Brazil visa

[millybess]

11 hours ago, tallfir said:

Viking Air Plus booked our return flight from Santiago, Chile on 1/26/2024 to make a change of planes in Sao Paulo, Brazil then to ATL and then to PDX. No visa is/was required if you were changing planes and remaining in the terminal. Has anyone seen documentation that this will be the case after the new visa requirements go into effect? The Viking Jupiter does not stop in Brazil on the 1/9-1/26 itinerary. We will be technically arriving in Brazil by air and leaving by air a few hours later. Viking did send us the email and I called Air Plus and they said they didn't know the answer.

You might try emailing  tellus@vikingcruises.com

 

It's quite a mess at the moment.  Over on the HAL World Voyage board, people are starting to receive emails from VFS informing them that the visas they were issued last week are "invalid".

 

Starting at post 3636:

"Dear Customer,

 

We hope this message finds you well. Thank you for choosing the Brazil Visa Application Service through VFS Global.

 

We would like to confirm whether you have received the updated PDF copy of your electronic visa. It is imperative to bring to your attention that only the new visas are considered valid. The previously issued visas have been canceled in the government authorities' system.

 

To ensure the smooth processing of your travel arrangements, kindly confirm that you have received the new electronic visa and are aware of the exclusivity of its validity. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us to evisabra@vfsglobal.com. “

 

I received my visa last week and I haven't received this email (yet).  

[Cruise New York]

On 12/8/2023 at 9:33 AM, Cruise New York said:

I received confirmation from MSC Cruises today that we DO NOT need a visa for Brazil, since it is beginning and ending in Argentina with only stops in Brazil. This also aligns with what I've seen on VisaHQ (the visa service that MSC refers customers to). If you click on your nationality and select "Cruise" as the visa type, it says the visa is not required. My situation may be unique, though, since we are setting sail on January 6th and will be in Brazil January 9-11 (entering before the first date of the requirement of January 10th).

 

I have an update since my last post. Although MSC said we would not need a visa, when I called back to request this confirmation in writing, they politely refused to provide this. The supervisor said that we shouldn't need the visa, but that it wouldn't hurt to get one. Since the eVisa has now been expanded to allow tourists who are entering by land and sea to apply, I decided to just get a visa for the peace of mind. I applied on Monday (Dec. 11) and my application was cleared and recommended by Tuesday. After three days of hearing nothing, I logged in this morning (Dec. 15) and see that my application status has changed to "approved." This is very exciting news, but I have not received any email or any copy of the visa to bring with me on the trip. Does anyone know if we have to print something out or need to physically attach anything to our passports? Do we just arrive and let the authorities know that the website says we're "approved?" 

 

I am very happy that they opened this process up to cruise passengers who are not flying into Brazil. It is worth the $80.90 to have the piece of mind. The process was quick, although the website is AWFUL and required multiple steps back when it got lost in a "thinking spiral." One piece of advice to anyone who is going through the application: if the page has any questions with answers in drop-down boxes, answer those FIRST before answering any that require you type an answer. For some reason, those drop-down boxes seem to change to blanks if you don't answer them first.  

[millybess]

2 minutes ago, Cruise New York said:

 

I have an update since my last post. Although MSC said we would not need a visa, when I called back to request this confirmation in writing, they politely refused to provide this. The supervisor said that we shouldn't need the visa, but that it wouldn't hurt to get one. Since the eVisa has now been expanded to allow tourists who are entering by land and sea to apply, I decided to just get a visa for the peace of mind. I applied on Monday (Dec. 11) and my application was cleared and recommended by Tuesday. After three days of hearing nothing, I logged in this morning (Dec. 15) and see that my application status has changed to "approved." This is very exciting news, but I have not received any email or any copy of the visa to bring with me on the trip. Does anyone know if we have to print something out or need to physically attach anything to our passports? Do we just arrive and let the authorities know that the website says we're "approved?" 

 

I am very happy that they opened this process up to cruise passengers who are not flying into Brazil. It is worth the $80.90 to have the piece of mind. The process was quick, although the website is AWFUL and required multiple steps back when it got lost in a "thinking spiral." One piece of advice to anyone who is going through the application: if the page has any questions with answers in drop-down boxes, answer those FIRST before answering any that require you type an answer. For some reason, those drop-down boxes seem to change to blanks if you don't answer them first.  

You will probably get the document attached in an email tomorrow morning.  You need to print 2 copies.  I printed mine in colour.  

 

"but that it wouldn't hurt to get one"

Yes, it did 😉  I'm glad you breezed through it.  

[Cruise New York]

On 12/8/2023 at 1:42 PM, PRH said:

Ok, dumb question.  I cannot get a single document or picture to be 1MB or less!  How are you doing it?  The photo is killing me as I cannot get it to 2x2!  I have an iPad and android phone for cameras.  Thanks!

For the sections that allowed PDFs, I converted my image to PDF and then "reduced size" until it was under the maximum. As for the photo, I used my iPhone and a free app called IDPassportPhoto. It made a great photo in the correct size and the visa processing system accepted it without any problems! It was also a small enough size digitally to meet their upload requirements. 

[Cruise New York]

3 minutes ago, millybess said:

You will probably get the document attached in an email tomorrow morning.  You need to print 2 copies.  I printed mine in colour.  

 

"but that it wouldn't hurt to get one"

Yes, it did 😉  I'm glad you breezed through it.  

Haha! Yes, it certainly wasn't a painless process. Thank you for all of your help millybess! Safe and happy travels to you!

[millybess]

Just now, Cruise New York said:

Haha! Yes, it certainly wasn't a painless process. Thank you for all of your help millybess! Safe and happy travels to you!

Same to you @Cruise New York  I'm very happy you got things sorted.  With all the misinformation floating about, I was afraid you would be left waving goodbye on the dock.

[slewis7]

My online status has graduated to “Approved”!  I am hopeful I will soon receive an email confirming this and providing the actual eVisa documentation.

[Cruise New York]

13 hours ago, slewis7 said:

My online status has graduated to “Approved”!  I am hopeful I will soon receive an email confirming this and providing the actual eVisa documentation.

Please let us know when you do receive the visa, and how long it takes after being “approved!” Thank you, and congrats!

[millybess]

2 hours ago, Cruise New York said:

Please let us know when you do receive the visa, and how long it takes after being “approved!” Thank you, and congrats!

I said above that it would take until the next morning to get the visa, but that is wrong -- probably because so many people are applying.  DH was approved yesterday and he applied before me.  From what I can gather, most people that were approved during the first week received their visas in an email the next morning after "Approved".  That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. 

[Steve Q]

Has anyone tried using the GenVisa service Viking has recommended?

[millybess]

1 minute ago, Steve Q said:

Has anyone tried using the GenVisa service Viking has recommended?

In the early days of dealing with VFS, and the whole process seemed impossible, we thought about using a visa service, but they still use the same website that we have to use.  It's not like they have an "in" with the Brazilian government.  From what I understand, it would take the same amount of time -- possibly less frustration. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I am on the HAL World Cruise - Here is my How to Guide, where I have assembled everything there is to know about getting the VISA.   I hope you find this helpful.  

 

I update this every few days - so check my website for the latest version.

 

 

 

How to get a Brazil E Visa 4.0.pdf

[PRH]

I was told they needed the signature side of the passport too.  And sideways, not straight up and down.

[Cruise New York]

On 12/16/2023 at 11:14 AM, millybess said:

I said above that it would take until the next morning to get the visa, but that is wrong -- probably because so many people are applying.  DH was approved yesterday and he applied before me.  From what I can gather, most people that were approved during the first week received their visas in an email the next morning after "Approved".  That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. 

Thank you for that update. I still have not received my visa and I was "approved" on December 15. 

[millybess]

6 minutes ago, Cruise New York said:

Thank you for that update. I still have not received my visa and I was "approved" on December 15. 

NP.  DH still doesn't have his either.  Maybe tomorrow. 😊

[VanLee]

We are using iVisa.com for our Brazil Visas. Communication is limited to an App.  Has anyone used iVisa services?  Our departure from San Juan to Brazil is January 19th. Thank you in advance.

[PRH]

After being asked to reload documents on Saturday, last night got an email saying my application had been forwarded to immigration review.  Then I got an email right anfterward asking me to reload documents for my husband’s application and giving 10 DAYS rather than 12 hours to do so!  This is like watching paint dry and being asked for a touch up every so often.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Version 5.1 of my How to Get a Brazil Visa is posted HERE - 

 

58 pages - very detailed.    

 

[Cruise New York]

On 12/18/2023 at 11:23 AM, millybess said:

NP.  DH still doesn't have his either.  Maybe tomorrow. 😊

Hello! I still haven’t received my visa yet. Has he? Do you know what email address it should come from? Or the subject line? I just want to make sure I don’t miss it in my inbox 🙂

[The-Inside-Cabin]

3 hours ago, Cruise New York said:

Hello! I still haven’t received my visa yet. Has he? Do you know what email address it should come from? Or the subject line? I just want to make sure I don’t miss it in my inbox 🙂

[millybess]

8 hours ago, Cruise New York said:

Hello! I still haven’t received my visa yet. Has he? Do you know what email address it should come from? Or the subject line? I just want to make sure I don’t miss it in my inbox 🙂

As of this morning, DH still hasn't received the email with the visa attachment.

[pistachio]

4 hours ago, millybess said:

As of this morning, DH still hasn't received the email with the visa attachment.

Interesting! I received my 'quality control completed' email on Dec 9, and my DH got his on Dec 10. We both received our Visas on Dec 13. Hopefully, you'll see yours soon!

[millybess]

Just now, pistachio said:

Interesting! I received my 'quality control completed' email on Dec 9, and my DH got his on Dec 10. We both received our Visas on Dec 13. Hopefully, you'll see yours soon!

I've had the visa since December 7.  DH was approved 13 days ago.  He just hasn't received the visa..

 

HAL sent an email to their world cruise passengers last night and it looks like they might skip Brazil if the Brazilian government doesn't push back the date.

 

[millybess]

@Cruise New York  There was a huge visa release this morning and DH has received his.

[slewis7]

I have received my Visa!  My wife’s application requires a few documents to be updated (I had previously updated my rejected documents but had failed to update hers).  I also need to get her photo to specifications.  
 

Unfortunately I am currently cruising with weak access to the internet and only my phone and tablet to work with, but I will try to find an online photo edit to allow me to properly get her photo resized.