at least one blank page available
for the Brazilian visa stamp (the last pages, reserved by the
US government for amendments, cannot be
used for visa issuance). In order to process your visa we must retain your
passport;
2)
A completely filled out and signed visa application form in
the original (faxes are not accepted). The form can be downloaded from the
webpage (www.consulatebrazil.org) or be
picked up personally at our office. Make sure your signature on the form is
the same as the one on your passport;
3)
A recent 2” X 2” color passport-style
photograph, front view, against white background to be attached to
the application form. Other types of photographs will NOT be accepted;
4)
A copy of your round trip ticket to Brazil or a printout of the flight itinerary.
5)
A company statement, from the American business (or otherwise,
the business for which the applicant works) within the following guidelines:
a) Written in letterhead;
b) Indication, or confirmation (in case of an earlier visa) of the
applicant's employment status (whether employee at will, independent
contractor, trainee or other);
c) A letter stating the purpose of each activity the employee will be
engaged in while in Brazil or behalf of the employer. A general statement
such as "business meetings" is not acceptable. For example, specify if the
purpose is sales, training, consulting, etc., and others as applicable.
(Applications without a letter within these guidelines will not be processed
and will be returned to the sender);
d) Assurance of the company's responsibility for the applicant's expenses
and activities whenever he or she is in Brazil on behalf of the company,
within the duration of the visa; e) State the contact person's name;
f) Signed by a high-ranking official (other than the applicant) entitled to
commit the company to the trustworthiness of all of the statements made in
the letter.
COSTS:
Applications
submitted by mail: US$ 200.00 per application (US$ 130.00
processing fee + US$ 60.00 consular fee + US$ 10.00 handling fee).
Notice: The US$ 10.00 handling fee does NOT pay for the return of
your passport. You still have to provide us with a self-addressed, stamped,
pre-paid envelope. Please read the "PICK UP AND TURN AROUND TIME" section
below for more information.
Applications brought
in by a third party: US$ 200.00 per application (US$ 130.00
processing fee + US$ 60.00 consular fee + US$ 10.00 handling fee).
Applying in person
for yourself:
US$ 190.00 (US$ 130.00 processing fee + US$ 60.00 consular fee).
METHODS OF PAYMENT:
Consular fees are payable
ONLY
in money order or Bank Checks to the order of the Consulate General of
Brazil. Personal and company checks and
credit cards are NOT accepted.
CASH will no longer be accepted.
PICK UP AND TURN AROUND TIME:
When applying by regular or
express mail, a self-addressed prepaid envelope for return of the passport
must be enclosed. The Consulate does not accept responsibility for delayed,
lost or stolen mail.
Starting June 1st, 2008,
ONLY stamped USPS Priority Mail or USPS Express Mail will
be accepted as pre-paid mail option. UPS, Fedex, DHL or other carriers will
no longer be accepted for applications submitted by mail.
If you come to the Consulate
in person to apply for a visa, the document will be ready for pick up after
5 working days. You may come to the Consulate personally to pick up your
passport or send someone else with the receipt. If you lose your receipt,
you will be required to show your ID to pick up your passport and the
Consulate will not turn it in to anyone else but you.
If you prefer, you can apply
for the visa by mail or through a courier office.
OFFICE HOURS:
The Consulate’s visa office is open to the
public Monday through Friday between 10 AM
and 12 PM. Every day 20 numbers
will be given out to people who come to apply personally for a visa.
We strongly encourage visa applicants to do so by mail, whenever possible.
The processed visas may be
picked up Monday through Friday between 9 AM
and 2 PM.
ABOUT THE BUSINESS VISA:
Business visas for
U.S. citizens may be granted for periods of
up to 5 (five) years. However, stay periods in
Brazil are limited to a maximum of 90 days
per entry, and to a yearly total of 180 days. First arrival in
Brazil
must take place within 90 days from the date the visa was issued in order to validate
the visa, otherwise the visa will be void. Please plan accordingly.
In the event that your
passport expires before your Brazilian visa expires, you will NOT need to
apply for a new Brazilian visa. Simply travel with 2 passports - the expired
passport (with the valid Brazilian visa), and the new passport without a
Brazilian visa and show them both to the Brazilian immigration authorities
at the airport.
FURTHER
INFORMATION:
If you are interested in
applying for a different type of Visa (i.e. Tourist, Academic, Student,
Employment, Press Correspondent, Missionary, Research or Permanent visa) or
if you need further information about the issuance of Tourist visas, please
refer to our website (www.consulatebrazil.org),
send us an e-mail (cgbos@consulatebrazil.org) or call 617-542-4000,
extension 3130 between 3 PM and 5 PM.
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