<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Quokka:
The last two times I've entered Brazil (at GRU), they couldn't be bothered to check for any visa in my US passport, let alone a valid one. The passport I handed them, which they promptly stamped and returned, didn't have a visa in it. My 5 year visa (still valid) was in my old passport ready to be presented if they asked for the visa. They didn't ask. </font>
I guess it partly depends on your luck with who's manning the booth on any particular day. I got stuck in GRU without a Brazilian visa due to a missed connection (AA flight to MVD for the day had already left) about 4 years ago and although they did let me into the country for the night, the National Police confiscated my passport and there was a stack of paperwork to be completed the next day before they would let me exit the country.