Brasil Waives Visa Requirement During Olympic Period

I would imagine the hotel rates to be sky high during that period. It is more cost effective to apply for a visa to enter Brazil after September 18, 2016 or before June 1st.

Tristan08 wrote:

I would imagine the hotel rates to be sky high during that period.

I have heard that it's almost impossible to find hotel accommodations for that period even now since they've been booked up long ago. Also many Rio residents have reserved hotel accommodations even as far north as here in Macaé (a 4 hour drive) so they can rent out their homes during the Olympics.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Agreed, unless one is an Olympic Games enthusiast travel to the city of Rio de Janeiro during the Olympic period ought to be avoided. While the Dollar to Real exchange rate will still be favorable to US travelers, expect to see price gouging on everything from accommodations to a glass of chopp. Tourist will also find themselves spending long periods delayed in traffic due to uncompleted infrastructure improvement projects and many commuter thoroughfares closed off and re-routed around Olympic venues.
However, Rio is not the only Brasil destination. And outside of the visa-waive period, getting to Brasil can typically be a hassle; US citizens have to make an appointment at their nearest Brazilian Consulate; arrive with a valid passport, extra photo, completed application, and copy of their round trip ticket, cough up the $ 160 fee; and return to that nearest consulate 10 working days later to pick up their passport with visa.
Brazil's economy is in a deep recession and an increase in travellers would provide a much needed financial boost. The Olympic period coincides with the northern hemisphere summer vacation travel period. Brazilian Tourism Minister Henrique Alves goal is for leisure travelers from the four countries (USA, Canada, Australia and Japan)) to increase by 20 percent. Brazil's visa policies are based on reciprocity, which in simplified terms is "A tit for a tat".
Perhaps the Olympic Period Visa Waiver is a face saving means of backing down from this stance, if only for a short-term with a wait and see attitude towards long term visa requirements for travel to Brasil.

Discriminatory brazilian event.

. What is discriminatory about it? It happens in every country at such event. Try going to London or Vancouver, Hong Kong, Dubai or any major city in the world at such a specific event and you will find that everyone will price gouge you there too. It is a matter of supply and demand. Just like James stated that most of Rio residents have reserved hotel rooms so they can rent out at higher prices to make extra cash on the side. Its better to visit after this event.

its discriminatory the same as choosing who will enter ur restaurant.

alicekfs wrote:

its discriminatory the same as choosing who will enter ur restaurant.

It's a matter of supply and demand.  Economics, not discrimination. 

Being a Brazilian myself I'm totally against the waving policy. Why making it easier for them to come here? If it was the other way around I very much doubt it the same would occur! If I want to visit any of those countries I must endure a lot of hassle, be branded as a potential illegal immigrant in order to secure a visa before travelling there, so it is only fair to apply the same principle, even during the olympics.

Marco2013 wrote:

Being a Brazilian myself I'm totally against the waving policy. Why making it easier for them to come here? If it was the other way around I very much doubt it the same would occur! If I want to visit any of those countries I must endure a lot of hassle, be branded as a potential illegal immigrant in order to secure a visa before travelling there, so it is only fair to apply the same principle, even during the olympics.

Marco, obviously you are completely unaware of the amount of "hassle" involved in obtaining a Brazilian visa. I can tell you from many years of advising members on the bureaucracy that it's certainly no easier here than anywhere else, quite the contrary. I could relate many incidents from my own personal experience here in Brazil and its convoluted processes that would make your hair stand on end.

Regarding Brazilians being hassled or "branded" as potential illegal aliens goes, why do you think that may be happening??? I'm sure if you put your wounded national pride aside you can understand that this is the direct result of the experience that these countries have with your fellow Brazilians that travel there. Citizens of MANY nations are given much more attention by Customs & Immigrations officials than those of other countries, for a number of very obvious reasons. Brazilians are not being singled out for special treatment.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

Completely unaware of the hassle in obtainng a Brazilian visa? Not me I have to say!. My brother in law is Spaniard and I am quite aware of the the process he's been going through to get a permission to live in Brazil. Sometimes he complains about the system but soon realises that Brazil applies the reciprocal principle. And believe me things must be this way, because if I wanted to live and work in Europe or Canada/USA I'd have to endure all the hassles that you say I'm not aware. In that case you would say you were not aware as they don't apply to you right?
In terms of Brazilians being "hassled or branded as potential immigrants", there are a lot of scumbags out there trying to take their shit with them which taint us with a very bad image, which I'm very aware of. But these scumbags are not particularly confined to Brazil trust me.
Obviously every country has the right to decide whoever they let into the land, but citzens from Latim America in general are portrayed as being very poor and desperate to leave the country they live because of many factors. But trust me James, a lot of educated people, that travels and are very aware of goes around in those so called developed nations would not trade Brazil for a life there. Money is not everything one look in life to be happy and content. There are a lot of people that wants this country called Brazil to progress and will fight for justice, believe!
I spent 12 years studying abroad and I know how green the grass in there trust me!

CHECK PLEASE.........
If tourist aren't lured to come to Brasil and spend dollars and yen during the period May-Sept. 2016 who do you think is going to end up paying for all of the cost of construction projects associated with hosting the Rio Olympics ?

CHECK PLEASE.........
If tourist aren't lured to come to Brasil and spend dollars and yen during the period May-Sept. 2016 who do you think is going to end up paying for all of the cost of construction projects associated with hosting the Rio Olympics ?
This is why it has been made easier for them to come here.........

There are numerous factors that result in Brazilians (or anyone else for that matter) being barred from entry into most countries. If a person fits into one or more of those then he/she is automatically going to be sent to secondary inspection upon arrival in any country. At that point they may or may not be refused entry to the country. The ultimate decision is ALWAYS made by the immigrations officer that they deal with in secondary.

The factors are:

1. The country of the traveler's origin (or trip origin) is a drug source country;

2.  The traveler has a history of very frequent, short trips that seem to have no explanation, and don't really seem to be explained as purely for the purpose of tourism;

3.  The traveler has no return/outbound ticket and/or itinerary;

4.  The traveler cannot demonstrate the immediate availability of sufficient funds to support himself or herself for the duration of their trip;

5.  The traveler has no fixed employment or has recently given up their employment back home;

6.  The traveler demonstrates an unusual level of nerveousness during examination;

7.  The traveler is young and travels alone (especially if female);

8.  The traveler has any previous problems with immigrations in any other country;

9.  The traveler has previous criminal convictions;

10.  The traveler has in his/her possession large sums of currency that would be more than necessary for their trip.

If one or more of those factors are present then the chance of being barred entry become very high.

I'm sure you're well aware that under the Visa Waiver Program that Brazilians do not require a (consular) visa to enter the UK or Schengen Area countries. Spain is one of those countries and more Brazilians are barred from entering Spain than almost any other EU country.

I learned Portuguese back in Vancouver, Canada before coming to Brazil and during that time entered into the Brazilian community both in Canada and the USA. I literally had hundreds of Brazilian friends. Through them I met more Brazilians that were illegally in both countries than you could possibly believe. Please don't tell me that the measures other countries use to keep drugs and/or illegal aliens out of their territory are unwarranted or in any way extreme. Anyone who is barred from entry almost always has been barred for a very valid reason. Should I be sympathetic to their cause, or think they've somehow been treated unfairly??? Fala sério!

If unusually high numbers of Brazilians are being barred from entry into other countries, that is simply because of the large number of your fellow countrymen who travel to other countries for illegal purposes, or to work without the proper documentation. Who is to blame for that... the country that bars them???

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

I have been present at many negotiations when the Gov, of Brazil tried to make the claim that Argentines enjoy a visa waiver, why not Brazilians.
The simple answer is that you simply overstay your authorize stay in the USA.  The numbers don't lie.  In addition, you have a thriving fraudulent document industry that your government refuses to address and eliminate.  Your fraudulent document industry is so sophisticated, that they provide coaching and makeovers.
You have two things that you practice that makes your argument untenable.  Corruption and illegal immigration.

Oh dear! Seems like we have some immigration officers around here lecturing how to improve the Brazilian legal system! God help us all?

Sure Many Brazilians stay for a while illegally in a foreign country , but they usually come back or are eventually absorbed into the mainstream where they are and function as productive memebers of society....the whole basis that the USA and many other supposed "First World" countries use is completely out dated. I'm sure there are loads of illegal EU citizens in the USA who did not need a visa to enter but somehow they are regarded as superior human beings.
The bottom line is the real bad guys , the crime big shots are going to find a way in and there's no way a visa policy will stop them.
Plus a USA visa is pretty easy to get these days , its just Expensive!

I'm glad Brazil has this reciprocity policy and I also don't think they should drop it for the Olympics and neither does any Brazilian I speak too. I need the same Visa Brazilians do for the USA and it's degrading to go through that , really makes you feel second class....of course the roles are reversed when you see what the Yanks have to go through at Igauzu falls border crossings just to see both sides.
I have never needed any Visa to enter Brazil and visa versa and the system works great . There are loads of Brazilians who try to stay in Cape Town South Africa , as they love it there , but they are usually a good class of people and even though they run into Visa issues when they try to settle , Brazilians are welcome and can enter the country freely. They also bring in a lot of money with their tourism and the Brazilians that have stayed usually work in Tourism with Brazil , bringing even more tourists and money.

Apparently there were discussion of Brazil being part of the US Visa Waiver Program starting from mid 2016.  There was even a press release about the same from the White House about this matter.  Am not sure if it will still happen but can't fault people for having "wishful thinking"

Hi stanza51,

Nope, that idea tanked quite some time ago. It died a slow and painful death for some pretty obvious reasons, and I think that after taking if off life supports there isn't any hope of reviving it any time soon.

There was also a great deal of talk about a Visa Waiver Agreement between Canada and Brazil too, that soon dwindled down to the point where a Canadian tourist visa would no longer be required for Brazilians who have already held a Canada Visit Visa within the past 10 years. Wonder why?

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

I guess with the South African visa for the USA , the States see's South Africa as a place with a lot of poor people and high potential for illegal immigration. But I can honestly tell you thats not the case
I've never met a poor person in South Africa who went to the USA to stay illegaly or who even made it there in the first place. These people just don't have the interest or the means , they want to stay near their families and also have no hope of affording an air ticket. The only South Africans I knew who went there and stayed illegal were well off Suburban kids from South Africa , who had British passports that they went there on anyway.....and all they did was work at waitering jobs to fund longer travel and then came home.
The US embassy in Cape Town has obviously clicked to this as they don't ask you anything anymore , it's easy to get the visa but you still have to go through the process and pay an exorbitant fee.
So it seems to have become not much more than a formality and Money making racket.

It's been proven that as restrictions are relaxed , it actually has the opposite effect , look at the liberal drugs policy in Portugal , or the easy border crossings at Foz do Iguazu ,the relaxed Mercosul policy, or the whole EU with its open borders  between the members....most people still ultimatley at the end of the day want to live in their own countries , close to their families.

Hi Mr. James

Good morning!

Many thanks for the reply, these are the links based on which I have made my previous comments

US:  https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-of … a-rousseff

This was released on June 30, 2015,  furthermore there is a bill that is in the process of being introduced called the JOLT act, which is basically stating the details that we had discussed however whether it passes or not is still up in the air.

For Canada yes you are right actually I forgot to mention earlier but even on the Canadian government's travel website this has been mentioned, they actually had stated it would be implemented by March 2016, I personally believe that the commitment deadline will be moved up, however I feel that as of now they will not cancel the proposal.  I am just giving my 2 cents based on this link

Canada:  http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department … ansion.asp

Whether any of these things happen or not is still up in the air but as of now there is still a chance that something better might be implemented. 

Lastly Trump all the way JK . Have a great weekend everyone

Hello,


FYI.  I am tentatively planning to go to some of the "CHEAP" Olympic games.  If anyone wants to go to the same games, please let me know.

I am interested in the volleyball in Copacabana, the basketball and gymnastic.  The cheap teickets for the opening and closing ceremony are NOT available at this time.

PLEASE if anyone has a negative comment about the Olympics, PLEASE do not tell me about it.  I know how to buy OFF to keep the mosquitos away and wear proper clothes.  I know how to go with little money, wear a cheap watch and go with other people to be safe.  I have been to New Orleans many times and know all about crime and hate.  I have had my ex-wife robbed at 2:00 PM in the afternoon walking down the sidewalk with our daughter in a very nice neighborhood in HOUSTON, TEXAS.  So Again, PLEASE take your negative comments and do NOT respond to my comment.  Many young people have worked for years to prepare for these games.  These young people come from all over to the world.  It may their first or only time to see Brasil.   I wish them well. I will go to support them and have a good time.

If you are interested, please contact me directly.  I prefer to do a Skype video.  This cost is zero!!!!!!!

LIP  = Live in Peace

John of Macae RJ, Brasil