bluesphee

We booked frequent flyer tickets from USA to Brazil and then our outgoing ticket is from Peru back to USA. I was planning on booking the flight from Rio, Brazil to Cuzco, Peru independently through TACA. I just got off the phone with the Brazilian consulate in Chicago and they told me I HAVE to have a roundtrip ticket from USA to Brazil and then from Brazil back to USA. What I am worried about is they won't approve our visa.

Further complicating things, it was about $160 cheaper to book a roundtrip ticket from Brazil to Peru even though we would use the one ticket. Since that shows us heading back to Brazil, I am worried the consulate won't approve the Visa because it looks like we would be heading back to Brazil. I haven't booked this flight yet, so I could still pay the extra $160 for the one way flight. Even if I do that though, I am nervous that they won't accept our Visa application since we don't fly back from Brazil to the USA.

The guy at the consulate was very unfriendly and kept saying "those are the rules". He told me I could e-mail the consulate, which I will, but I'm betting I won't get a response!

Does anyone have any advice? We fly out on October 27th so we don't have much time to get our Visas! Maybe we should just pay a Visa service to help coordinate this?

Marija

Have you thought about buying a cancellable round trip ticket that you could submit for the visa and then cancel?

bluesphee

I didn't know that existed, but I feel very awkward doing that. Isn't it very common for people to travel within South America but not come from and return to the same point of origin (in our case the USA)? Surely people fly into Rio and travel to other countries outside of Brazil.

Equestrian

You merely need a printed itinerary, not a paid ticket.
You would also, with the TACA itinerary or ticket,and the RT U.S. to Peru ticket/itinerary be able to show you are leaving the country and going home from Peru--by the dates.

Do not feel awkward doing what you have to to get your visa. It is called "jeito Brasileiro"(the Brazilian way of getting things done)and no Brazilian would hesitate to do the same.

Brazilian bureaucracy (or burro-cracy as it's been referred to) is often an absurdity to those of us from the US./Canada/EU/OZ etc.

Some folks in the Brazilian Consulates in the U.S. seem to get great pleasure in frustrating U.S citizens, thinking it some sort of retaliation for the difficulty the U.S. officials in Brazil give Brzilians trying for U.S. tourist visas.

Hope your trip is a pleasant one. Once you get to Brazil, the people you meet are lovely and friendly, not nasty like the bureaucrat you spoke to.

qwovadis

www.brazilforless.com

www.brazilnuts.com

Can help you with particulars

Have flown 1 way into GIG(RIO) a lot

Itinerary usually suffices but any ticket

out of the country showing exit out is good so no worries.

I have even done a cheap bus ticket B4...Foz-Argentina

www.travel.state.gov excellent info on all this

Good luck,

qwovadis

despagar.com if headed to CUZ by air

have a look at aerosur GRU via LPB El Alto

sometimes save... taca.com usually best though usually more

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I don't have a specific answer for you, but that seems such a strange reply to get from the consulate. People do multicountry trips (that include Brazil) to South America all the time. Many of the posters here are doing or have done exactly that.

Equestrian

Jeff, it's actually pretty common. It's what the Brazilians, esp. those at the Consulate with 'power' over visa matters, think of as "reciprocity", as explained above.

bluesphee

These are great responses, but a small part of me is still left wondering if it is ok to book the round trip ticket versus the one way. What if I do the round trip and get it rejected by one of the "power" happy bureaucrats?

I actually did hear back from the consulate via e-mail as well and below is the back and forth (it starts at the bottom and the most recent is at the top). Based on your responses and the much more cordial consulate response via e-mail, I am going to book the round trip ticket. I can't believe they would deny us! I plan on printing this e-mail chain out with them and including it in with what I send them for reference.

------

Dear Sir,

Again, all we need to see is your entry into Brazil from any part of the world and you exit out of Brazil to any part of the world.

Cordially,

Visas Department/mk


________________________________________

Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 2:14 PM
To: Visas
Subject: RE: Question on Visa

Very good thank you so much! Is it ok to do the round trip ticket out of rio to peru and then just not using the return ticket or do we need to book our flight to peru as a one way ticket? Thank you again for your time and help!


Visas <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Sir,

As long as you have the itinerary showing dates of your entry and exit out of Brazil, you will be fine.

Cordially,

Visas Department/mk


________________________________________

Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 11:47 AM
To: Visas
Subject: Question on Visa

Hello,

My wife and I are traveling for a vacation from the USA to Rio on October 27th. We are then flying out of Rio to Peru on November 2nd. We then fly from Peru back to the USA.

When booking our flight from Rio to Peru it was cheaper to purchase a round trip ticket but we have no plans on returning back to Rio since we are vacationing in Peru and then heading back to the USA. Will there be any issues with getting our Visa under these travel plans? Our only alternative is to book a one way flight from Rio to Peru which is quite a bit more money.

Please let me know your thoughts on this matter.

Thanks very much!

Equestrian

"As long as you have the itinerary showing dates of your entry and exit out of Brazil, you will be fine."
Please understand that they are saying you don't have to BOOK (pay for) anything, just show a planned itinerary print-out.

bluesphee

In that e-mail that is true, but here is what the Chicago consulate website says:

'4) Round-trip-ticket
Applicants must present one of the following items:
· A copy of the round-trip-ticket, e-ticket or e-booking.
· A signed letter from the airline or travel agent, on their letterhead, with the itinerary, name(s) of the passenger(s), flight number or cruise information, and dates of arrival and departure from Brazil.
· For airline employees and their dependents: a copy of their airline I.D. card and a letter from the airline, on company letterhead, with the itinerary.

Taken from: http://www.brazilconsulatechicago.org/en-2-10-9.html

I am now thinking I should book the one way ticket. It's just frustrating because it will take 2 hours longer and cost $80 per ticket ($160 total) more.

RodrigoPintoSP

You can go for the round trip ticket with your eyes shut. Braz. authorities just want to make sure you have a way out of the country once you get in (just like their counterparts in the US require for Brazilians).

Many US tourists take a South American tour entering Brazil by air and then leaving by air or land to other neighboring countries without a problem!

Equestrian

The Boston Brazilian Consulate has removed the language on their website regarding the requirement for a copy of the itinerary. Possibly this is in line with the fairly recent removal of the requirement to use a new visa within 90 days of issue. IF you can now use a new visa for the first time at any time in the 10 years it is good for, logically how can you require a paid ticket (for a trip theoretically 9 years out) to obtain that visa?

bluesphee

Interesting...after much deliberation between me and my wife we have decided to go with booking the round trip ticket today. Thanks to everyone for their input! We will be sending the documents to the consulate tomorrow morning and I'll post back what happens!

bluesphee

I purchased the round trip and sent our Visa's to the consulate. I don't expect it to be a problem, but will post back what happens.

bluesphee

Just to clarify, I meant we sent our visa applications, passports, etc... to the consulate and not our visa's

bluesphee

Everything worked out fine! We got the visas sent back to us today. Thanks very much everyone for your input. I'm sure I worried way too much about this in the end, but I guess not every one can be a laid back traveler .