"Love me all the way to Rio...."
Friday I am off to Rio de Janeiro! I will be posting about Brazil all week (and next week), but first things first - the planning. We considered going to Buenos Aires or Rio, I tracked tickets for a couple months and Rio was quite a bit more expensive. I was hoping they would come down as I knew this would be our last "affordable" time to go to Rio since they are hosting the World Cup and the Olympics in the coming years. One day I got the email that Rio prices had dropped, and BOOM - tickets booked. One thing I already knew is that Brazil is a country in which you not only need a passport, but also a Visa, to visit.
Something I did not realize is the cost of a Visa is around $300 per person (if you do not live near a US consulate, which I do not). I had to go to the US consulate website, find the consulate that covered my area (Houston), and then compile all necessary documentation.
This includes:
Now the cost about only shows $180.00, so where does the other $120 come from? This comes from the fee you have to pay the agency to mail your documents to the US Consulate. An individual cannot mail all of their documents directly to the consulate (the website clearly states they will be thrown away). So after some running around to gather all necessary documents (maybe a urine sample, vile of blood just to offer up some bonus items), I was finally able to mail them off. I was told it takes appx 7 - 10 business days to get your Visa's, in my case it was the full 10. The only thing sent back was the passports with the page flagged where the Visa is located. Not the easiest (or cheapest) process I've ever gone through for traveling, but I have a feeling it'll be worth it.
Something I did not realize is the cost of a Visa is around $300 per person (if you do not live near a US consulate, which I do not). I had to go to the US consulate website, find the consulate that covered my area (Houston), and then compile all necessary documentation.
This includes:
- Passport with 2 blank pages next to one another
- Current passport photo
- Copy of your drivers license front and back - notarized
- Copy of flight confirmation (showing the date/time you land in Brazil)
- Filling out an online form, submitting, and printing the confirmation letter
- A money order in the amount of $180.00 from the USPS only (there are a few exceptions that change the cost but this is generally what you can expect to pay)
Now the cost about only shows $180.00, so where does the other $120 come from? This comes from the fee you have to pay the agency to mail your documents to the US Consulate. An individual cannot mail all of their documents directly to the consulate (the website clearly states they will be thrown away). So after some running around to gather all necessary documents (maybe a urine sample, vile of blood just to offer up some bonus items), I was finally able to mail them off. I was told it takes appx 7 - 10 business days to get your Visa's, in my case it was the full 10. The only thing sent back was the passports with the page flagged where the Visa is located. Not the easiest (or cheapest) process I've ever gone through for traveling, but I have a feeling it'll be worth it.