Transport in Brazil on an Expired Tourist Visa

Sounds like you got helpful Federal Police, count yourself lucky,

Overstaying is R$8,28 a day,

wjwoodward has a good write up on overstaying. I would suggest reading it all.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=251580

I'd imagine flying domestically in Brazil isn't a problem on an expired visa. I don't remember ever seeing them check my visa when I fly. But take my word for it. I'm guessing somebody else has a more solid answer

No, even for domestic flights in Brazil they want identification so in your case it will be your passport, and domestic or not they're probably going to look at your visa. Then they are required to call the Federal Police (who have a Delegacia in every airport).

You can travel anywhere in Brazil by interstate bus, you are required to present identification to the driver, but they will never look at your visa page and certainly you'll have no problems there.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, EB Experts Team

Isn't the normal tourist visa 180 days (90 plus permission for another 90)?  Anyway, one thing I would not do is drive in Brazil with an expired visa.  Your foreign driver's license is not valid here, unless your visa is also valid.  The police will take you into custody if you get stopped at a checkpoint on the road, and if there is no other licensed driver, will take the car too.  I was stopped once, and had my driver's license, but not my (valid) visa with me.  It took a lot of begging and emailing the valid visa by a friend, not to be taken into custody.

Hello Xandre,

It appears that the OP does not have a "Consular Visa" (i.e. paper visa inserted in one's passport by the Consulado-Geral do Brasil) but rather has entered on a Visa Waiver Program visit, and thus a stamp in his passport.

VWP and Schengen Area Agreement visits to Brazil are limited to three months in any six month period, 90 days out of 180. The agreement states that these visits ARE NOT extendable so they can't run consecutively. Despite this sometimes the Federal Police do grant an extension anyway, but it's far from guaranteed.

If the suggestion from the Federal Police was to leave and re-enter to get around the computer blockage, then it would seem logical to me that this truly is the case. If it were a regular VITUR visa they would have no problem extending it.

Interesting. I am not sure which visa I have. I think it is the VITUR as I do have a piece of paper inserted into my passport. Additionally, the visa extension should have been easy to prove, but I attempted to do so after the 90 days had finished. At this point the computer system had locked and they were not able to grant the extension. Apologies for the lack of clarity.

This is strange since the VITUR (consular visa = one you apply for at the Consulado and has your photo) they extend all the time. How many days in total have you been in Brazil until the end of the present stay including any past visits within the past 365 days?

I have been in Brazil for 92 days. I tried to extend my visa on the 91st day.

Ok, that explains your problem completely now. You would have not had any problem extending the visa had you applied BEFORE the initial visit expiry date. Ideally if one wishes an extension of their stay it should be requested a week before the visa expires. The Federal Police cannot and will not extend a visa if the applicant is already in an overstay situation even if that is only one day. That is why the suggestion to leave through a land crossing into a neighboring country and then return. You are entitled to re-enter after you pay the small overstay fine.

Apologies, I should have been more clear.

You can fly domestic on Azul with just your passport.  Visa status is not an issue.  Only the first page of your passport with be checked, and that is simply to match the boarding pass.

People have also reported that it's the same on GOL and TAM as well, but look at Azul's website regarding documentation for foreigners for domestic flights.

Boa viagem!

Regardless of what the airlines may tell you you're not even required to present a passport for domestic flights, but they'll insist anyway. Their rules require only that you produce photo ID (they prefer Brazilian ID but anything will do).

If you get an overly officious boarding agent they're going to insist on your passport regardless and will likely flip back to your visa pages too, despite the fact that this is none of their damned business. If they do happen to see that you're in an overstay situation they are then required to notify the Policia Federal.

I would never counsel anyone to risk domestic air travel with an expired visa, just too risky!

Azul airlines requires the presentation of the foreigner's passport for identification at the time of boarding.  For domestic flights, the Azul gate agent only reviews the first page of the passport, to ensure a match with the boarding pass.  Nevertheless, domestic travel in Brasil on an expired visa, using whatever mode of transportation that is chosen, presents risks, as has been correctly pointed out above.

Hi Ryan,
I am wondering your outcome, did you end up leaving Brazil for a short period and returning no problem?
I cannot renew my visa until the 91 day, I tried to go today, but being Saturday, it was closed. Now I can only go on Monday which will be my 91st day so I am obviously worried. I am wondering if I am ordered to leave if I could go for a couple day visit to a neighbouring country and come back without problem...
Look forward to hearing back from you!
T

Hi teejj,

You will not be able to extend your VITUR Tourist Visa, since you are required to request the extension while it is still valid. The Policia Federal computer system won't accept the application for extension on a visa already in an overstay situation.

Yes, you can pop over to one of the neighboring SA countries get your exit stamp and return with a new entry stamp for another 90 day stay. There will be an overstay fine of R$8,28 per day (max. R$827,75), but the overstay days will not reduce the number of days you are entitled to on the subsequent visit as they are not counted in the calculation (because they are days for which you are fined).

You do not need a visa for every other SA nation since you hold a Canadian passport, except Paraguay and Suriname and in those you get a visa or tourist card on arrival.

Cheers,
James      Expat-blog Experts Team