Brazil Business Visa for Indian Citizens/Passport Holders – Full Process

The beauty of working for a multi-national company is that you get the opportunity to travel the world. I was lucky to be asked by my manager to travel to Brazil. The first thing that came to my mind was what are the visa requirements for Brazil. Unfortunately, Indian passport holders need to go through visa process for majority of the western countries…hope someday it changes…

Background Research Online for Visa Process : As a first step, I tried to research online for the Brazil embassy website to get the details. The funny thing is that, Brazil embassy website is not ranked well on Google and you get into third party service providers who provide guidance and charge you money for that. The fact is that you do NOT need any agent help to get your visa done. One of the key things you need to do is make sure you check the official website of Brazil Embassy. The brazil embassy website does not end with a .com , it ends with .br and also the language on the site is Portuguese and you will need to select English on the top or use Google Translate in Chrome to understand the info.

Process to apply for Brazil Business Visa for Indian Passport Holders : 
Brazil Business visa was one of the simplest visa process in my view for Indians. I applied for Business visa at Brazil embassy in Singapore.  Brazil embassy calls this visa as “TEMPORARY BUSINESS VISA (VITEM II)”. Below is the document checklist

• Step 1 : Get Passport Size Photos : You need passport size photos (two) for the visa. You will need a digital copy of the same as you will need to apply online.
• Step 2 – Fill Application Online :  The application form online is very straight forward and you will the below information when you fill it online at Brazil Visa Online System . You may get a not secure warning by browser for the site, just ignore and proceed. Also, select English on the top, otherwise, you will see it all in Portuguese.
  • You will need information of your mother, father and their date of birth when you fill the application. It is mandatory.
  • You will need a digital copy of your passport photo and signature to upload online when you fill the application.
  • Also, if you want to save and continue later as you do not have details, you need to carefully take a note of the application Retrieval Code that displays when you hit save button. This is very important, if you do not have it, you will have hard time. You will not get any email or anything, so note it down, so that you can use it later.
  • There is also an expiration date for the online application, means that you should apply for visa before the expiration date.
• Step 3 : Print Application Receipt Confirmation : At the end of the application process, you will get your application receipt with a bunch of bar codes and your details with box to paste photo, you need to print a physical copy of the same and carry it along with you when you visit the embassy.
• Step 4 : Travel Itinerary for Flights to Brazil : You need to carry a copy of the confirmed travel itinerary of Brazil to the embassy. You can talk to your travel agent and get travel itinerary with confirmed reservation and print that email. You can print the email or directly the itinerary on their website and carry the same). Usually travel agencies like BCD Travel, etc. or your company’s agent can give you confirmed itinerary, you do not need to actually buy the ticket. It is like a confirmed reservation.
• Step 5 : Employment Letter : You need to get your current employment letter from your current Company/ Employer and it has to be original with letter head and signed in wet ink ( normal pen, no scanned signature or signature stamp) by the authorized person.
  • It should indicate that the company will pay for your entire trip and cover all your expenses during the trip
  • It should include your salary
  • It should include details of your passport and duration of travel.
  • It should be original on company letter head signed in wet ink ( means signed by real pen, no digital signatures ) by the authorized person like HR or Finance.
  • You can use my Sample Template of Brazil Visa Company Letter
• Step 6 : Pay Visa Fee online : In Singapore, you should pay the visa fee online, they do not accept cash at embassy. It is $120 SGD. You need to either go to bank or transfer money online to their UOB account. Make sure your print and carry the confirmation of the fee that was paid. This is required as proof.
• Step 7 : Visit Brazil Embassy with Documents : You will need to carry all the relevant documents listed below and go to Brazil embassy. No need to take appointment.
  • Application Receipt with bar code
  • Passport Photos
  • Visa fee payment confirmation
  • Employer Letter signed and original
  • Confirmed Travel Itinerary
  • Original Passport
• Visa Experience at Brazil Embassy : At least in Singapore, it is a very small office, once you enter, take the token from the machine ( you will have no one at reception), wait for the visa officer to call you. It can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the load. Once you are called, you submit the documents and sign. You will get a small confirmation receipt from the Visa officer. It takes one day for processing. You go to Brazil embassy next day between 10:30 and 12 Noon to pick up your passport stamped with Visa. The visa will be on full page and usually for Indians, you will get 3 years of Business Visa.

Applying from Other Countries like India :  Depending on the country you live in, the requirements can change. You may be asked for invitation letter, company documents like CNPJ number (tax registration code), address and telephone number of the Brazilian company,  etc. So, it is always best to check with the Brazil embassy page for your country/ location to be more clear. Also, the processing times can vary. You can check New Delhi Brazil Embassy Website Visa Requirements  for details

Overall, it is one the seamless experiences and fastest I had for visa processing. The visa officer was friendly and process was very simple. One of the best visa processing experiences I had.

How was your Brazil Visa experience ?

References : Official Brazil Embassy Site Business Visa Requirements 

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