U.S. citizens travelling to Brasil

February 01, 2008

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Brazil, a nation the size of the lower 48 United States, has an advanced developing economy. Facilities for tourism are excellent in the major cities, but vary in quality in remote areas. The capital is Brasilia. Read the Department of State Background Notes on Brazil for additional information.

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: A passport and visa are required for U.S. citizens traveling to Brazil for any purpose. Brazilian visas must be obtained in advance from the Brazilian Embassy or consulate nearest to the traveler's place of residence. There are no "airport visas" and immigration authorities will refuse entry to Brazil to anyone not possessing a valid visa. All Brazilian visas, regardless of the length of validity, must initially be used within 90 days of the issuance date or will no longer be valid. Americans reentering Brazil must be able to show an entry stamp in their passport proving that the visa was issued within 90 days; otherwise they will not be allowed reentry. Immigration authorities will not allow entry into Brazil without a valid visa. The U.S. Government cannot assist travelers who arrive in Brazil without proper documentation.

Travelers are reminded that they are subject to local law. Showing contempt to a Brazilian government official at the port of entry, or elsewhere, is a serious offense. (Fines for such offenses are based on the offender’s claimed income.)

Additionally, travelers who have recently visited certain countries, including most other Latin American countries (check Brazilian Embassy website linked below), may be required to present an inoculation card indicating they had a yellow fever inoculation or they may not be allowed to board the plane or enter the country. Minors (under 18) traveling alone, with one parent or with a third party, must present written authorization by the absent parent(s) or legal guardian specifically granting permission to travel alone, with one parent, or with a third party. The authorization (in Portuguese) must be notarized and then authenticated by the Brazilian Embassy or Consulate.

For current entry and customs requirements for Brazil, travelers may contact the Brazilian Embassy at 3009 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone 1-202-238-2828, e-mail consular@brasilemb.org; web site at http://www.brasilemb.org। Travelers may also contact the Brazilian consulates in Boston, Houston, Miami, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. Addresses, phone numbers, web and e-mail addresses, and jurisdictions of these consulates may be found at the Brazilian Embassy web site.

Rio de Janeiro: Avenida Presidente Wilson 147, telephone 011-55-21- 3823-2022, after-hours 011-55-21- 3823-2029; web site at http://www.embaixada-americana.org.br/index.php?itemmenu=83&submenu=107&action=rio.php. Consular Section public hours are 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (passports and reports of birth by appointment) and 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (notary services), Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, except Brazilian and U.S. holidays. Non-emergency passports and reports of appointments should be done by appointment; please request at acsrio@state.gov.

Brazil, a lifestyle

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Brazil, a lifestyle

For a long time now, Brazil’s natural beauty and Carnival rendered it international fame, attracting thousands of tourists all year long. The number of foreigners visiting the country went from an average of 1.5 million per year in the 1990s to more than 4 million visitors per year from the year 2000 on, according to Embratur’s (Brazilian Tourism Institute) Statistical Yearbook for 2003. But there is a very special attraction that you only discover when you come here: the Brazilian people. Much beyond the breathtaking scenery, the way these people live surprises everyone with its simplicity, willingness, hope, hospitality and happiness.

Studies carried out by Enbratur indicate that 75% of the tourists who seek Brazil as their vacation destination do so first of all because of the natural beauty. But once they arrive here, they find such hospitality that they soon become enchanted with the mixture of colors, races and cultures of the people as well.

According to surveys, when foreign tourists are questioned about Brazil, they indicate happiness as the main characteristic of our people. Happiness that can be perceived in every moment they stay in the country – whether in our music, the warmth of our northeastern beaches, the lively Rio de Janeiro nightlife or the exuberant Amazon.

From this warm and festive spirit, popular displays such as Carnival, New Year’s Eve celebrations and June Parties arise, all famous for their liveliness and joy. It seems that the people’s desire to show what is good about Brazil transforms this vigor into creativity, flashed about in contagious colors and sounds.

Research carried out with international tourists who have already had the opportunity to know Brazil reveal that the visitor truly finds the country to be beautiful. The results also show that 52% of this public goes back home valorizing yet another aspect of this land: its people. After all, besides appreciating some of the most beautiful spots on the planet – including countless beaches, ecological paradises and historical cities – the visitor is always accompanied by people who are willing to show the best points of every excursion, making the trip unforgettable.

Samba City

Samba City

Samba City is the latest tourist attraction in Rio de Janeiro, occupying an area of 114.000 sq. meters, built in the port district by the City Hall, at Rua Rivadávia Corrêa 60, Gamboa, a district neighboring downtown.


There is a reason for this choice of location for the thematic city, since it is here, considered to be “Sacred Ground”, that the Carioca samba was born.

The triangle, which includes the districts of Saúde, Santo Cristo and Gamboa has a great concentration of the City´s popular culture, notably the personalities and entities, linked to the Carioca Carnaval.

The design of Samba City forms a geometrical figure, with factories surrounding the main square. They seem like parts of a group, linking hands, forming a large circle. It is as if the world of the samba were embracing its ancestors, who were around here during the 17th and 18th centuries, bringing the art of African dance and music, to be incorporated today to Brazilian cultural traditions.

The thematic city will transform Samba School activities into a permanent practice. More than a tourist attraction, Samba City has become a production center of genuine Brazilian art.

THE FACTORIES OF SAMBA

. gates measuring 10m wide by 7.5m high allow the passage of the allegoric floats fully assembled.

. Sewing ateliers, hat fashioning room, adornment room and the workshops for polystyrene and fiber glass modeling are located on the highest floor of 2.700m²

. A cargo elevator services all four stories.

. The 12m high ceiling ( void ) assure that the allegories can be assembled in their real size.

. From an outside sidewalk, the visitor will go through all factories, watching the allegories construction from an 8m high balcony.

PERMANENT CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

There are varied activities at the Samba City. Please call the phones: (21) 2213-2503 or (21) 2213-2546
www.cidadedosambarj.com.br.

Paquetá Island

An invitation to tranquility only a few minutes from downtown Rio



A few minutes from the busy metropolis, right in the heart of Guanabara Bay, Paquetá is a gift to cariocas. A tropical island that attracts national and international tourists, it is a perfect natural setting for romance, strolls and fun. Paquetá is indeed a special place to visit beginning with the pleasant journey on a ferry, catamaran or hydroplane across the Bay, with the sea breeze for company. On landing, the visitor will find no traffic of motorized vehicles on the island where bicycles and horse-drawn carriages move on the gravel of streets lined with colorful flamboyant. The streets take up only 10,9 km² of the total area, so the island is noise and pollution free.





Ever-present nature characterizes the place. Paquetá has the 20 only Brazilian baobabs – an African tree that residents call “Maria Gorda” (Fat Mary). Another typical tree is flamboyant, some of the specimens being 100 years old. The name of the island is a Tupi (Brazilian Indian language) word meaning “many shells”, due to the vast quantities that can be found on the beaches of calm and inviting waters. Excursions to Pedra da Moreninha (Moreninha Rock) and Parque Darke de Mattos (Darke de Mattos Park) should not be missed. The park was totally revitalized recently, the re-urbanization works having been carried out by Rio City Hall. In the late afternoon, there is nothing better than watching the sunset. On Morro da Cruz (Hill of the Cross) there is a belvedere that is also a must as it gives a partially panoramic view of the island.







Since 1883 Paquetá has been part of Rio de Janeiro municipality. From the graveled streets one is able to observe buildings of various architectural styles, including the Mansion where D. João VI stayed, and the house that belonged to José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, the patriarch of independence.

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Endereço: Paquetá
Visitação: Ferries and hydroplanes: departure from Praça XV de Novembro.

what´s good in the tropical country

Very few tourist destinations can offer such varied options as Brazil. Its natural beauties, the enormous popular festivities and the countless protected environmental reserves are valuable attractions that astound the foreign tourist when it comes time to choose a vacation destination. Everyone has already heard about Rio de Janeiro, Carnival, the Amazon or the country’s paradisiacal beaches.

Recent surveys carried out by Embratur (Brazilian Tourism Institute) show that the most sought after Brazilian location is Rio de Janeiro. Also called the Marvelous City, this capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro has some breathtaking scenery and is also home to the largest popular festivity in the world: Carnival. The grandiose celebration, which gathers thousand of merrymakers every year to dance and watch the Samba School parades, attracts a significant number of foreign visitors to the grandstands and box seats that line the Marquês de Sapucaí Avenue.

Carnival is also present in the schedules of several other Brazilian cities, attracting the interest of a great many foreigners who visit Brazil. São Paulo follows Rio’s example, and it too puts on some lively Samba School parades; in Pernambuco, the merrymakers in Olinda and Recife, who dance in the streets in costumes, following music groups on floats and maracatus, and carrying the famous gigantic dolls from the region are the ones who stand out; in Salvador, capital of Bahia, the fun is provided by trios elétricos, mobile stages that pull thousands of people along behind them to the sound of the axé music from Bahia until sunrise.

The country’s beautiful beaches and natural wonders also call people’s attention and attract 35% of the tourists, according to surveys carried out by Embratur. With a coastline that extends more than seven thousand kilometers, Brazil has the privilege of being able to offer several leisure options in this segment. Among the most visited beaches in the country, we have the famous beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, along the Rio de Janeiro coast; Joaquina, in the south of the country, famous for holding national and international surf championships; Praia do Forte, along the north coast of Bahia, headquarters for the Tamar Project for the preservation of sea turtles; and the wonderful beaches in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago.

And one cannot forget about Ecotourism, the segment that has attracted most new followers over the past few years. According to data from the Ecotourism Society, average annual growth has been between 10% and 15%. Those interested in this type of traveling total 5% of the entire world tourist flow, or approximately 35 million people. And Brazil is one of the destinations with greatest potential in this segment, since it has one of the world icons for ecology and biodiversity: the Amazon, located in the north of the country, with around 5.5 million square kilometers. It is estimated that the forests alone in the Amazon region have 60% of all life forms on the planet – more than half of which are still unknown to science.

More in rio...Modern Art Museum

Inaugurated in 1958, the Modern Art Museum has a very unusual history. It has a privileged location on Flamengo Park alongside Guanabara Bay, close to downtown. After a disastrous fire in 1978, hundreds of people all over the world flocked to rebuild this cultural treasure, helping repair the building (130 meters x 25 meters) and replace its collections. It currently houses some 11,000 works including paintings, sculptures and engravings by Brazilian and foreign artists, in addition to a specialized art library and a well-known cinemathèque that is among the most popular in town.

CHRIST STATUE, BRAZIL´S WONDER OF THE WORLD

Christ Redeemer, symbol of the City of Rio de Janeiro, is one of the 7 New Wonders of the Modern World, through the voting carried out on the Internet and through cell phone messages, organized by the New 7 Wonders Foundation, of Switzerland, amongst 21 participating monuments around the globe. The carioca [original from the city of Rio de Janeiro] postal card standing 38 meters high, had its corner stone established in 1922 and its opening on October 12th, 1931, being the only Brazilian wonder, besides important other wonders also elected such as the Great Wall of China (between 200 BC and 1500 AD); the Hellenist temple of Petra, in Jordan (9 BC to 40 AD); Machu Pichu in Peru (15th Century); Rome’s Coliseum in Italy (70 AD to 82 AD); Taj Mahal in India (1630 to 1652) and the temple of the Maya civilization Chichén Itzá in Mexico (435 AD to 455 AD). The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt received the title of hors-concours, for being the only wonder (2500 BC) remaining from the ancient world.

The choice was well deserved. From its 38 meter of height – and 710 meters of the Corcovado Hill - , the Christ is the image of the carioca people faith and sympathy and celebrates, in 2007, 76 years of existence. Since May 2000, when it received new lighting, the monument and its accesses have been enduring a revitalization process. The high point was the opening of the mechanized access in 2002, with panoramic elevators and escalators. Thus, there is no longer the need to climb 220 steps of stairs that lead to the statue’s feet.

The Christ Redeemer counts now on three panoramic elevators, each one capable of taking 14 people. The access is through an area that assists both the visitors that arrive by car and the visitors that come from the Railroad platform of the Corcovado station. Metallic footbridges were also built, sustained by another structure with approximately four meters wide and four escalators, with traffic capacity of 9 thousand people per hour. The trip starts there, for the tower, with 31 meters in height, will uncover the first view of the city. To complete the access to the statue, four escalators were installed.

And even before reaching the Christ, the visitors may already get to know a bit of the post card’s history. The Cosme Velho Station, entirely revitalized, was turned into a modern and comfortable leisure and entertainment venue. A new boarding area was built, besides tourism support stores, VIP room and an auditorium. The main highlight is the Cultural Room, where the entire history of the Railroad and the Christ Monument is told.