Brazilian Visas

[hmh60]

What visa service does Regent use? I was reading on the Crystal board that some haven't gotten their passports back that they sent in in August. Crystal recommends Pinnacle. Who does Regent recommend?

 

I know the problem could be with the Brazilian Consulate, but was curious who Regent recommends.

 

Thanks

[Anna201213]

What visa service does Regent use? I was reading on the Crystal board that some haven't gotten their passports back that they sent in in August. Crystal recommends Pinnacle. Who does Regent recommend?

 

I know the problem could be with the Brazilian Consulate, but was curious who Regent recommends.

 

Thanks

 

Depends on where you live. Last July I went to Brazilian Consulate in Montreal with the form completed (find on their web site) the photo and passport and 10 days later I have received my docs and visa. So easy when you live near the Consulate

[xrvlcruiser]

hmh60,

 

I've been reading the same thread.

 

Regent uses Visa Central service. I had no trouble in 2012 getting a Brazil visa but neither did people using Pinnacle in the same time frame.

 

Some of it depends on which Consulate your visa application/passport needs to go to and that depends on where in the US you live (I don't know about Canada). It also used to be that the requirements were different for different parts of the Country.

 

And how US-Brazil relations are at the time.

 

I don't know if anyone going on Regent cruises had any issues (assume not since there were no postings).

 

Go back and read Keith's recent message . . .good information.

 

Peggy

Edited November 21, 2013 by xrvlcruiser

[Patti22]

We used A Briggs in 2012. Excellent service.

[Travelcat2]

I am not certain if using a visa service that Regent recommends would be the best or most cost effective choice. We have had good service from Travisa. Also want to comment that anyone from the U.K. or people with dual citizenship that have a British passport, do not need a visa for Brazil.

[xrvlcruiser]

In the past, I've always used whichever group Regent suggested - two reasons: 1. they've been fine, done the job is a reasonable time frame and were easy to work with and 2. since my cruises tend to be longer ones, the cost of the visas were included.

 

I don't know that if I had gone elsewhere and presented a bill, how that would have worked.

 

Peggy

[rallydave]

In the past, I've always used whichever group Regent suggested - two reasons: 1. they've been fine, done the job is a reasonable time frame and were easy to work with and 2. since my cruises tend to be longer ones, the cost of the visas were included.

 

I don't know that if I had gone elsewhere and presented a bill, how that would have worked.

 

Peggy

 

Absolutely correct about going thru the Regent source when Visas are included since Regent picks up the costs however, if you are paying for your Visa's, beware going thru the Regent recommended source as you will most likely pay much more than going thru another source and if you do live near the foreign consulate, much cheaper again if you do the process on your own.

 

As far a Brazilian Visas, yes, depending on where you live requires you to get your Visa from the consulate serving your state and this is true if you get the Visa yourself or thru a Visa service. And, the requirements and times for return vary from consulate to consulate.

 

For instance, we live near the consulate in Houston and got our Brazilian Visas ourselves late last year while other consulates were having issues even issuing their Visas and we made an on line appointment, went in about 15 minutes early and were out of the consulate with our Visas in our Passports before our scheduled time came up. Amazing considering other stories from other consulates but, no complaints or much of a wait.

 

Unbelievable service!!!!

[xrvlcruiser]

When we lived in Texas and needed a Brazilian Visas, we had to go through all sorts of shenanigans, among other things, they wanted a copy of our bank statement and a few other bits and pieces. We sent them what they wanted and got our visas.

 

I live in New York now and when I got my visa in 2011 (for the 2012 South America trip), there were no issues. If I'm not mistaken, it went through the DC office.

[rallydave]

When we lived in Texas and needed a Brazilian Visas, we had to go through all sorts of shenanigans, among other things, they wanted a copy of our bank statement and a few other bits and pieces. We sent them what they wanted and got our visas.

 

I live in New York now and when I got my visa in 2011 (for the 2012 South America trip), there were no issues. If I'm not mistaken, it went through the DC office.

 

As times change, I guess rules change as the only thing extra beyond my application I had to show them was my itinerary. And this was Oct. 2012. At the same time other consulates were requiring bank statements and other nonsensical items as you described. Guess it is the luck of the draw and what each consulate requires at any specific time.

 

Consistantly insoncistant!!!!

[xrvlcruiser]

Consistently inconstant!!!! Yes . . . but it "gotcha"

[AWED23]

We used A Briggs in 2012. Excellent service.

:) We have been using Briggs for some time now (5-7 years) after doing a google search when I became disenchanted with a cruise lines reccomended service. What makes Briggs so nice for us is that they have so many strategicaly located offices including one in Seattle close by. I have used them for many different visas, passport renewals and extra passport pages. Always timely and reasonably priced. They were Regents choice for our upcoming Sout American cruise in 2014.

[quepaquete]

I recently used itseasy, even though we live in southern California, and there is Brazilian consulate in our area they processed our visas at the NYC consulate. You can tract the status only. I mailed the documents requested to itseasy's office in Los Angeles and three weeks later we got passports with visas back.

 

Jorge

[Travelcat2]

I believe that most of the visa processing companies do a really good job. We started using Travisa when Col. Wes recommended it for our India cruise. We used it for our China visa last month and had our passports back in one week. Having visited consulates in Los Angeles in the past, we are happy to pay the extra money to avoid the hassle of going to a consulate. I suppose if there was one less than 20 miles from here, I'd give it a try.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Question:

We are booked on the Amazon cruise ( Navigator) in November 2014. We are Florida residents so we need to get our visas from Miami. We have a pretty heavy travel schedule in the next few months, for which we need our passports

Can we get our visas in February 2014 for our November 2014 trip???? Sent an email to the Brazilian Consulate with no success.

Hope someone can help!!!!!

Sheila

[JMARINER]

Question:

We are booked on the Amazon cruise ( Navigator) in November 2014. We are Florida residents so we need to get our visas from Miami. We have a pretty heavy travel schedule in the next few months, for which we need our passports

Can we get our visas in February 2014 for our November 2014 trip???? Sent an email to the Brazilian Consulate with no success.

Hope someone can help!!!!!

Sheila

 

I think the Visa has be issued no more than 90 days before entry into Brazil.

 

Good luck getting any help directly from Brazilian consulate. In my experience (4x), dealing with them is dreadful. They will tell you that they really don't care if you visit or not.

 

Best way to deal with this is to get a reputable passport service. Find one that is close to the Miami consulate so they can hand carry over the application, pick it up and express mail it to you. There are national services like Zierer that can also do it, but for Brazil visa getting a local will get you faster results.

 

j

 

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[rallydave]

I think the Visa has be issued no more than 90 days before entry into Brazil.

 

Good luck getting any help directly from Brazilian consulate. In my experience (4x), dealing with them is dreadful. They will tell you that they really don't care if you visit or not.

 

Best way to deal with this is to get a reputable passport service. Find one that is close to the Miami consulate so they can hand carry over the application, pick it up and express mail it to you. There are national services like Zierer that can also do it, but for Brazil visa getting a local will get you faster results.

 

j

 

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Totally agree with the fact that you won't get any help directly from the consulate.

 

As far as the 90 day requirement, at least last year it was NOT in effect for US Citizens. We received our Brazilian Passport in October 2012 and were on a World Cruise that did not reach Brazil until mid April 2013 and we along with everyone else on the cruise had any issues. Don't get me wrong, there was a 90 day for entry rule but it ended on Jan 10, 2010 per the following quote I found via a google search:

 

Helpful Information (Visa Validity)

 

As of January 11, 2010, Brazil is no longer issuing visas that bear "first entry within 90 days from the date of issue" allowing travelers to schedule their trips more freely. Brazilian visas are usually good for multiple entries for the time of the visa's duration. If necessary, an extension may be obtained from the Federal Police in Brazil, if requested at least 30 days prior to its expiration, for a total stay of up to 180 days per year. If visa was issued prior to January 11, 2010, it must be used within 90 days of issue date, if not used the visa will expire.

 

 

Most searches still show the 90 day entry however that is printed on your visa and that is no longer the case and I can vouch for that in 2013 as I stated above. The visa also used to have a 5 year validity and now it is 10 year.

 

 

Have a great trip.

[DaveFr]

Question:

We are booked on the Amazon cruise ( Navigator) in November 2014. We are Florida residents so we need to get our visas from Miami. We have a pretty heavy travel schedule in the next few months, for which we need our passports

Can we get our visas in February 2014 for our November 2014 trip???? Sent an email to the Brazilian Consulate with no success.

Hope someone can help!!!!!

Sheila

Sheila,

 

Here's the general information page for visas from the Brazilian Consulate in Miami. (http://miami.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/visas_general_information.xml) The website says that it takes 10 business days to get the visa if you bring it to the consulate and that it may take 30 or more business days if you mail it in or use a visa service. They also charge an additional $20 per person if you don't bring it to the consulate personally. (I assume one person can bring all the visa applications for a family without extra charge but you should check with the consulate to be sure.)

 

Applying for the visa in February or a few months later will work fine. The 90-day requirement mentioned by JMARINER no longer exits. It was removed in 2010. The visa will be valid for 10 years from the date of issue.

 

Hope this helps.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Hi Helpers

Thanks for all your wonderful information. I think you may have solved my problem!

Hows this game plan?

We are traveling out of the country to the Caribbean at the end of January to beginning of February.

When we return, we will take the passports with all necessary paperwork to the Brazilian Consulate in Miami. Apply for visas. This gives us 6 weeks to get it done, before we leave Florida again, beginning of April. (This trip on Regent Mariner - Adriatic cruise).

We will return to the U.S. beginning of May.

That gives us time (8 weeks) to have DH passport renewed from N.J. before we leave again at the beginning of August for Israel. (returning to the U.S mid August). His passport expires less than 6 months from our return.

Then to the Amazon in November.

Mission Accomplished!! (I think?)

I know... Too many trips planned... To close together. (But, we are getting older very quickly and have a lot of bucket list items left).

 

I have been so concerned. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks so very much for your advice and help!!!

Sheila

Edited January 3, 2014 by Bellaggio Cruisers

[rallydave]

Hi Helpers

Thanks for all your wonderful information. I think you may have solved my problem!

Hows this game plan?

We are traveling out of the country to the Caribbean at the end of January to beginning of February.

When we return, we will take the passports with all necessary paperwork to the Brazilian Consulate in Miami. Apply for visas. This gives us 6 weeks to get it done, before we leave Florida again, beginning of April. (This trip on Regent Mariner - Adriatic cruise).

We will return to the U.S. beginning of May.

That gives us time (8 weeks) to have DH passport renewed from N.J. before we leave again at the beginning of August for Israel. (returning to the U.S mid August). His passport expires less than 6 months from our return.

Then to the Amazon in November.

Mission Accomplished!! (I think?)

I know... Too many trips planned... To close together. (But, we are getting older very quickly and have a lot of bucket list items left).

 

I have been so concerned. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks so very much for your advice and help!!!

Sheila

 

I see one possible problem in your plan and depending on your response, possibly one suggestion.

 

You stated that your Husband's Passport expires less than 6 months from your return. Without specific dates can't be completely specific however, you passport has to be valid for 6 months after you get your visa and 6 months after your cruise ends. Depending on the specific dates, you might not be able to get his Visa or board the ship. Should his passport meet both requirements, he will be traveling with a new passport on your cruise and you will have to make sure he gets his old passport back prior to your cruise and he carries it with him on the cruise as the visa will be in the old passport. A visa remains valid even if the passport expires and that means you have to carry the old and the new passports if you need to use the visa that is valid for 10 years.

 

Also, the eight weeks to get the renewed passport could be iffy depending on how busy the passport bureau is so to be sure of having the passport back in time, might need to pay for fast service. Really can't know at this time what the processing time will be then. Pretty sure the passport website has a tracker that will tell you what the usual processing time is when you are ready to get the renewal. Just remember, that is an estimate and no guarantee of service.

 

Hope your plan still works under these circumstances.

Edited January 3, 2014 by rallydave

[TedC]

My TA told me which service Regent used and that's what I used - worked VERY WELL = Can't remember name , it was all initials, something like CP but couple more initials, as I recall.

 

Have your TA get the info for you.

 

My Visa is now good for 10 years - hope I'm good for next 9 years. Cost was about $400.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

I see one possible problem in your plan and depending on your response, possibly one suggestion.

 

You stated that your Husband's Passport expires less than 6 months from your return. Without specific dates can't be completely specific however, you passport has to be valid for 6 months after you get your visa and 6 months after your cruise ends. Depending on the specific dates, you might not be able to get his Visa or board the ship. Should his passport meet both requirements, he will be traveling with a new passport on your cruise and you will have to make sure he gets his old passport back prior to your cruise and he carries it with him on the cruise as the visa will be in the old passport. A visa remains valid even if the passport expires and that means you have to carry the old and the new passports if you need to use the visa that is valid for 10 years.

 

Hope your plan still works under these circumstances.

 

I agree with you.

However, when we send for the passport renewal, I will request a return of the old passport and we can take both his passports to the Amazon.

We could apply for the visas after the passport is renewed, but then we probably will not have enough time to get the visas by mail either before we leave for Israel or when we return. We will not be returning to Florida until mid October..

So what do you think????

Sheila

[rallydave]

I agree with you.

However, when we send for the passport renewal, I will request a return of the old passport and we can take both his passports to the Amazon.

We could apply for the visas after the passport is renewed, but then we probably will not have enough time to get the visas by mail either before we leave for Israel or when we return. We will not be returning to Florida until mid October..

So what do you think????

Sheila

 

Well, as they say, you pays your money and you take your chances. We are lucky with Brazil as the Houston Brazilian Consulate and we were able to drive to the Consulate and be in and out in 20 minutes with our visas inserted in our passports. Unfortunately Miami won't work that way. The norm is that the passport agency does return the old passport with a hole or holes in it but, it does not come back with the new passport. Got my renewal in 2012 and think it came in the mail a week or two later.

 

Just went to the passport website and the current time standard is 4 to 6 weeks while expedited is 2 to 3 weeks door to door. Price is an additional $60 plus the cost of overnight return. When we get toward summer, would expect the processing times to increase. Think if it were me and I had the schedule you do, I would follow your plan but, pay for expedited processing on your DH's passport and you should then have both back in time for the Brazil trip as you won't get into Brazil without the old passport with the visa.

 

Hope this makes sense and I envy all of your wonderful trips.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Well, as they say, you pays your money and you take your chances. We are lucky with Brazil as the Houston Brazilian Consulate and we were able to drive to the Consulate and be in and out in 20 minutes with our visas inserted in our passports. Unfortunately Miami won't work that way. The norm is that the passport agency does return the old passport with a hole or holes in it but, it does not come back with the new passport. Got my renewal in 2012 and think it came in the mail a week or two later.

 

Just went to the passport website and the current time standard is 4 to 6 weeks while expedited is 2 to 3 weeks door to door. Price is an additional $60 plus the cost of overnight return. When we get toward summer, would expect the processing times to increase. Think if it were me and I had the schedule you do, I would follow your plan but, pay for expedited processing on your DH's passport and you should then have both back in time for the Brazil trip as you won't get into Brazil without the old passport with the visa.

 

Hope this makes sense and I envy all of your wonderful trips.

 

Hi Dave

What you are saying makes sense. Do you know if we can go to a U.S. consulate in New York City to renew the passport in person???

That way, we would explain the situation and hope they can help us..

Thoughts???

Sheila

Edited January 3, 2014 by Bellaggio Cruisers

[rallydave]

Hi Dave

What you are saying makes sense. Do you know if we can go to a U.S. consulate in New York City to renew the passport in person???

That way, we would explain the situation and hope they can help us..

Thoughts???

Sheila

 

Hi Sheila,

 

No US Consulates in the US. Consulates are only in foreign countries. You could go to any US Passport Bureau but, as I understand things, the extra charge would be much more than the expedited charges. Also, believe but, not sure that in person renewals need to have a reason why you need the passport at that time and you don't have that problem. Have to have foreign travel within 2 weeks.

 

Suggest you first go to the US Passport home page and search for answers to all your questions and how to do an in person interview and what it entails. The website is actually pretty good and I am getting a lot of answers from there: http://travel.state.gov/passport/

 

Think your plan and paying the expedite fee as well as sending the passports in via overnight service will work and avoid sleepness nights wondering if you will have your documentation in time for your trips.

[JMARINER]

Dave , thanks for the update about the 90 day rule. In the past it caused a lot of hassle, like having to get a Brazilian visa while in a foreign country (South Africa).

 

To the OP, when you do renew the US passport, be sure to request the "big book" passport with double pages. Same cost. Also, The Brazilian visa will be valid in the old passport, when it expires. You just need to have both new and old passport with you at entry and show them the unexpired visa in the old book.

 

Hope you enjoy the NAV Amazon voyage. Done it twice, last in 2012. Send me an email and I will give you some insights on this trip.

j

 

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