A Hassle-free Guide to Obtaining a Brazilian Visa

Brazil is known as being a country that can turn just about any process into a bureaucratic circus. It doesn't take much exposure or Internet research to find stories of paper pushing and hoop jumping in a variety of contexts. Don't let that turn you away, it's well worth the work if you are looking to get south of the Equator to experience what anyone who has been here boasts about.

This beautiful country hosts a rich, vibrant culture that captivates anyone who gets near because it's energetic, passionate and contagious. The following breakdown will ensure that you can get your visa sem problemas (without problems).

Just So You Know . . .
Brazil practices what they call "reciprocity," which means they are going to treat anyone entering Brazil as the traveler's country would treat a Brazilian. For example, as an American, I had to go through a process that emulates what a Brazilian goes through when trying to go to America.

This seems like a fair deal, but then we must consider the aforementioned about bureaucracy. For Americans, and many other westerners, we aren't used to nearly as much documentation, notarizing, and producing records because they're unnecessary when traveling the majority of the world.

So, what does it all mean for the visa process? Well, then, let's get to it. After all, you're one of the people scouring the Internet for an effective relocation strategy.

However, before I explain the process, I must say that this post serves to update the inconsistencies and outdated information that I found during all my searching, so be sure to check the posting date of any info you find. I hope that what follows helps you in your endeavors.

The Hercílio Luz Bridge, Floripa

Starting The Process
Once I knew that I was moving to Floripa, or Florianópolis, I began searching for all relevant information about relocating to Brazil, and more specifically, that city. I searched high and low for anything related to my situation:

• I had already finished university
• I have experience working as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages
• I wanted to stay in Brazil as long as possible
• I wanted to learn Portuguese as quickly and effectively as possible to facilitate my relocation success.

After quite a bit of Internet searching and reading, the information led me to pursuing a student visa. I had found a blog post that indicated UFSC, or Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, would produce an enrollment letter for gringos that enrolled in Portuguese classes. However, that is no longer the case, and the way I figured it out is direct from the source.

Luckily, I made a connection with someone at UFSC in registration, and she told me that this program, Portuguese for foreigners, has been abused to the point that they only offer enrollment letters for visas to people fully enrolled as exchange students. No more enrollment letters for people only studying Portuguese.

This was an incredibly lucky connection when considering the horrors others experienced when attempting to communicate with schools and administration at various schools in Brazil.

So, I kept searching and, with the advice of a Brazilian friend, checked out a private university that also offers Portuguese classes to foreigners. Here is a link to their webpage about the program. I emailed the contact address, and got a reply within a few days. I was amazed, because I expected to experience what I had been reading about!

The email requested some information to get me enrolled, and indicated that there would be a deposit of R$220 (approximately USD$70, £45 or €63, at the time I paid it). The cost of the extensive course, R$1500, could be paid in full after arrival. The school also offers an intensive course for R$2000. Once the semester approaches, they will email you a link to a preliminary online proficiency test, then you will take a written exam and have an informal interview after you arrive.

Next, I went to the website of the Brazilian Consulate in my jurisdiction to schedule the appointment to submit my documents. Definitely make the appointment with your consulate or embassy as soon as possible! Some are very impacted, depending on where you are in the world. Mine was booked out for nearly two months from the date I made the appointment.

To find the consulate in your jurisdiction, the best thing to do is a Google search of "Brazil consulate (name of your city/country)." Go to the homepage, find the link for appointments and follow the directions. Remember, you must fill out the online application before you make the appointment.

After you complete the application, make the appointment. Then head over to the student visa (VITEM-IV) requirements page, print it, and use it as a checklist. I have read the requirements page from a handful of other countries, and they really don't vary much, if at all. However, it's best to get the most accurate results specific for you, so be sure to refer to that list.

Lastly, I made sure to gather all the information on the list before I had my interview. What follows is the list that is currently on the consulate page of my jurisdiction:

• Valid passport, expiration date at least 6 months after your arrival date in Brazil
• Application form, filled out online, confirmation form printed
• One passport size photo of yourself, white background only
• Copy of enrollment document at Brazilian institution AND a letter confirming that you will study there
• Proof of financial means in Brazil (more on this later)
• Proof of health insurance valid in Brazil
• Anyone under 18 needs a notarized letter of consent signed by parents
• Anyone over 18 must produce a recent (no older than 90-days) non-criminal record from the FBI, or equivalent for your country (more on this later)
• A copy of your birth certificate with both parents' full names
• A copy of your travel itinerary, round-trip plane ticket, or confirmation of such purchase
• Proof of residency in the jurisdiction of the consulate you are requesting the visa from
• Reciprocity fee, which is $160 for Americans, only accepted as USPS money order

My VITEM-IV visa

There are additional requirements for anyone wanting to enroll as a full time undergraduate or graduate student, but since I am assuming readers are using the student visa as a means for staying staying in Brazil and not completing a degree, I am not going to address that.

At the appointment, I simply handed over the documents for the officer to review. I collated them so they were in the same order as the requirements list so she could confirm each document as she went down her list.

You can also bring a pre-paid letter size envelope to have your passport mailed back to you. If you live far away from the consulate, this is a nice option so that you don't need to be inconvenienced with returning.

Once I arrived in Brazil and had my orientation at the university, one of the administrators told me that it is possible to extend the student visa for up to two years. To be clear, that came from a school administrator, and not an immigration or consular officer, so you might get different information depending on who you ask.

Extra Considerations
The enrollment document and confirmation letter from the university should take about two weeks, but it's smart to get it out of the way early because it's international mail. You never know when there's going to be a Brazilian postal service strike. Seriously, it's almost an annual occurrence.

Consider using a channeller for the background check it you are not willing to wait 12+ weeks for the results. I used My FBI Report because I was under an extreme time restraint and they advertise a 48 hour turnaround on records requests. Sure enough, I got fingerprinted at ID Solutions in San Francisco on a Wednesday at 2 o'clock, and the results were delivered to my house at about 2:20pm on Friday. Incredibly efficient and precise.

If you are providing financial support documents, be sure to bring a notarized affidavit of financial support (example here) to validate that the support is official. This is not on the list of requirements, but they requested it in my interview. I just had my dad write a letter of emergency financial support, because you never know, and that alone opened the door for them to request the affidavit. Also, get it notarized!

Get anything that isn't an official document notarized to make it official, and legal. Also, consider the benefit of getting the FBI background check apostilled to avoid any complications when you drop off your documents. These aren't indicated as necessary by my Brazilian consulate website, or any others that I read, but again, Brazilian bureaucracy dictates that if the officer wants to make it an issue, they can.

Lastly, I would like to give a huge shout out to the main resources I used to find information about relocating to Brazil, and in effect, the inspiration for writing this post. The sites braziliangringo.com, hosted by Josh Plotkin, and liveinbrazil.org, hosted by Kevin Porter, are amazing resources and the first sites to consult during planning.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to email. My address is available on my contact page.

Bonus! 12 Step Brazilian Visa Success Strategy Guide Recap
1. Ensure your passport will be valid for at least 6 months from your expected arrival date
2. Register with the school
3. Fill out the application on the Brazilian Consulate site
4. Make the appointment to submit your documents to the Brazilian Consulate
5. Print out the requirements list for the visa you want (student visa is VITEM-IV)
6. Get fingerprinted for background check, then send off documents for background check - or use channeller to combine fingerprinting and document sending (higher cost, faster results)
7. Collect all of the documents on the requirements list: proof of financial means, health insurance, etc.
8. Keep everything together in a folder so that nothing gets separated
9. Get the USPS money order for the reciprocity fee
10. Show up at your appointment prepared and ready to be approved
11. Wait the 5 business for your VITEM-IV to be processed
12. Pick up (or receive by mail) your VITEM-IV and get stoked about going to Brazil!