Visas
A valid passport and visa are required for visitors from most countries. The website of the Brazilian Consulate in San Francisco offers a list of countries whose citizens are exempt from the visa requirement. Details can be obtained from your nearest Brazilian Embassy or Consulate. Consult the website of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry for a list of offices around the world.
A tourist visa can be had relatively hassle-free for six months. A three-month extension can generally be obtained from Brazilian embassies and consulates in neighboring countries. For most visitors, Paraguay is the easiest and cheapest choice for this procedure. Further extensions are sometimes possible but more complicated. Visas for business people, journalists, professional athletes and religious missionaries all have different procedures and requirements.
The best general explanations of visa requirements can be found on the websites of the Brazilian Embassy in Washington and the Brazilian Embassy in London.
Passport Check
Most travelers who arrive by air will land in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Don’t expect to be greeted by smiling natives in Carnaval costumes dancing and playing samba. Arrival in Brazil can be at least as wearisome as anywhere in the world. In his column in the daily newspaper O Estado de São Paulo, anthropologist Roberto DaMatta once described the scene: “poorly dressed and unshaven bureaucrats, looking with an air of superiority at tired passengers.” Thanks to a tit-for-tat policy under which foreign nationals are subjected to the same treatment afforded to Brazilians in their home countries, in 2004 US citizens began to be photographed and fingerprinted before being released to the baggage carrousel. Without making an official announcement, Brazilian officials seem to have allowed this policy to fade away.
Customs
In general, all persons entering the country can bring in up to $500 worth of goods duty free. Visitors are allowed to enter the country with laptop computers, video cameras and other similar items. If customs officials discover such items upon entry, visitors must take them along when they leave. If such an item is stolen during the visit, a police report must be made and a copy of the form shown to customs officials upon departure.
For details, visit the website of the Brazilian Internal Revenue Service.
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