Visas

Nerchist · #1 (**permalink**) 09-04-2010, 07:25 PM

Has anybody had experience of getting a work visa for Brazil? I´m currently on my second 90-day tourist visa, but want to stay longer. Any advice would be appreciated. What happens if you overstay your visa? I´ve heard that there´s an $8 charge for every day that you overstay. I´ve heard that this fine is capped at $100. Any of this true? Any problems returning to Brazil in the future if you overstay?

wombat · #2 (**permalink**) 09-13-2010, 10:54 PM

I am a longtime resident of brazil, an american, who has both had and lost visas, and have again regained mine via marriage. i heard that there is a fine of overstaying your visa, but also that you have the choice to pay it when you leave or pay it when you return- if you return.

a french guy that lives here, verified for me that he was fined, did not pay, on exit, and when he did return the fine was the same as he was told on leaving- that it did not increase while he was outside.

but everthing is subject to change in this country like the wind, or with whimsy, when some official decides otherwise- only way to stay that i know of is to get married when you are here, or invest a lot in property- aside from being on a student visa.
wombat

Nerchist · #3 (**permalink**) 09-16-2010, 07:40 AM

Thanks for the info, Womat. Much appreciated.

SteveH · #4 (**permalink**) 09-17-2010, 04:35 PM

What are the odds that an employer will help you (me) get a work visa? Assuming I'm a great but young employee.

wombat · #5 (**permalink**) 09-17-2010, 08:45 PM

I don't have a good answer for that. If it will cost the employer money, offering to hire you instead of a brasilian, he will probably not do it, from what I know. when my tourist visa was about to expire and i was working for instituto cultural in porto allegre, they wrote a nice letter offering me employment,(if i had the proper visa) but the rest was up to me to get a visa. if someone is hired here for a salario minimum, currently 510 reals, the employer must pay that once again each month in taxes and fees to the government.
if there are qualified brasilians to do the job, it seems not probable the gov will give visas to gringos to work. but each case different- you need some jeitinho, which in their language is a little help, but from a person who has some influence in high places.

Nerchist · #6 (**permalink**) 09-19-2010, 08:05 PM

Thanks again, Wombat. Some further information I`ve received from other sources...

A company has to pay you a salary equivalent to what you would earn back in your home country (easy enough to get around that one, a letter on any company`s headed paper would sort that out), but the big problem is that you have to apply for a visa from your your own country, and only after having lived there for 12 months, to be considered. This applies to all types of visas, even investor visas, should you have US$50,000 to spare...

wombat · #7 (**permalink**) 09-19-2010, 10:02 PM

One might wonder it is really worthwhile to try to live full-time in Brazil? If you could stay 6 months here every year, like the Canadian snowbirds who come to the US, maybe that would be enough? there are many freedoms here and an easy laid back informal life style, but even I wonder if it is really worth it.
I know of Brits and Americans in Bahia who have gained there residency from investments, but most of the gringos i know, have gotten it from marriage.
Thus, all this being said, how can you manage to stay here longer? I dont know, and i personally, dont think it is worthwhile to marry to get a visa to stay in Brazil. but only my opinion...