Entry Requirements & Customs

Entry Requirements

For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov.

Visas -- Nationals of the United States, Canada, and Australia require a visa to visit Brazil. British nationals (and holders of an E.U. passport) and New Zealand passport holders do not require a visa, but do need a passport valid for at least 6 months and a return ticket. A number of visa types are available; cost, processing time, and documentation requirements vary. American citizens pay US$100 for a standard single-entry tourist visa that is valid for 90 days (add another US$10 for handling fees, passport photos, and courier costs if you don't live near a consulate). Count on at least 2 weeks of processing time. For Canadians a similar visa costs C$72 and takes about the same processing time. Visas for Australians cost A$90, plus local handling fees, and again take about 2 weeks to process.

Upon arrival in Brazil, visitors will receive a 90-day entry stamp in their passport and a stamped entry card. Hang on to the card for dear life, as losing it will result in a possible fine and a certain major hassle when you leave. If necessary, the visa can be renewed once for another 90 days. Visa renewals are obtained through the local Policia Federal. This is best done in large cities where the staff has experience with tourists.

For more information regarding visas and to obtain application details, contact the Brazilian consulate in New York (tel. 917/777-7777; www.brazilny.org); Los Angeles (tel. 323/651-2664; www.brazilian-consulate.org); or Miami (tel. 305/285-6200; www.brazilmiami.org). Links will connect you to the consulate closest to you. Canadians can apply through Toronto's Brazilian consulate (tel. 416/922-2503; www.consbrastoronto.org). In the U.K., more information is available at www.brazil.org.uk. Australians can log on to www.brazil.org.au, and in New Zealand inquiries can be made in Wellington at 04/473-3516 or check www.brazil.org.nz.

Don't Leave Home without a Picture ID--Bring an alternative picture ID, like a driver's license or student ID. You are required to carry ID in Brazil, and it's sometimes requested when entering office buildings or even tourist sites.

Customs

What You Can Bring In -- As a visitor you are unlikely to be scrutinized very closely by Brazilian customs; however, there are random checks, and your luggage may be thoroughly inspected. Visitors are allowed to bring in whatever they need for personal use on their trip, including electronics such as a camera and laptop. If you are bringing in new electronic items you may be asked to register the item to ensure that you will take it with you when you leave. Gifts purchased abroad worth more than US$500 must be declared. Merchandise for sale or samples should also be declared upon arrival.

What You Can Take Home -- Returning U.S. citizens who have been away for at least 48 hours are allowed to bring back, once every 30 days, US$800 worth of merchandise duty-free. You'll be charged a flat rate of 4% duty on the next US$1,000 worth of purchases. Be sure to have receipts handy. On mailed gifts, the duty-free limit is US$200.

To avoid paying duty on foreign-made personal items you owned before your trip, bring along a bill of sale, insurance policy, jeweler's appraisal, or receipts of purchase. Or you can register items that can be readily identified by a permanently affixed serial number or marking -- think laptop computers, cameras, and CD players -- with Customs before you leave. Take the items to the nearest Customs office or register them with Customs at the airport from which you're departing. You'll receive, at no cost, a Certificate of Registration, which allows duty-free entry for the life of the item.

With few exceptions, you cannot bring fresh foodstuffs into the United States; canned food is allowed. For details, contact Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667) to request the free pamphlet Know Before You Go. On the Web go to www.cbp.gov then click on "Traveler Information," and "Know Before You Go."

For a clear summary of Canadian rules, call for the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca). Canada allows its citizens a yearly C$750 exemption, including one carton of cigarettes, one can of tobacco, 40 imperial ounces of liquor, and 50 cigars. In addition, you're allowed to mail gifts to Canada valued at less than C$60 (one per day), provided they're unsolicited and don't contain alcohol or tobacco (write on the package "Unsolicited gift, under $60 value"). All valuables should be declared on the Y-38 form before departure from Canada, including serial numbers of valuables you already own, such as cameras. Note: The $750 exemption can only be used after an absence of 7 days.

U.K. citizens returning from a non-E.U. country have a customs allowance of: 200 cigarettes; 50 cigars; 250 grams of smoking tobacco; 2 liters of still table wine; 1 liter of spirits or strong liqueurs (over 22% volume); 2 liters of fortified wine, sparkling wine or other liqueurs; 60cc (ml) perfume; 250cc (ml) of toilet water; and £145 worth of all other goods, including gifts and souvenirs. People under 17 cannot have the tobacco or alcohol allowance. For more information, contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (from outside the U.K., 020/8929-0152), or consult their website at www.hmce.gov.uk.

The duty-free allowance in Australia is A$400 or, for those under 18, A$200. Citizens can bring in 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of loose tobacco, and 1,125 milliliters of alcohol. If you're returning with valuables you already own, such as foreign-made cameras, you should file form B263. A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.

The duty-free allowance for New Zealand is NZ$700. Citizens over 17 can bring in 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco (or a mixture of all three if their combined weight doesn't exceed 250g); plus 4.5 liters of wine and beer, or 1.125 liters of liquor. New Zealand currency does not carry import or export restrictions. Fill out a certificate of export, listing the valuables you are taking out of the country; that way, you can bring them back without paying duty. Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786; www.customs.govt.nz).

Begin the Trip with Duty-Free Shopping--In Brazil you're allowed to spend up to US$500 in the duty-free shop upon arrival. In the airport just follow the signs after immigration and before going through Customs. Prices in these duty-free shops are much cheaper than you'll find in Brazil itself. Note that the generous import allowance only counts for goods purchased in the Brazilian duty-free shop upon arrival. Yes, they want your dollars . . .