Brazil’s New E-Visa: What You Need to Know For Your Next Cruise
BRAZIL E-VISA
The good, the bad, and the ugly of the new Brazilian E-Visa for US Nationals.
WHAT IS THE NEW E-VISA?
As of January 10th, 2024 US, Canadian and Australian nationals will be required to obtain an E-Visa in advance of their travels to Brazil. The E-Visa is required regardless of arrival by Land, Sea, or Air - so yes you will need one for your next cruise.
The visa costs $80.90USD per person, is multi-entry, and lasts for 10 years for US applicants (5 years for Canadians or Australians).
IS IT EASY TO APPLY? SHOULD I USE A VISA SERVICE?
The short answer is no. The Brazilian government has contracted a third party, VFS Global, to provide the application process. You can check out the website here. The website, as of the writing of this article, is well below the usual standard of government authorized visa websites.
You can use third party visa services, but this may backfire by creating another layer of communication and expense. Despite their promise to simplify the process, applying directly with VFS is still the recommended option.
WHAT DO I NEED TO APPLY?
Passport (signed, valid up to end of Brazil trip, 2 visa pages free).
Passport-style photo (2” x 2”, white background).
Confirmation of round trip reservation (flight, ship, or bus reservation showing entrance by air, sea, or land into Brazil and exit from Brazil).
Printed bank statement showing transactions for the last 30 days and showing balance of US$ 2,000.00 or proof of income or credit card statement, or
A letter from the cruise line confirming that the visa applicant has purchased a cruise ticket, or
An individual proof of payment for a cruise ticket.
WHAT ISSUES ARE OTHERS FACING?
The primary issue is documentation. The visa service has, so far, been extremely picky when it comes to documents. In addition, if a document is rejected, they have made submitting new documents difficult. For some applicants, they have had to end up reapplying and paying the fee all over again (and it comes as no surprise that they have a strict no refund policy).
It is our recommendation that you do not cut corners with any documents;
Go to a passport photography service and pay for professional digital photos.
Use a high quality scanner to make clear copies of required, as opposed to your phone.
Do not rely on transaction print-outs from your bank, instead get actual bank statements and make sure they are recent, or even better, contact the cruise line for a document that can be used in lieu of a bank statement.
If you are not tech-savvy, enlist the help of a friend who is. The documents are not allowed to be over a certain size and while the process of reducing document size is simple if you know what you are doing, it can be frustrating if you aren’t so confident.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET APPROVAL?
The VFS website claims that 5 business days is the standard turn around time, however in practice this is not the case. Even once documents are accepted, it can be weeks until applicants get approval. In addition, some applicants have found that even after approval, it is still several days (and customer support emails) until they receive the actual document. Despite being an E-visa, the Brazilian Government requests travelers to carry two printed copies of the visa, with the threat to deny of entry in the absence of such printed copies.
WHY IS THE PROCESS SO DIFFICULT?
Unfortunately, it seems to be a geopolitical issue in which travelers (especially in these early days of the visa) are paying the price. Previously it was possible for US, Canadian, and Australian nationals to travel to Brazil with relative ease, however it was not possible for Brazilian nationals to travel to those respective countries as easily. The Brazilian government demanded reciprocity upon threat of introducing an E-visa system. While some governments acquiesced, the US, Canadian and Australian governments did not and Brazil has made good on its promise (although it intended to start in October 2023, it was delayed to January 2024). Whether by design or by mismanagement, the E-visa process is unnecessarily bureaucratic. With this in mind, it is of the utmost importance to apply well in advance, triple check all documents and don’t cut corners.
We at Strictly Vacations wish you the best of luck with your next Brazil Cruise and as always we are here for you should you need to enlist our help.
