Brazil visas not being issued anywhere due to technical difficulties?
 

Does anyone know more about the technical difficulties the country of Brazil is experiencing issuing VISAs of any type?

I just got back from the Chicago consulate and they told me they aren't taking them via any method, in person, by mail, by agency, etc., in any locations.

I had noticed a technical error "delay" posted on their site about two weeks ago but that cleared and there was a new note saying so on Friday, and now Monday they issued an outright cancellation notice to stop taking requests for them.

Does anyone know if this is normal for the country and/or how long it might last?

Their entire VISA system seems like a real mess compared to other countries. Their web sites are all overly complicated with 30 pages to dig through, etc.

It's looking like we will have to cancel my trip unless it's resolved in the next two days and even then that would be assuming they had it fixed and weren't backlogged. :/

Wonder how this conversation is going to go w/ the airline... argh.

Anyone know how often this happens?

here is their posting:

Not sure exactly what is going on (but see below).

I do know that I have never had a problem getting a visa, and have had several over the years. Always been a simple, straightforward process.

From what I've been reading today, it might have something to do with this news and the old/tired issue of reciprocity:
"A Federal Judge in São Paulo ordered the US consulates to stop sending passports with visas through DHL, as sending of documents by any other means than using the Correios is illegal considering correios have a state monopoly. "
http://espaco-vital.jusbrasil.com.br...-visto-dos-eua
(use Google translate to read)

Other than that, they (civil servants-Consualte staff) had been on strike for awhile, but I thought that had ended a few weeks ago.

The Consulate sites all used to say not to pay for your flight until you got your visa, but the wording of "itinerary" might be taken to mean a paid ticket and not simply a printout of a tentative/planned booking.

Thanks... Interesting about the judge ordering them to stop using DHL.... I guess that is indeed a technical difficulty if the consulate can't actually send or receive the passport. of course if we were updated to the year 2012 they could not have to physically ship... but alas.

the next catch 22 is there's no actual way to get a VISA right now... but i haven't been denied one either. The airline agreement likely says I have to be actually denied a VISA in order to get a rebooking... ugh. we booked as a 1K through United, but it's on Copa. Will they proactively issue a waiver? that would be nice. nothing can be that easy though, can it...

Can't get Visa either
 

I don't leave until Nov 17th. I am hoping they can get it cleared ASAP so that you can all go on your trips. Could this have anything to do with Sandy and everything going on in DC?

I also am flying United and booked through Onetravel.com

K

Kyle, Vida's link above explains it and seems to be the likely culprit (http://tinyurl.com/9f59x34 is the same link w/ English translation embedded). The Consulate's notice is dated just following this judge's ruling.

A Brazilian (is that actually "Brasilian") judge ruled that their consulates could not ship passports back and forth via DHL that they were using and only could rely on the monopolized Brazilian mail system to do so.

And if your passport was already sent in, you'd be doubly screwed as they can't return it w/ DHL either.

This is a political issue that sounds like it's been brewing (I keep hearing references to "reciprocity" which refers to how we treat Brazilians getting VISAs)... I wonder if this is a political move that they're hoping will tidy relations up with the US prior to the Olympics beginning. I've read they have applied for exemption status w/ the USA but that's pending, which if went through would make this all moot. I have to wonder if this activist judge did this to force that hand. But we're talking things that might not be resolved for a year+, so either way it's going to impact their tourism economy.

@dddane-
Please note this issue has nothing to do with your visa, which does not go to Brazil, and is issued at a Brazilian Consulate in the U.S.
It has to do with the U.S. State Department shipping documents within Brazil.

"The Federal Court of Sao Paulo suspended the delivery of passports with U.S. visa in Brazil. The injunction was granted in favor of the Post Office, alleging that the companies contracted by the U.S. State Department to provide the service would be breaking the monopoly of the state in the delivery of this type of document."

So it seems, the way I read the notice, that until the U.S. decides to use the Brazilian national mail system to send documents, the Brazilian government isn't going toisse visas to U.S. passport holders.

And "they" don't care a fig if it impacts their tourist industry.

Oh. I get it now. it's reciprocity over supporting a the monopoly in Brazil.

why would they not care if they lose tourists over this? please elaborate? Are they running some sort of super-economy that's been immune to the down-turn?

united canceled the tickets for us and they're refunding (not crediting!) the $$ once they get them the statement saved from the consulate site saying they aren't issuing visas

This from the Vancouver consulate webpage:
30/10/2012 Important notice:
As a result of technical problems on the part of the mint in Brazil "Casa de Moeda" related to the production of technical material for passports, visas.....

I am on my tablet and cannot open the rest , link does not work.
Anyway, appears related to the issue.

Yes, the problem is related to the production of passport pages and official stamps; most consulates are unable to issue neither visas nor new passports, as well as any certifications.

Brazilians who asked for new passports abroad are being issued an one-way "Autorização para Retorno ao Brasil" and being told to ask for their passports while in Brazil.

Not a word yet as to how this will affect the emission of passports by the "Polícia Federal", instead of the consulates, but I presume it will be affected also.

As people are saying, "Imagina na Copa" :D

The consulate in Los Angeles has posted the following notice:

"Due to a technical problem, this Consulate-General will temporarily decrease the rate of issuance of visas. If your trip is not urgent and you do not wish to leave your passport for the required processing time, we suggest submitting your request later. Service will be back to normal as soon as possible. Please check this page regularly for updated information."

This seems to imply that some visas may still be issued. Perhaps some consulates still have some of the materials needed for passports and visas in stock and may continue to issue some visas.

What "technical materials" are required to affix my visa photo to a page in my U.S. passport and stamp it? Did they run out of "official" ink for the stamp pad? :rolleyes:

You are VERY lucky to get a refund imho!

SF Consulate has my passport!
 

Does anyone know if the SF consulate will continue processing passports they already have accepted? I submitted mine a day before the email went out. I'm supposed to pick it up Nov. 9 (and travel to Brazil a week later), but now I'm nervous and haven't heard from them.

Sounds like the LA consulate still is processing, but any word from SF?

First reference I've seen on this in the news (in Portuguese only):

http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/defeito...terior-6614408

Above news article is on passports only; for non-brazilians applying for visas, the problem appears to be with a stamp, even if it seems a little strange that the stamps had a RFID chip embedded.

Additional Information: a second reference says that security stamps used to validate visas were also affected

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidia...-em-chip.shtml

(please note that on this second reference, there is someone saying that, while they have no firm date yet when everything will be corrected, he is sure that "all must be OK! before Christmas"