US visa for 5 day stay in Rio timeline question

[WarEagle76]

We got ours in Atlanta last fall and had same day service with no additional fees.

 

From their website:

 

If applied at the Consulate in*person or by a third party, visas are processed on the same day. Visas pick up is from 3 to 4 pm.

 

They had some computer issues the day we applied but got them around 4:30PM same day.

[Menininha82]

..... it will be time to start booking the train travel .....

 

In Brazil? There are really no passenger trains in Brazil. Travel is by air or bus.

Buses are very comfortable and convenient, with sleepers on which you can usually sleep better than on many international economy flights, and some even have coffee and ice water service. On many routes, though, at many times of year (air prices rise on some routes for high season), the airfare these days is about equal to the bus fare.

[Urban trekker]

Perhaps I should have worded it better - need to get to Fort Lauderdale from Vancouver and then home from San Francisco as I don't fly - it will be Amtrak all the way - have travel those routes several times but was holding off making the booking until I was sure that the passport and visa issue was taken care of.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[searaider]

Perhaps I should have worded it better - need to get to Fort Lauderdale from Vancouver and then home from San Francisco as I don't fly - it will be Amtrak all the way - have travel those routes several times but was holding off making the booking until I was sure that the passport and visa issue was taken care of.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Dennis, sent you an email.

[Urban trekker]

Thanks - got the email and have sent you a reply.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[corpkid]

Guess what I got today?

 

A good-for-10-year BR visa in my passport.

 

And yes it is $180 to use a third party, but I was advised that that ALSO $180 to do a mail application. The $160 is an in person cost. Or so the Miami consulate advised me last week.

 

Here's the kicker - my partner just got a new passport a few days before and forgot to sign in before giving it to me to mail out and literally contacted me 1 hour after I had sent them off. Good times. :o

 

Anyways, they sent his back with a nice letter saying NOT to touch a thing except to sign your passport, leave it clipped like it is, and put it in a new envelope with a new return envelope.

 

The moral of the story: The $180 postal check was attached but not cashed, so it appears the fee is per applicant vs. per application, and the quoted 15 business days processing seems to be a bit high, at least in July.

 

Again, this all pertains to the MIAMI Brazil consulate.

[Urban trekker]

My Brazilian Visa has been approved - only three days after appyling - just waiting now for it to be printed to the passport and then I will be able to drop by the Vancouver office and pick it up.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Urban trekker]

The Visa is ready for pick up - so will do that tomorrow afternoon - only took five days.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[searaider]

The Visa is ready for pick up - so will do that tomorrow afternoon - only took five days.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

Dennis, glad that that part of your planning is done. hope mine goes as well, when we drop it off next month.

 

Elsie

[Keith1010]

For those reading this thread just understand that if you have a trip early next year and wait to the Fall to apply for the visa the turn around times will likely be a lot longer. We used a service in early May and we had the visa back one week after mailing it to the service so the turnaround time at the Consulate was very short. However, with peak travel season to South America between November and March just realize that if you wait to the Fall the intervals could be a lot longer.

 

Since the visa is good for 10 years and you no longer have a time frame requirement for entry as there was in the past I would not put this off.

 

Keith

[crzndeb]

For those reading this thread just understand that if you have a trip early next year and wait to the Fall to apply for the visa the turn around times will likely be a lot longer. We used a service in early May and we had the visa back one week after mailing it to the service so the turnaround time at the Consulate was very short. However, with peak travel season to South America between November and March just realize that if you wait to the Fall the intervals could be a lot longer.

 

Since the visa is good for 10 years and you no longer have a time frame requirement for entry as there was in the past I would not put this off.

 

Keith

 

I hear what you're saying Keith. I leave on a B2B2B on Sept. 11 on the Spirit repo to Australia. I would love to apply for my Visa to Brazil now, but I am paranoid about parting with my passport this soon before my Australia cruise.

 

I don't return back to the states until Oct. 24th, and will apply soon after. My SA cruise leaves on Feb. 3rd, so hopefully 3 months prior will be sufficient time, even with backlog. I will be going through San Francisco consulate.

 

Debbie

[Urban trekker]

Searaider - was surprised how well they handled the application - once you have dropped it off you can follow the process from their web site so you will know how it is doing.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Keith1010]

I hear what you're saying Keith. I leave on a B2B2B on Sept. 11 on the Spirit repo to Australia. I would love to apply for my Visa to Brazil now, but I am paranoid about parting with my passport this soon before my Australia cruise.

 

I don't return back to the states until Oct. 24th, and will apply soon after. My SA cruise leaves on Feb. 3rd, so hopefully 3 months prior will be sufficient time, even with backlog. I will be going through San Francisco consulate.

 

Debbie

 

Debbie, that makes perfect sense.

 

Enjoy the September cruise.

 

Keith

[Floridiana]

 

The Brazilian visa application is a little complicated and required some extra documentation such as a recent bank statement.

 

The Canadians on our cruise complained about this requirement. US citizens do NOT need a bank statement. (Our cruise was in November 2011 to the Amazon.)

[Artemis]

^ Just to clarify, the regional consulates in the US have unique requirements. Some still require bank statements. You were lucky, as I was lucky, that yours didn't!

[Bowie MeMe]

Applied in person to the Washington consulate in the fall of 2011 for cruise January 2012. The process was very easy and took less than 15 mins to speak with the clerk and drop the paperwork off. Professional, efficient, and appreciative that we had all the paperwork exactly like they wanted it. Do follow the rules that are laid out -- there are not exceptions as one of Washington's important people:rolleyes: was trying to argue with the head of the consulate that he must have an immediate visa since he had a speech to make and a plane that night. The man answered with dignity " well you can get on the plane but you will not be allowed to enter Brazil". Follow the rules and it was pretty fast and easy (3 days). We were given a paper in English that explained that the visa fee is exactly the same fee that US charges Brazilian citizens for a visa. They are a little sensitive to the subject.

 

 

People on our rollcall from many different states did have different requirements (bank statements, questions, timing) and slightly different experiences but if they followed the procedure all reported that they successfully got the visa without problems. You have no choice as to where you get your visa -- Brazil tells you where your state files.

 

Have a great trip. South America is amazing.