So Carnival is coming up, and what better way to celebrate in South America than in Rio de Janeiro! My friends and I are leaving for a week in Rio to see the sites and attend Sambadrome!
But as American citizens, we have to get a visa. Well, luckily there is a Brazilian embassy in Lima who can handle all of your visa needs, and they were so nice!!
The Brazilian Embassy was definitely one of the nicest Embassies I’ve ever been to. I had to get my passport back a few days after I submitted it because I was traveling back to the States on a last-minute work conference, so I called them and they basically processed my visa in 3 days flat.
Here’s their website: http://www.perubrasil.com/system/embajadabrasil/default_on.asp
Getting to the Embassy
The Brazilian Embassy is on Jose Pardo 850 in Miraflores. I just got off the Metropolitano at Ricardo Palma and walked over.
Get there by 8am; line forms early. They will have you sign your name and passport number, then give you a ticket and wait. It was pretty fast; whole process start to finish took about 30 mins total, and I got there 5 mins before 8am and was the 2nd person in line.
**Have everything ready before you go, but if you forget to make some copies, there are plenty of copy places right off Pardo, a few blocks from the Embassy.
All the documents (and I mean ALL the documents)
1. Fill out online application (usually after you have booked your lodging cuz they ask for a contact in Brazil).
Find the link here…ps, it will say the security for the site is not correct. Click through anyways.
***Print out the page afterwards. It will have a square in the middle for your visa photo. Sign and date it the day you go to the Embassy. The contact information is for your hotel/contact in Brazil, not you.
2. 1 3″x4″ color photo with white background…ask for the “carnet” size. The application link has a pdf with examples. This photo goes on the printed sheet after you fill out the online application, but they have glue at the Embassy.
3. Copy of your return tix to Brazil (I also brought a copy of my hotel information in Rio)
4. Copy of a valid work contract/agreement from your home country (Katie, I sent them my Fogarty award letter)
5. Copy of your bank statement for the last 3 months (oh yes…you can black out your important information)
6. Front and back photocopy of a credit card (not joking…again, black out your important information)
7. Statement for the last 3 months of that said credit card (black out information)
8. BEFORE you go to the Embassy, pay $160 USD to BBVA Continental (any branch). Ask for the “visa turistica para viajar a Brasil”. The beneficiary should be “La Embajada de Brasil”
You will get a small square sheet of paper; that is your receipt that you put with your application
9. And of course, your passport (original, not a copy.) Don’t need to bring the Lima Exit Immigration card
The Aftermath
You get a piece of paper, usually you can get the visa within 5 business days (but to be safe, leave between 2 wks – 4 wks). Oh, you can ONLY submit your paperwork between 8am-12pm M-F, and ONLY pick up the visa 3-4pm M-F at the Embassy. Nice thing is you can check online for status, and you go there when all the lights are lit “bright red” under “STATUS” of the visa on the page.
That’s it! Apart from the huge packet of stuff, it’s not a bad process at all.
Happy travels! Bom dia!
"Almost 1 year" in Peru 