Originally Posted by
BumpedAgain
A US citizen going to Brazil requires a Brazilian Visa....no exception....no opportunity to just stay in the airport etc. If you're a dual citizen then that's a different story. The US passport Brazilian Visa is excessive but it is based on the excessive charges that the US has toward Brazilians.
I'm guessing (hence your definitive post) that this has changed, but in August 2006 (I know, a long while ago), I did just this...what turned out to be a paper ticket from the USA to GRU and then onto Bolivia. At the time, there was a US$100 (I believe) visa fee for Brasil. My wife and I didn't get one. On transit in GRU, it wasn't much fun, but staying in the crummy RCC in GRU and doing literally the only walk in the airport behind the security/immigration like 50 times, was boring as hell, but we got around the fee and definitely didn't need the visa.
It's one reason why I haven't been back to S. America, because I'd transit Brasil/Argentina, but if I need a visa to get onboard, there are far too many places [as a US citizen] to visit that don't need a visa, so this area has just been crossed off entirely (luckily, I'm considering Chile now that I can get there without a visa)...
-jeremy