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Brazil does not like being pushed around by the US. When the US makes its visas more expensive and onerous, seemingly a quarterly ritual, Brazil is one of a number of countries that retaliate on US citizen visa applicants with corresponding visa or reciprocity fees( for non-visa countries).
The Rapid Traveler cannot fault any of them for defending their dignity. None yet has made the process as awful as applying for a US visa, and many of these countries issue visas for the life of the passport, and some ten years AND transferable to a new passport. He has paid thousands in visa fees so the chance to save even $20 on the Brazil visa for his upcoming trip is a small comfort.
On May 2 visas to Brazil for US citizens will increase by $20, a tourist visa, multiple-entry, typically valid for ten years will then cost $160. Get your application in their hands on May 1 and still pay $140. Make sure to get the correct amount of US Postal Service money order, other money order not accepted.
The line this morning in New York was not too long and lightning fast. Before they could ask questions the application was gone and the visa officer had called the next person. Pickup on Thursday.
Reader poll: what visa was hardest for The Rapid Traveler to obtain (two months and many phones calls and faxes) and then on arrival immigration officials scanned all ten of his fingerprints in a special screening area?
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[…] American it helps that I have a U.S. passport because many countries just waive me through. But it can also be a liability since the U.S. makes it difficult for many other nationalities to visit. Reciprocity fees imposed […]
Supply and demand. The majority of the people who enter the US are there to work. The high demand requires additional personnel and a stronger filtering process. The majority of people from first world countries entering less developed countries are there either for tourism or for volunteering. Increasing the fees due to an increased demand is reasonable. Increasing the fees and discouraging/alienating people based on where they were born is discriminatory and has a negative effect on the economy of your country. Don’t think that it makes a difference? Today I refused to enter Argentina to spend a lot of… Read more »
I find the Visa Application process to Brazil most irritating because their web site in the U.S. stinks and it only works with Google Chrome. Further, most of the time, the web site itself is non functional. The e-mail addresses to their Consulates do not work. I get my e-mails to Houston returned as undeliverable although I used the address given.
If Brazil is expecting visitors from the U. S. for World Cup and Olympics, they have to shape up quite a bit.
@Sabastian – I agree, and unfortunately many countries similarly have poor websites and diplomatic missions do not respond to email or answer phones. I just went through the Saudi Arabia process, their phone system says they will not answer any questions available on their website and then provides no ability to talk to anyone without knowing the extension. And then there is the application website…
@Rapid Travel Chai: Sounds like a certain Islamic Republic…
@ORD-TGU: No visa needed if you are a U.S. citizen
ORD-TGU, Ukraine has been Visa Free for 90 day tourist VISAs with the US, many former Soviet countries and almost all EU countries since at least 2005/2006. Further even before that the invitation letter requirement was very easy to do unless you are trying to stay with a local.
The Ukrainian part of the Eurocup is going to be boycotted because of the supposed human rights violations of the jailed former prime minister Tymoshenko and not due to visa issues.
Right now it’s much harder for a US citixen to get to Brazil or Russia then Ukraine.
cpngrat to the brazilians, at least them make us citizen feel the same as us feel to come in the us … maybee one day europe and france will do the same, at that point we might be treated as human by us immigratin officer … well one can dream right ?
@xavier, I agree, it is justified and I am embarrassed at how the US treats visitors.
@ORD-TGU — I went to Kiev last year and did not need an invitation letter.
@ORD-TGU, yikes, I hope it works. Many of the former Soviet Republics are pain, at least the Caucasus three worked on arrival, but the five ‘stans, that was a hassle that I had to outsource as they really do not like when you apply outside of your home country (I was working in China).
Ukraine, need invitation letter, still in the middle of that process and media states eurocup will be cancelled đ