Quark

I heard brazilian customs will now be fingerprinting and photographing non-residents because the US is doing this? I was told unlike here where they use some electronic imaging system to fingerprint one finger in Brazil they are using ink for the whole hand and you stand holding a number like a mugshot. Has anyone experienced this?

Quark

topping

Dondiega

Quark, it just started and so far only in Sao Paulo so you won't be getting too many hits on this just yet, the people havn't come back from their trip yet. And when they do the program will probably be over by then, so be patient.

george_scott

My partner and I entered Brazil on 12/26 at GRU (Sao Paulo) and we did not get fingerprinted; however on 12/31 we went to Argentina and when we flew back through GRU on 1/5 to catch our connecting flight back to Atlanta we did have our photograh and fingerprint taken.

As we were entering customs they told all Americans to go to a special line and we were given a sign with a number printed on it that we held below our face and our picture was taken and then we were fingerprinted using the ink. No big deal because there wasn't that many Americans on that flight from BA to Sao Paulo so not much of a delay. Not to worry as they were very nice about it and so were we

Nino

Quark,

They just changed that to one finger only but ink is still used.

Dondiega

The city of Rio de Janeiro will file a lawsuit today demanding an end to Brazil's new practice of fingerprinting and photographing U.S. tourists, Mayor Cesar Maia announced Tuesday, and the State Department seconded his complaint.

Maia said the procedures, ordered by a federal judge who was angered by new U.S. screening of Brazilian visitors, discriminate against Americans by treating them differently from other foreign visitors. In addition, Maia contended that Brazil's federal government, not a judge, should be setting the country's immigration policies.

"It is the country that loses because of this immature anti-American policy," Maia said yesterday.

Rio filed suit after Brazilian Federal Police officials took as long as eight hours on Monday to process U.S. citizens who arrived on overnight flights to Brazil from New York and Miami. Some delays continued Tuesday.

That treatment drew a protest from the State Department to Brasilia and criticism from State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

Boucher told reporters that Brazil's new entry procedures "single out U.S. citizens for exceptional treatment," were "quickly instituted [and] not well prepared" and are causing "significant delays" in admitting U.S. visitors.

That's a big problem for Rio, which in the post-Christmas season tries to welcome about 1,300 Americans a day to Brazilian summer south of the equator.

American and Canadian tourists numbered about 220,000 and spent an estimated $255 million in the city last year. The new screening threatens that business and hurts Rio's image as a modern, welcoming destination for tourists, said Paulo Bastos, the city's undersecretary for tourism.

"These people are not giving a positive message about our city. That's why the city is getting involved," Bastos said. ``This measure was hastily improvised. It prejudices our ability to attract new visitors."

Brazilian Federal Police spokesman Bruno Ramos justified the new procedures for U.S. visitors, saying Americans posed special risks for trafficking drugs and women and stealing wildlife from the Amazon. He declined to elaborate.

Published January 7th

Dilermando

USA decided that brazilian citizens are a possible threat to their internal security, so we are screened, fingerprinted, photographed etc upon arrival to the USA.
This is strongly perceived by most brazilians as largely insulting, which explains why most people here agree with subjecting american citizens to the same ritual upon arrival.
Now everybody can see (and feel) the situation is far from comfortable for both countries - which perception I hope will be the starting point towards making a good deal, for mutual benefit.

vince13

I will be flying into Sao Paulo next week from Newark. The Continental flight arrives at 10:45 am , then I fly on to Rio on Continental at 11:55 am. Will I go throught the fingerprinting in Sao Paulo or in Rio. If in Sao Paulo, does Continental hold up the Rio flight for the time it takes for all connecting passengers who need to be fingerprinted? Please let me know (airline does not seem to have answers) because I would have to cancel my trip if I could not make it on to Rio (continental only flys once a day from sp to rio. thank you , vince13

Quark

Thank you for your responses. DonDiego, I hope things get sorted out by jan 15th as this is when I leave for rio. Dilermando, I totally agree with you.

Dondiega

Vince, calm down, the Continental flight for the Newark passengers is just a plane change. You do not do customs in Sao Paulo. All they do is transfer your bags to the plane that came from Houston and stops in SP and then on to Rio. You will do customs in Rio and that is where you will be fingerprinted. Lets hope that soon they will stop this as they don't have the system that the US has being digital and everything. I can just imagine that all these pictures and fingerprints are costing them plenty of money and just sitting in a box with no system.

Cadu

I'm brazilian, and as Quarck, I totally agree with Dilermando...

italyss

The main problem is that Brazil does not have the infrastructure to process the arriving Americans. If they want to fingerprint and photograph Americans, that is their right, but they should at least be able to do it in an efficient and timely manner. To make people wait eight hours because the Rio airport only had ONE fingerprinting machine and only ONE official that knew how to do it, is not reciprocal treatment. No one entering the US is being held up like that.

Quark

has anyone come back yet with a fingerprinting experience in brazil?

italyss

Check out the O GLobo website. The first day there was a picture of the Brazilian authorities using some sort of a Poloroid camera and old fashioned ink pads. They were printing all ten digits. Now they are just doing the thumbs. If you arrive on a flight where there are not too many Americans, or if there are not too many other flights with Americans backed up, it might not take as long. Today, they mentioned Americans coming off a cruise ship. They were asked to step aside and the process took 45 minutes to an hour. The Brazilian tourist association is worried that there will be major backups when all the Carnaval groups start coming in. One group of 200 Americans who were planning some big trip down to Brazil later in the year just cancelled their trip. They mentioned (1)the $100 fee for VISAS and (2)the long waits for photos and fingerprints. There is also another problem brewing. I think the US is going to start requiring foreign carriers coming to the US to have an armed marshall on the flight. The Brazilian paper said Brazil currently has no trained marshalls to do this requirement. So, it might be better to stick with a US carrier and to plan your trip at less-busy times of the year when the lines won't be so long. I had been planning to go back in March, but I may wait until all this settles down. I could handle 45 minutes, but not 8 hours. I may switch to CR this year for my fun in the sun. The only problem is that the dollar is still so strong to the real (3 to 1) that you can get some great deals. Boa sorte!

vince13

Thank you, Dondiega. I appreciate your assistance very much. I am relieved, and am again looking forward to my trip.
vince

Cadu

I think most of americans can't imagine how difficult it is to get a VISA to the states and as u, we pay 100 us dollars to get it, and we don't get it back when it is recused. The eight hours mentioned before occured in the beggining of the process, now it is not like that anymore. Honestly, i feel surprised when i hear an american saying brazilians r been hostile with them, surely they no few about how it is hard to a south american visit usa, and ONLY usa.

Nino

I agree 100% with you Cadu. I'm Brazilian and work for an American company in Sao Paulo. We have people from the US coming and going all the time and nobody felt like a criminal. I don't want to start a war here but Americans are used to be treated as kings everywhere they go and things like that help them to look into their internal processes and see how painfull it is for the rest of the world. My personal opinion about the fingerprints and photos is that we shouldn't do that. We Brazilians will loose a lot. There's never been 8 hours in lines, only in the first day since the Brazilian customs people were caught by surprise and the US-Visit program has been researched for a year. Again, I'm not saying that the Brazilians are right by doing that and I hope our government will do something about it pretty soon.

Dondiega

Now I hear it adds only about 20 minutes to the customs process. Thats not too much even us Americans can handle that much inconvienence.

Also I read an article that close to 300 Americans canceled a group trip to Rio this year and as a result the Brazilians estimate that they will loose close to 1 million dollars from this group. The tourism people in Rio are worried that this action is going to cost them some money. This is too bad that the US problem with terrorists has to cost Rio money from tourism.

OaktownTraveler

Skipped and Skimmed the thread so if I miss or repeat please forgive...

I actually had a talk with my girlfriends about this as SA is our big 2004 trip.
We don't care. It's what we call: The Small Stuff...

I am American and I would not ever cancel a trip to ANYWHERE because of a long line (try any Disney trip)photograph or fingerprint station.

I have traveled all over the world and believe me I have been subject to all kinds of legitimate and bogus delays...

How many times have you been "held hostage" by cab drivers who drive you all over except where you need to go?

We as travelers must respect and be patient with the policies, customs and procedures of other countries. That step is a part of world travel as I see it...and, besides... "we" started it first as usual...

I do say that some Americans are "spoiled".

A great example is: If I have to wait in a line, be it customs, for luggage, for a cab or to clear security before I board a plane then by golly I will not (stamp foot) go to CARNAVAL...Helloooooo????

For those who cancelled they will probably go to some other destination and act in a manner that earns us the "stereotype" of Ugly American.

I look forward to my travel experience as any time I can pull out a suitcase I am reminded just one more time how great life is!

My Best
Oaktown Traveler

Dondiega

Mr. Oaktown, I like your attitude and your possie is lucky to have you as a leader.