Brazlian Visa

As long as you have return tickets booked for a flight prior to the expiry date of the visa and actually have entitlement to days (haven't used up all of the 180 days in the previous year) there should be no problems. They only get concerned if one's passport isn't valid for at least 6 months beyond one's arrival date.

I don't even know if the Consulado-Geral do Brasil will even issue a new visa before the expiry date of an existing visa. You could check with them to find out if they can issue a new visa and cancel the existing one. That would guarantee that there would be no unpleasant surprises.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

I have a student visa. The validity date is not written on it. But the duration of stay, as written on it, is 3 months. After the arrival, I went to the federal police office. They stamped my passport and gave me a RNE number. they also told me that if u want to extend your visa then come again before one month of expiration. So i went to ploce office again. They  just checked my passport and RNE number. The validity date of my RNE number is 8 Jan 2015. They told me that you have to come in September. They did not stamped my passport again. I did not submitted any fee for extention. SO will it be a mistake of police? My duration of stay is 3 months but my RNE is valid till 8th January 2015. So What does it mean? Have i no need to extend my visa? plz explain!!!!!!!! I want to remain here in Brazil for more than one year. Thanks!!!!

The RNE has nothing whatsoever to do with your VISA or the length of your stay. Are you sure you're not talking about your protocolo number?

If they told you to come back in September then that's what you need to do.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

But my visa is expiring after one month. First of all, federal POLICE  told me they have to come in March for extension of your visa. Now, they checked my passport and RNE number (may be protocol number that is RNE=V990----B with my photo and parents name). Its validity date is 8 January 2015. So they again  told me that u h to come in September. They did not extend my visa. They just decided on my RNE (or protocol ) number´s validity. My visa will be expired on 8 pril as it has 3 months of stay of duration.

Are RNE (or protocol) and visa renewed differently?

They're two completely different things. The protocolo is the slip of paper with your photograph that the Policia Federal give you when you've applied for your visa or other documents. The RNE is just a number that they assign you when you register.

So the police gave me the document with my photo and RNE number. Its validity date is 8 Jan 2015. My visa will be expired after one month. How can I apply for its renewal? They told me u must come on September. Why? Thanks for ur reply.

They told you to come back in September to renew your VISA. Also, if there is anything noted on the protocolo under PRAZO or Entrega Previsto (usually it will say 180 dias [from the date of your application]) then you also have to go back to the Federal Police before that date too, in order to get the protocolo stamped with a extension (prorrogação).

My protocol has the following information;
My name
RNE No
Parents´ Name
Date of Birth
Sex
My Native City where I was born
Data Entrada do Requerimento =27/01/2014
Nationality
Validade= Ate 08/01/2015
Assinatura do funcionario= Stamp and signature of police
Tipo de Pedido= Registro visto Temporario
Prorrogacao= (it is blank/empty)
Assinatura do Portador= My signature
My Picture

But my visa will be expired at 8th April. They did not renew my visa. They just observed my protocol validity date that is 08/01/2015 and told me that come on September. For the first time when I visited the police office, they had told me to come in March. Now they changed their statement.

Everything is fine with your protocolo, you are legal in the country until January 8, 2015. You have to go back in September as instructed by the Federal Police in order to "extend or renew" your visa which is only TEMPORARY. Apart from that you only need to return to the Federal Police and inform them officially should you change address. This must be done within 30 days of any move.

Nothing on your protocolo to worry about, just go back in September like the told you!

I m very thankful for your cooperation. For the first time, when I received my visa in Pakistan, you guided me. Special thanks!!!!
But one of my friend from Africa says that Police did not understand your case. They just observed your protocol and decided about your visa. According to him, visa and protocol have different validity times and both will be renewed on different time. Your protocol is valid till 8th Jan 2015 but your visa is going to be expired in April and you have to renew it in this month. So I have confusion.

When I want to go back to Pakistan, the police of airport will check my passport or my protocol? My passport has no visa renewal stamp.

Your protocolo is your visa. They will look at both your passport and the protocolo. Even though the visa stamp in your passport may be expired, what is superior to this is the protocolo. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Like it was told by a student from Peru. He said your RNE number would be checked by the police of airport. But FP did not stamp my RNE number on my passport. I also did not submit any fee for visa or protocolo renewal/extension.  My pass pasport has three stamps;
Second Stamp;
o pedido de prorrogacao de prazo temporario devera ser apresentado ate 30 dias antes do termino do prazo

Third Stamp;
o estrangeiro registrado e obrigado a comunicar ao ministerio da justica a mudanca do seu domicilio ou residencia no prazo de 30 dias apos a mudanca

I guess you are not understanding what I have told you. The protocolo you have substitutes and is superior to any stamp in your passport. The date shown on your protocolo is the date until which your stay in Brazil is legal. Regardless of anything that is in your passport the protocolo is legal proof that you've entered into a process. Your visa stay in Brazil is valid until Jan. 8, 2015. You do not need to do anything else until September when they have told you to return. The only other thing would be if you should move, then you must report to the Federal Police within 30 days of the move. I can't tell you anything more than I already have told you, if you choose not to believe me there is nothing more I can do. Are you going to spend the rest of your time in Brazil worrying over NOTHING to the point where you're not going to be able to do anything else????

Ok, Thanks!!!!!!!!
Actually I was afraid of police´s detention. Thanks again!!

I can attest to the fact that re-entering Brasil on a protocolo is not a problem. I have done it many times while waiting for a new CIE, etc. However, you may have some convincing to do when person at the airline checkin in another country wants to see your visa and you produce something that is tantamount to an amateurish-looking piece of paper with a stamp on it. Be prepared to explain. Airlines are touchy about Brasilian documentation because there is a heavy fine for an airline that sends a passenger to Brasil without checking for proper documents.

Hi toolio,

Exactly, there is no problem re-entering Brazil with a protocolo.

Regarding the airlines, they routinely overstep any authority they have regarding checking documents. It is not within their authority nor do they have any legal standing to question documents that are presented. If one has a valid passport and a protocolo, no matter how amateurish it may look, their business is to sell airfares and transport passengers, it is the sole responsibility of immigrations authorities to determine the validity of documents.

I've dealt with many members who have been denied passage because of airlines' confusion about visas, protocolos, etc., the problem is that in most cases when they do this without reason or authority the passengers rarely ever take legal action against the offending airline. Brazilian airlines are no different in this respect either. I remember one domestic flight where a boarding agent wouldn't accept a certified photocopy of my passport and my original Brazilian Marriage Certificate and CPF until I informed her in no uncertain terms that I knew all my legal rights, that I wasn't required to produce a passport on a domestic flight and that my Marriage Certificate and CPF were all she needed in order to "identify" me as a passenger for a domestic flight. Still she refused to back down until I asked someone to go to the airport Federal Police delegacy and bring back an agent so I could make a formal police complaint upon which I was fully prepared to base a civil action against the airline seeking damages. That ended all resistance and I was allowed to board my flight without any further delay.

The problem is that too many people don't know exactly what their legal rights are, much less how to demand that those rights be respected. As a result, there are lots of low level functionaries that think they're all powerful and abuse any authority that they may have.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team