Tourist Visa Stays in Brazil - 180 days per year maximum

Yes it would, since you are now entitled to only the 84 day stay (90 days with exceptional luck) which could not be extended. Should you wait for 90 days before your return then you would be entitled to the 90 day initial stay, which could be extended by a further 90 so you could have a total of 180 consecutive days.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Thanks very much for that;it has cleared this up for me

  Nick.

Hello James,

you are doing a great job here and Im very confident that you can help me with my issue aswell Unfortunately Im still confused about my case.

I am from Germany, so for me counts the 90 in a 180 days period.

My first ever arrival in Brazil was on 27th October 2011. Since then I have been to Brazil multiple times. My last trip was from 23rd Ocober 2015 untill 8th January 2016. My question is on which date I will be able to fly back to Brazil when I want to stay for 2-3 month.

My calculation would be:

27th october (not 23rd, since on 27th starts "my year", right?) - 8th January =  73 days.
That would mean I have 17 days left in the 180 day period from 27th oct.- 24th April.

Can I only come back on 24th of April if I intend to stay for 2-3 month or could I come back allready on 7th of April (24th - 17 days left) and from there stay up to 90 days?

Also would it be possible to come back on 7th of April, stay for 17 days, then leave the country for 1 day and come back for 90 days?
In this case there would be a 180 day period where I was more than 90 days in the country. I guess the question is do they count 180 days back or they just look at your own 180 day period from the date you arrived the first time in Brazil.

I hope I could explain my question clearly, but its all a bit confusing

Thanks in advance! Alex

Hello Alex,

Wow, so many question, but I'll try and answer the ones I can...

1. October 27, 2016.

2. April 24th??? Can't answer that one because the Federal Police themselves don't really understand how the system works, so it will depend on the individual officer at the point of entry, and if he/she uses their computer to do the calculation. If the officer knows the drill and the computer system is working then you'll get 17 days. If the computer isn't working who knows what will happen? There are 3 possibilities: 1. You may be turned back; 2. You may get 17 days; 3. You may get 90 days (don't count on this one though). Too risky that you'll just get turned back by some officer who doesn't know the drill.

3. No, here the immigrations authorities treat VWP and Schengen Area stays just as they're treated by USCIS in the USA, the clock keeps running on the stay even though you leave the country for a short visit to a neighboring country.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Thanks for the quick response!

April 24th would be 180 days after October 27th. On that day I should be able to get into Brazil for sure, right? At least by their regulations.

On April 7th I was 90 days out of the country. But that doesnt mean that I can get back in for sure?

On which date do you think I can for sure get into Brazil and get the 90 days?

Thanks

Alex

April 24th you will get 90 days, since that is based on your first ever entry. If you entered on April 7th. you would get 90 days if you have any remaining days from the previous 6 month cycle. That said, it all depends on the Federal Police Agent (or civilian contracted employee) knowing exactly how the system works.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Hi James,

Thanks for answering all these questions, it's very informative. I'm from the EU (NL) and planning to stay in Brazil for six months. However, I read on this thread that Schengen waiver thingies are not extended anymore. Would it, however, be possible for me to apply for an actual tourist visa (VITUR), and then extend that in Brazil? Also, regarding the flight itinerary that you have to provide them with, can the return flight be scheduled between 90 and 180 days after arrival, or does it have to be within 90 days? And can it depart from any Brazilian city, or does it have to depart from the same city where you arrived? The thing is that I'm planning on arriving in Salvador, followed by a long journey over land and water through the Amazon and the east, and then most likely leaving from Rio again. Moreover, is it absolutely necessary to have this round trip ticket or is it also possible to tell them that you're leaving over land (which I might do)? I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Joris

Hi Joris,

I don't even know if it is possible for a citizen of the Netherlands to apply for a VITUR visa. I think that it is quite likely that the Consulado-Geral would just tell you that you don't require one because of the Schengen Area Agreement and leave it at that.

I think that your best bet, if you're planning on a six month stay, would be to enroll in a qualifying course and apply for a VITEM-IV Student Visa.

Regarding your outbound ticket, it must be for no more than 90 days from your arrival date. I don't think there is any requirement that it be from the same place as your point of entry. I have never heard of anything like that before. There is no requirement that it be a return ticket, just an outbound ticket to some country you already have a visa for or are permitted to enter without a visa under an existing VWP.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Hi James,

Thanks for your quick reply! Wow, that's a pity, so in a way it's actually a disadvantage to be from the Schengen area haha. However, I read about the trick where you cross the border just before the 90 days run out and then get another 90 days upon re-entry if you're lucky. I was wondering if there's a chance that you're not allowed back in, even though you're still within the 90 day limit, due to a miscalculation or something like that?

Cheers,

Joris

You likely wouldn't be allowed an additional 90 days unless the DPF officer was drunk. The wording of the Schengen Area Agreement is very clear on that, one is permitted to be in Brazil for only 3 months in any 6 month period.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Ah that's unfortunate. Do you know if the repercussions of overstaying the waiver are more serious than those for overstaying a tourist visa?

Cheers,

Joris

Hi James,
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! I am a bit confused by some things I'm reading though.

First, my situation:
I'm a 23yo Belgian, currently staying in southern Brazil for 127 days as a regular tourist, and am today up to my 69th day. So because I'm from the EU I need to get out within the next 21 days, and in principle wouldn't be allowed back in for the remaining 37 days before my (booked) return flight. (I've stayed in Brazil in 2015 as well with a student visa for 5 months, of which 37 days were within a year before my arrival this year. However, I understand this type of visa is a whole different thing and would not affect my current stay in any way)

I was relying on the crossing-the-border trick explained above by Joris ATh which worked for a friend of mine last year. I was sorry to read your reply "You likely wouldn't be allowed an additional 90 days unless the DPF officer was drunk." In a 2014 post though, you said "In most cases if the bearer of a Schengen country passport returns to Brazil shortly following a 3 month stay the Federal Police do not deny entry (although they can do so should they wish to)." So what's your final advice?

And if it's all a matter of luck in the end, where do you think I'd be most lucky? I'm thinking that getting out by car or bus would be better than by plane, because in small border towns with Uruguay the officers are less likely to have good training/knowledge/connection to the system than in airports, and if I get denied I can still try my luck in the next little town.

Thanks in advance!!
Geoff

Hi all, Geoff's post sparked my interest again. I'm currently in Brazil on a 7-month student visa. Geoff, is it indeed true that a tourist visa (EU waiver) and a student visa are treated as completely separate from one another? And would that mean that, just before my student visa expires, I can cross the border and come back for another 3 months on a regular tourist visa? Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hi Joris,
I said that because it's what I gathered from this forum, but I don't actually have a clue (I was kind of stating it like a question myself).

On another note and for all who are in the same situation, I can now answer my own question above because I went and found out for myself. Verdict: no worries at all! At least at the border between Brazil and Uruguay at Chuí/Chuy, which is the most relaxed ever. If you go by bus, you have to explicitly ask the driver to stop at the customs for you to do the paperwork, otherwise he just drives along and nobody even cares. They don't check luggage, car, anything. At the customs re-entering Brazil, the officer thought for a little bit while looking at my stamps, mumbled "ah, I'll give this guys another visa", and off we went.

A little confusing.Does it means that if you 180 days ,you have to wait another 365 days before being allowed for another 180 days?
  This would mean you could only spend 6 months every year and a half,not every year,right?

hello everyone, 
  a friend of mine from Philippines needs a help, we was married to a Brazilian for 3 years now, one month ago, he applied for naturalization to become a Brazilian citizen, few days ago, he had a problem with the wife and the wife asked for divorce, so now they are on divorce process. His question is that.
1. will he loose his naturalization process to become a Brazilian when they divorce?
2, he bought a new apartment base on installment for 5 years, will he loose the apartment too?
3, will his loose his permanent resident permit in Brasil? 

please help us with the answer please.

Thank you.

I think he should consult a lawyer in this case. Since expatriates might not have the legal expertise to answer this question.  But possibly someone more familiar with Brazilian law  might post on here.