Brazil - Brazilian visa denied

My husband and daughter are supposed to travel March 10 to Brazil. My husband was invited by educators in Brazil to speak to 1200 cattle producers and businesses. My daughter turned 16 on March 7. This was a birthday present for her. Her visa was denied by the Los Angelas consulate. What do we do!

Check the papers and reaply. The visa was rejected for a reason. Submit all papers as requested by the Consulate.

Rgs,

Was he applying for a tourist Visa?

Most countries require special documentation for travel by a minor with only 1 parent (to prevent abduction of children in custody battles, for example). Perhaps you failed to file the correct affidavits? Worst case both parents may need to travel with your daughter, that may be the only choice given how close you are to departure date!!!!!

Edit to add, here is the doc that must be submitted:

The Brazilian Consulate in Boston has this list of special requirements for U.S. citizens applying for Brazil visas for minors under 18:

•Both parents must sign the visa application form.
•The child's original birth of certificate or a certified copy must be presented.
•Parents must provide a notarized travel authorization letter, even if both parents are traveling with the child.

Most countries require special documentation for travel by a minor with only 1 parent (to prevent abduction of children in custody battles, for example). Perhaps you failed to file the correct affidavits? Worst case both parents may need to travel with your daughter, that may be the only choice given how close you are to departure date!!!!!

Edit to add, here is the doc that must be submitted:

The Brazilian Consulate in Boston has this list of special requirements for U.S. citizens applying for Brazil visas for minors under 18:

•Both parents must sign the visa application form.
•The child's original birth of certificate or a certified copy must be presented.
•Parents must provide a notarized travel authorization letter, even if both parents are traveling with the child.

You are totally correct. See the recent case of the NJ child who was brought to Brazil by the mother (on holidays under tourist visa). The mother never returned to the US. It took years of legal battle and a lot of diplomatic tension for the child to be repatriated back to NJ.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1949829,00.html

Rgs,

In the only such case that I know of recently, with both parents present and signing the denied visa was reissued promptly. Your daughter will have no problem if you do those things exactly as specified by others in this thread.

Brazil wants not repletion of the last case, which still goes on as the maternal grandparents continue to file suits and claims with newspaper stories galore.

I dont mean to hijack this thread... but, why not just travel with no Visa and get it on arrival... or am I wrong and an on arrival visa for US passport holders are not available...???

Gaucho100K, if you are a US Citizen you need a Brazilian visa or residency card (or be a dual National) just to be able to board the plane in the US. At least at IAD, UA checks at check-in and then again at the gate. I believe I have seen other posts indicating this is done by other airlines and airports

I dont mean to hijack this thread... but, why not just travel with no Visa and get it on arrival... or am I wrong and an on arrival visa for US passport holders are not available...???I sure wish there was a Brazil VOA.

If you are not a Brazilian permanent resident or national, without a proper visa (if you are a citizen of a country that require a visa to enter Brazil) issued BEFORE you embark (and proof of return ticket) you will not be able to get on the plane in the US. If by chance (highly unlikely) you should get on the plane in the US and arrive in Brazil without a valid visa, you will go directly to the airport detention facility and be deported on the first plane back (if you are lucky and the federal police do not create other problems).
There are NO upon arrival visas in Brazil and this is a BIG NO-NO.

If you are not a Brazilian permanent resident or national, without a proper visa (if you are a citizen of a country that require a visa to enter Brazil) issued BEFORE you embark (and proof of return ticket) you will not be able to get on the plane in the US. If by chance (highly unlikely) you should get on the plane in the US and arrive in Brazil without a valid visa, you will go directly to the airport detention facility and be deported on the first plane back (if you are lucky and the federal police do not create other problems).
There are NO upon arrival visas in Brazil and this is a BIG NO-NO.

AA is also checks for a Visa before issuing BPs. You cannot online or kiosk check in. I'd say it would be darn near impossible for any airline to let you obtain a BP without showing a valid Visa. Airlines face big fines for letting someone onaboard without one. And as AAEXP has indicated your experience in Brazil would not be pleasant.

Thanks for the clarifications.... I honestly thought that a VOA was possible for US citizens... :eek:

Sorry again for going sideways in this thread... but, what is the requirement for entering Brazil on an Australian passport..??

Sorry again for going sideways in this thread... but, what is the requirement for entering Brazil on an Australian passport..??

Looks like Australia needs a visa

Most countries require special documentation for travel by a minor with only 1 parent (to prevent abduction of children in custody battles, for example).

While the rest of the (not-quoted-by-me) information in the above post was correct, the quoted section above is not representative of general practice applicable to most commercial air travel by minors with only 1 parent accompanying the minor.

Ironically perhaps, when it comes to international travel by a minor with only 1 accompanying custodial parent where special documentation for travel is involved in policy or practice -- whether for travel needing a visa in advance or for travel involving visa on arrival -- the chances of having an issue about special documentation more frequently arises when dealing with travel between countries that have signed up to the relevant convention to prevent abduction of children in custodial conflicts (and return children as appropriate under the treaty terms). Even then it's not most times for those with a passport for the child and not applying for a visa or already in possession of a visa.

Thanks for the clarifications.... I honestly thought that a VOA was possible for US citizens... :eek:

It is if the US citizen is using a passport from some third country that has a visa on arrival arrangement with Brazil. That's a condition that doesn't apply to most US citizens since only a minor fraction of US passport holders have a passport from another country, which may or may not have VOA with Brazil.

For most ordinary US citizens, it can only be hoped that Brazilian VOA becomes a reality sooner than later. [.... and I'm expecting it to happen even as I have plenty of years left on my Brazilian visas.]

There are NO upon arrival visas in Brazil and this is a BIG NO-NO.

For those who hold citizenship(s) only of countries whose nationals are generally required to have acquired a visa in advance to enter Brazil, arriving without a visa is generally a big no-no.

There is a thread in another forum listing all countries that do NOT need a visa to enter Brazil:
http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/brazil-countries-whose-citizens-do-not-need-a-visa-to-come-to-brazil.6401/
Brazil follows strict reciprocity so any country that makes a given requirement for Brazilians to enter will find their citizens will have a similar requirement to enter Brazil

Australian citizens have requirements as defined here:

http://sistemas.mre.gov.br/kitweb/datafiles/Sydney/en-us/file/Visa%20Information/TOURIST%20VISA.pdf

If the Australian is obtaining the visa abroad, not in Australia, different rules may apply. At least the Aussies only pay A$49 vs the US$140 Americans pay. The pricing discrepancy is another reciprocity feature.

There is no such thing as Brazilian VOAs. When it comes to minors, the problem is also much greater than having to deliver all required documents in order apply for the visa, but you also have to observe all requirements in order to leave the country afterwards too. No child will be allowed to leave Brazil without proper authorization from both parents or guardians.

Interesting comment.
Whereas, I agree that generally no Brazilian national minor will be allowed to leave the country without proper permission from both parents, I wonder whether this is true for non resident nationals from other countries.
Let us take an example: A Danish father and his minor son decide to visit Brazil, would they also need permission from the mother in order to leave the country? In this case, let us remember that Danish nationals do not need visa to visit Brazil.

Interesting comment.
Whereas, I agree that generally no Brazilian national minor will be allowed to leave the country without proper permission from both parents, I wonder whether this is true for non resident nationals from other countries.
Let us take an example: A Danish father and his minor son decide to visit Brazil, would they also need permission from the mother in order to leave the country? In this case, let us remember that Danish nationals do not need visa to visit Brazil.

Most of the times, some hassle is created and the child is allowed to travel considering that the child entered the country some days before, but the rule is that it's mandatory to carry a notorized authorization with both parents consent to travel unaccompanied or only with one of the parents. There must be two copies with photo, one is collected at passport control. The fact that Brazilian law cannot apply to foreign minor is largely disregarded.

Quoting the US State Department:

Minors age 17 years and under who are not Brazilian nationals are not technically subject to the same strict travel requirements as Brazilian minors. However, there have been cases where the travel of non-Brazilian minors has been delayed or not authorized when accompanied by only one parent or a third party. To avoid potential difficulties, parents of non-Brazilian minors may want to follow the same procedures above if their children will be traveling to Brazil accompanied by only one parent or by a third party.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1072.html

Thanks for the feed-back. Really important info.

Interesting comment.
Whereas, I agree that generally no Brazilian national minor will be allowed to leave the country without proper permission from both parents, I wonder whether this is true for non resident nationals from other countries.
Let us take an example: A Danish father and his minor son decide to visit Brazil, would they also need permission from the mother in order to leave the country? In this case, let us remember that Danish nationals do not need visa to visit Brazil.

With regard to your example, the answer is not usually -- at least according to my Danish acquaintances (including Danes who own residential vacation property there) who have gone on father-minor children trips like that to Brazil but have no Brazilian relatives.

There are minor children who only have one custodial parent, and thus a uniform requirement for a statement even from a foreign citizen's non-custodial, non-Brazilian parent -- particularly one who is completely gone (read: dead) -- of a free foreign citizen to depart back to their home country with the sole-custody foreign citizen parent risks Brazil inviting more foreign scrutiny than it may wish to receive in such matters of parent-child travel.

The information I got from the "Policia Federal" is that they have nothing to do with foreign children. I called a PF office and asked them directly if my son - who holds dual citizenship (EU and Brasil) - could enter the country with his German passport and leave without the father's document. They said yes, because there's nothing they can do to foreign children. Also, they said if my son has a Brazilian passport, he would *theoretically* have to use it there, but there's no way to enforce that.
That being said, we've traveled in and out of the country with his German passport and and never had any problems. The absent parent's authorization is necessary only for the children carrying Brazilian passports.

You see, that is exactly what I thought would be the case.
But in any case, it seems that we have one more area where there is some confusion in Brazil, even though the Brazilian PF seem to be quite clear in their statement.

Do this:


Relax, take a deep breath. It's Brasil. It's going to be complicated. But also remember, it's Brasil... so, relax.
Check all the paperwork, and be 100% sure that you applied correctly for the minor. The minor should have a tourist visa since the minor isn't the one who was invited to speak.
Re-apply! It'll work.


-Chris

You see, that is exactly what I thought would be the case.
But in any case, it seems that we have one more area where there is some confusion in Brazil, even though the Brazilian PF seem to be quite clear in their statement.

Actually there is no confusion here. Brazilians are required to enter and leave Brazil on Brazilian travel documents. No exceptions.

The PF kindly point out there is no enforcement possible if you enter on a foreign passport and leave with it and do not have evidence of being brazilian, such as having Brazilian birthplace. The foreign passport, if one wants to do that, must be from a country with visa-waiver for Brazil, which Germany has.

For a short time last year the PF at GIG allowed brazilians to enter and leave on a foreign passport if they also showed their RG (national ID card). That no longer appears to be the case.

jbcarioca, you are taking my comment out of context: I was referring to the "confusion" about the treatment of foreign minors and the requirement of travel permission by both parents. As you can see from other posts here, there is indeed "confusion", even though I agree that it should only apply to Brazilian national minors.
As to what travel documents to use for dual (or several) national citizens, you point is correct.

When I worked at the U.S. Consulate General in Rio in the mid-1990s, one of the most common questuions was about voa (not Voice of America). And we'd have to explain it can't be done. If somehow one got on a plane without the required visa (e.g., boarding outside the U.S. and someone screwing up), they'd be detained in the airport and sent on their way. At the time, the nearest place one was advised to go (where they could land and then try to get a Brazilian visa) was Montevideo.

Still not clear why OP asked their question here rather than phoning the Brazilian embassy, but I guess the trip date has come and gone.