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What to Pack : Visa/Passport Info : Application : FAQ
Instructions on How to Apply for a Brazilian Visa (For Instructions Regarding Your U.S. Passport, please see below)
NOTE: In order to allow adequate processing time, you must send in your
visa application 2 months before your departure date.
DO NOT SEND EARLIER THAN 3 MONTHS, BECAUSE YOU MUST TRAVEL WITHIN 90 DAYS OF THE DATE YOUR
VISA
IS ISSUED. Please read and follow all of these instructions carefully. Failure to
do so could result in the Brazilian Consulate rejecting your visa
application
and/or
sending
your
materials back to you. If any of these instructions are unclear to you, please call us
at 706-353-1546 so that we can help you. Section
I: Preparations Before Sending In For Your Visa 1) Do you have a valid passport? (mark one answer) £Yes £ No - If No, see the Instructions Regarding Your Passport on pages 19-21. - If Yes, please keep reading. 2) Do you have a passport sized photo to include with your visa application? £Yes £ No - If No, go get a set of passport pictures taken. You may do this at most U.S. Post Offices and many drug stores (i.e. CVS Pharmacy). A PHOTO TAKEN WITH YOUR OWN CAMERA IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Your photo must be: i. 2x2 inches in size ii. Taken within the past 6 months, showing your current appearance iii. In color (in other words, no black & white photograph) iv. Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background v. Taken in normal street attire vi. Taken without wearing a hat or something that will obscure your hair or hairline vii. NOTE: If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture. - If Yes, then get this picture and keep reading. 3)
You must purchase
a $110 money order from the nearest 4) Find the Visa Application included in this application packet. Then do the following: -
Complete all of the highlighted sections on the visa
application (NOTE: DO NOT use
the words "missionary," "church," "mission trip,"
"mission," "Christian," etc. at any time on your visa
application. - Attach your passport photo to the application in the indicated section - Sign and date the application in the indicated section -
Double check all dates and make sure to fill in the
correct arrival and departure dates, as well as the number of days you
will actually be in - If you have any questions about all of this, please call us at 706-353-1546. 5) Contact our office for a copy of their plane ticket to send off with your visa form. 6) Are you under the age of 18? £Yes £ No - If No, then keep reading. - If Yes, are you traveling with BOTH of your parents or legal guardians? £Yes £ No i. If Yes, then continue on to #7. ii. If No, then you must do the following: 1. You will need a NOTARIZED letter of consent that is signed by BOTH parents. Address this letter to "Dear Consulate General." In this letter, DO NOT mention that you will be doing any mission work. Indicate that the reason for your visit is tourism. If you need help or have any questions, please call us at 706-353-1546. 2. If your parents are divorced, then you will need a letter from BOTH parents. 3. If one of your parents is deceased, then you must provide a copy of the death certificate. 4. If you have a legal guardian, then you must provide proof of guardianship. 7) Once you have everything together, make copies of everything you are sending. It is crucial to have these copies for your records in case something happens to your original materials. Section
II: Sending Everything In to the Brazilian Consulate NOTE: In order to allow adequate processing time, you must send in your
visa application 2 months before your departure date.
DO NOT SEND EARLIER THAN 3 MONTHS, BECAUSE YOU MUST TRAVEL WITHIN 90 DAYS OF THE DATE IT IS ISSUED. 1) First of all, make sure that you have signed both your Passport and your visa application. Otherwise, the Brazilian Consulate will not accept your application for a visa. 2) Then make sure you have ALL of the following materials ready to send in (check them off): £ Your valid U.S. Passport (NOTE: You must send your passport in with all the other required materials) £ Your completed Visa Application (with the requested 2x2 passport-sized photo) £ A $110 money order made out to the Consulate General of Brazil £ A copy of your plane ticket £ If under 18, a notarized letter of consent from BOTH of your parents. £ A prepaid and preaddressed return EXPRESS MAIL envelope. You can pick this envelope and address form up at any U.S. Post Office. NOTE: Make sure to write down the return Express Mail tracking number. You will need this in case something happens to your original materials. 3) Once you have everything ready, take everything to the nearest U.S. Post Office and mail it EXPRESS MAIL to the Brazilian Consulate in your region. (The address should be included in your application packet. If not, please call us at 706-353-1546, and we can give it to you.) 4) NOTE: Once you receive your Brazilian visa back in the mail, please call us at 706-353-1546 to let us know. Also, make a copy of your visa for your records.
Instructions Regarding Your U.S. Passport
In order to go to
If you already have a valid
passport, please see Section I for instructions.
If you do not have a valid
passport already, then you must apply for a new passport immediately. If you have a passport, but it
expires within 6 months of the day you arrive back in the If you are under the age of 14 and
you are applying for a new passport, you must follow a different
procedure. Please call us at 706-353-1546 so we can guide you through
this process. NOTE: Please call our offices at
706-353-1546 as soon as you get your passport. Or if you already have
a valid passport, please call to let us know that as well. Section
I: If You Already Have a Valid Passport 1) If you already have a valid U.S. Passport, please make sure that it expires more than 6 months from the date your return from your missions trip. If it expires earlier than that, you will need to apply for a passport renewal (see Section III below). 2) Also, make sure that you have signed your passport on the first page. If not, please sign it now. Section
II: Applying for a New Passport (For applicants over 14 years of age) 1) First you must complete the official Passport application (Passport Form DS-11). A copy is included in this application packet. If you wish to fill it out online, you may download it at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html. 2)
You will need to obtain Proof of US Citizenship. You
will send this in with your passport application. Acceptable forms of
certified -
A certified birth certificate issued by the city,
county, or state (NOTE: A certified birth certificate has a
registrar's raised, embossed, impressed, or multicolored seal on it.
It also has the registrar's signature and the date the certificate
was filed with the registrar's office. A copy of this certificate or
any birth certificate without the raised seal on it will not be
accepted.) - A previous U.S. Passport (mutilated, altered, or damaged passports are not accepted) - A Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth - Naturalization Certificate - Certificate of Citizenship - If you do not have a previous U.S. Passport or a certified birth certificate, you will need: i. A Letter of No Record (issued by the State with your name, date of birth, which years were searched for a birth record, and indicating that there is no birth certificate on file for you) ii. AND as many of the following as possible: baptismal certificate, hospital birth certificate, census record, early school record, family Bible record, doctor's record of post-natal care (NOTE: these documents must be early public records showing the date and place of birth, preferably within the first five years of life). 3) You will also need to obtain a Current Proof of Identity. You will also send this in with your passport. Acceptable forms of Proven Identity include: - A previous U.S. Passport - Naturalization Certificate - Certificate of Citizenship - Current Driver's License (that is still valid) - Government ID (city, state, or federal) - Military ID (military and dependents) - NOTE: Your Social Security Card does NOT prove your identity. - If none of these are available, you will need: i. Some signature documents, not acceptable alone as ID (i.e. your Social Security card, credit card, bank card, library card, etc.)
ii.
A person who can vouch for you. He/she must: have known
you for at least 2 years, be a 4) You will also need to provide them with two passport photos. YOU MAY NOT TAKE THE PICTURE YOURSELF. You may get passport sized photos made for you at places like: most U.S. Post Offices, many drug stores (i.e. CVS Pharmacy). Your photographs must be: - 2x2 inches in size - Identical - Taken within the past 6 months, showing your current appearance - In color (in other words, no black & white photograph) - Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background - Taken in normal street attire - Taken without wearing a hat or something that will obscure your hair or hairline - NOTE: If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture. 5) You will need to pay a Passport Fee. If you are 16 years of age or older, your total fee is $97. If you are under age 16, your total fee is $82. To pay, you may use one of the following methods: - Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) - Debit/Check Card (not ATM cards) - Check, money order, or bank draft - NOTE: You may expedite your passport for a $60 Expedite Fee, plus the costs of overnight delivery by mail. You need to arrange the overnight delivery for both ways. 6) After you have all these materials together, make copies of all of them. Then mail them to the Passport Agency nearest you. We strongly recommend mailing via either FedEx or U.S. Priority Next Day Mail. You may get the address for the nearest Passport Agency by either asking at your local U.S. Post Office or looking online at http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/. Mail in a padded envelope. Include a prepaid overnight return envelope in with your package. 7) It should take approximately 6 weeks for you to get your passport back if you used the regular service. If you paid to have yours expedited, then you should receive it within two weeks. Section
III: Renewing Your Passport 1) You are eligible to apply for a passport renewal by mail if: - You already have a passport that is not damaged, AND - Your passport was issued within the past 15 years, AND - You were at least age 16 when it was issued, AND - You still have the same name as you had in that passport (or you can legally document your name change) - IF YOU MEET ALL THESE REQUIREMENTS, READ ON. IF NOT, YOU MUST APPLY FOR A NEW PASSPORT (see Section II above). 2) First you must complete the official Passport application (Passport Renewal Form DS-82). You may download it at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html. If you are unable to do this, please call us at 706-353-1546, and we can mail you a copy of the official form. 3)
Along with your completed DS-82 form, please include the
following in the package you mail to the -
Your most recent - Two identical passport photographs (for specifications, see Section II, #4 above) - A $67 Passport Renewal Fee - NOTE: You may expedite your passport for a $60 Expedite Fee, plus the costs of overnight delivery by mail. You need to arrange the overnight delivery for both ways. - NOTE: If your name has changed since your passport was issued, then please enclose a certified copy of the legal document specifying your name change (i.e. marriage certificate, divorce decree, adoption decree, court order, etc.). No copies are acceptable. 4) Once you have all these materials together, please mail them in a padded envelope to: NOTE:
Include a prepaid overnight return envelope in with your package. NOTE: If you are using a delivery service that does not deliver to a Post Office box (i.e. FedEx), then send it to: Passport
Services - Lockbox ATTN:
Passport Supervisor 371971 5) It should take approximately 6 weeks for you to get your passport back if you used the regular service. If you paid to have yours expedited, then you should receive it within two weeks.
NOTE: AGAIN, PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICES AT 706-353-1546 AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE YOUR PASSPORT.
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