Brazil with Permanent Residency

[GuilleGee]

Good afternoon all,

Quick question as I am currently looking at flight options to NYC, and one of the cheaper options is with TAM, but with a layover in Brazil. I was wondering if I will have to get any special permission to do a flight layover in Brazil as a US citizen, or if I can just go and present my DNI and no problem.

This question is also applicable because I will be headed to Iguazu later this month, and want to know if I will be able to cross the border into Brazil. I believe I have read that DNI extranjeros are no different from normal DNI's and allow you to travel into bordering countries, but just wanted to confirm. Thanks!

 

[Napoleon]

I think that you're totally kosh if you go and have an Argentine DNI.

Don't know for sure, but that's what I've understood through the years.

 

[sesamosinsal]

I don't think a DNI is enough. I believe you'd have to be an Argentine citizen.

Edited to Add: As far as I am aware, U.S. citizens do not need a special visa to transit in Brazil. In other words, you can fly into the country for a layover if you do not pass through customs.

 

[2GuysInPM]

If you're doing a layover, you should be fine as long as you don't try to exit through customs and leave the airport while in Brazil. I know of someone who did this a couple of years ago (layover in Brazil from US; no Brazil visa), but do check with the airline in case things have changed.

If you plan to visit Iguazu, and you are a CITIZEN of a country that Brazil requires visas from (e.g., USA), then a DNI will not suffice. You will still need to get a Visa to go in. Visas are based on citizenship, not residency.

...I believe I have read that DNI extranjeros are no different from normal DNI's and allow you to travel into bordering countries, but just wanted to confirm. Thanks!

You can use your DNI to travel to Mercosur countries that don't require a Visa based on your nationality. For example, if you are a USA citizen you can go to Uruguay with just your DNI (no passport needed) since they don't require entry visas from US citizens. This may vary country by country, so it is best to check before leaving.

 

[elclandestino]

Argentine permanent DNI = no visa! A Serbian friend, married to an Argentine guy goes to Brazil that way and Serbian citizens do need a visa for Brazil

 

[2GuysInPM]

@elclandestino: What you say is not uncommon, and we've heard those stories here on this board as well, but it does not mean it's legal. Entering brazil w/o a visa, or just an AR foreigner DNI, was very easy to do in years past, and it probably still is at some of the border crossings. But getting caught at a place like Foz do Iguazu without a visa is not unheard of either, (as a friend who works as a remis driver there told me), and the fines can be quite high. I don't know about your Serbian friend, perhaps the marriage thing, or being Serbian gives him special access, but for US citizens at least, it seems pretty clear.

On a few occasions (while applying for a visa); I've also asked at the local Brazilian consulate about just using my permanent DNI to go to Brazil w/o a visa and the answer was always the same; Visa is required for US citizens regardless of Argentine residency or DNI. I think I even emailed them about it once and posted their response here or on another board (can't recall). But anyways, they now have it posted on their web site: Visa Information for Resident Foreigners in Argentina. Notice the list of countries for which its citizens must get a visa and also that the original DNI (and photocopy) is requested as part of the documentation for AR residents applying for the visa.

 

[citygirl]

Transit in Brasil en route to US- no visa required for Brasil. Note however the transit really should be LESS than 8 hours, in order to avoid any issues. (A friend of mine got reprimanded while stuck on a crazy long layover in Brasil on route to see me as it exceeded the allowed layover w/out a visa. No repercussions but they did chastise her)

 

[Sleuth]

This question is also applicable because I will be headed to Iguazu later this month, and want to know if I will be able to cross the border into Brazil. I believe I have read that DNI extranjeros are no different from normal DNI's and allow you to travel into bordering countries, but just wanted to confirm. Thanks!

As a US citizen, you will need a visa to cross into Brazil at Iguazu, even with a DNI. The good thing is that you can get a visa in Iguazu processed in a couple of hours. A friend just did this and was given a 10 year visa there, which is great because when I went all they were giving was 90 day visas.