BRASIL - How can one renew/extend a tourist visa?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:09 pm

Hello gang..

I´m a UK citizen and have been in Brasil for 1 month on a tourist visa. I still have 2 more months left before my 90 days are up. This would take me up to around 10/01/2023. The problem is that my sister will arrive in Brasil at the end of February 2023 and we plan to spend a month together before she departs again. This is where my problem lies - how should I play the system in order to stay more than 3 months? From what I can tell there are 3 options:

Apply for a visa extension. This would seem the most logical although I understand that I would need to wait until I only have 1 month remaining. In December I hope to travel to Bahia and I´m concerned that I might be cutting it fine/my travels my complicate the process. Furthermore, I spoke to someone yesterday who works in a Consulate and they said that extensions are not given.
Leave before my 3 months is up and re-enter. I would be happy to do this but I´ve been warned that Immigration would still count my previous time in Brasil and simply state that once 90 days has been passed (including my previous stay in Brasil) then I would be staying illegally and begin to accumulate the daily fine of R$100. On the other hand, I know this works in other countries and I can´t see why things would be so strict in Brasil.....
Stay illegally. I don´t even really want to entertain this idea as it seems the most risky and shortsighted. I would have little argument against a hefty fine and could risk losing access to Brasil in the future.

Thoughts?? Does anyone have recent any experience with the above?

Gracias de antemano ..

Dani · Post by **Dani** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:10 pm

I prefer the term "irregular" to "illegal". It is not a crime to overstay your visa in the same way that running a red light or littering is not a crime but rather an infraction. You pay your fine and you're good to go. You won't risk future access to Brazil unless you don't pay the fine. Attitudes to immigration are not the same as back home because Brazil is not flooded daily with immigrants trying to get in to stay permanently and "steal" jobs from the locals. They know you're here totravel around, spend your money, contribute to the economy and will eventually leave.

Dani · Post by **Dani** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:10 pm

I prefer the term "irregular" to "illegal". It is not a crime to overstay your visa in the same way that running a red light or littering is not a crime but rather an infraction. You pay your fine and you're good to go. You won't risk future access to Brazil unless you don't pay the fine. Attitudes to immigration are not the same as back home because Brazil is not flooded daily with immigrants trying to get in to stay permanently and "steal" jobs from the locals. They know you're here totravel around, spend your money, contribute to the economy and will eventually leave.

Karen · Post by **Karen** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:10 pm

Some countries restart the clock when you re-enter. Many do not, they have a certain time frame within a certain period of time and that’s that. Perhaps find out if it’s 90 days in a calendar year, in which case if you leave and reenter in 2023 you’ll get 90 more days or if it’s 90 days within a 365 days period.

Otherwise apply for the extension. You might also ask for advice in an expat in Brazil Facebook group, I’ve found a lot of those groups extremely helpful with less common things such as this

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:10 pm

Ask the Brazilian consulate for advice

Batman · Post by **Batman** » Sun Jan 01, 2023 3:39 pm