General Info

[Nounce]

Something strange happened with GOL. I was able to buy a ticket using my US credit card the first time I tried. I had problems in the past like the price kept going up while I was filling out form or some other issues that I forgot now.

I got a price for Brazil Airpass. Brazil Airpass maybe cheaper if you buy flight for next week but it's not cheaper if you buy your own domestic flights several weeks before.

[Dcrist0527]

I really find the level of paranoia around this to be astounding. Go to Thailand then people. All you were going to do is contribute to "price creep" anyway.

I truly hope you are right. But consider that petty crime is a constant in Brazil and other countries. They'll steal an iPhone and get $50. But yet we should blindly trust that our information, worth far more than $50, well, that's untouchable. As I said, I hope you are right.

[Dcrist0527]

It is the embassy or consulate, not immigration. They are forcing nobody to go, but I am sure they appreciate the grand announcements of why individuals are choosing not to. I am sure the country will miss those individuals.

What? The embassy? Which embassy? It's electronic. It goes to some Brazilian bureacracy. I dare say the Brazillian embassy in Miami or New York is not involved.

Do you really believe that those documents would not be available to the immigration officer that actually admits you into Brazil? It would be even more ludicrous if they didn't have access to it. The truth is neither you nor I know how many hands those documents will pass through. To think it goes into some data fort knox in an embassy somewhere is just naive.

I mean no offense to you. And I'm done with this issue. I, like many others, sadly, will take our money elsewhere. So if that helps reset a market, good for the mongers. Nor do I blame anyone for getting the visa. My intent was just to call attention to the risk. If someone doesn't believe there is a risk here, they are just uninformed.

[Dcrist0527]

I don't have a problem with Brazil using the visa as a money grab, but the fact I need to send them my bank info too because they think Americans are going there to become homeless is laughable. Homeless people get everything in America, first class healthcare in the ER, food stamps, food banks. I've been to Brazil so many times and only see Brazilian homeless, not American homeless. Unfortunately, I paid for my flight and hotel 6 months ago, so I don't think I can get a refund. Bottom line is this government proves time and time again how incompetent and dumb they are and always will be. Brazilians have to have a visa to come here because they are known for overstaying their visa like the Philippines. I guarantee they will see a drop in tourism with this and eventually get rid of some of these requirements.

Exactly! Why do they need to see $2,000? What purpose does it serve? Most people traveling from the US exceed that in airfare and lodging alone. A return flight confirmation makes perfect sense. But there is no real need for bank statements.

[Mr Enternational]

Here is a great article on different Brazilian scams.

https://oliveiralawyers.com/services...g-scam-brazil/

They wrote all that to say that? I could have said it in one line. Keep your money in your pocket and you will not be scammed.

[Dcrist0527]

https://www.travelersunited.org/a-ca...theft-problem/

Thanks for sharing. Highlights many of my concerns.

The lunacy of it all: what does Brazil gain by validating $2,000 "for travel"? There's no legitimate assurance they receive. Having $2,000 in an account at a point in time? Wtf does that mean? LOL The whole visa requirement is punitive. That's not to say it's not deserved retribution! But making me pay to jump through hoops and assuming the risk of someone making $200 USD a month being bribed is "far fetched"? No thanks.

[The Cane]

https://www.travelersunited.org/a-ca...theft-problem/

I really find the level of paranoia around this to be astounding. Go to Thailand then people. All you were going to do is contribute to "price creep" anyway.

[Mr Enternational]

Good to know someone that knows every intricacy and bureaucracy of Brazilian immigration. And be able to vouch for their scruples.

It is the embassy or consulate, not immigration. They are forcing nobody to go, but I am sure they appreciate the grand announcements of why individuals are choosing not to. I am sure the country will miss those individuals.

[TjBrazil]

Here is a great article on different Brazilian scams.

https://oliveiralawyers.com/services...g-scam-brazil/

[TjBrazil]

As long as you are a gringo, you will get robbed in Brazil. They do not discriminate on how big of your bank account or how small it is.

I don't have a problem with Brazil using the visa as a money grab, but the fact I need to send them my bank info too because they think Americans are going there to become homeless is laughable. Homeless people get everything in America, first class healthcare in the ER, food stamps, food banks. I've been to Brazil so many times and only see Brazilian homeless, not American homeless. Unfortunately, I paid for my flight and hotel 6 months ago, so I don't think I can get a refund. Bottom line is this government proves time and time again how incompetent and dumb they are and always will be. Brazilians have to have a visa to come here because they are known for overstaying their visa like the Philippines. I guarantee they will see a drop in tourism with this and eventually get rid of some of these requirements.

[Fewdie]

As long as you are a gringo, you will get robbed in Brazil. They do not discriminate on how big of your bank account or how small it is.

https://www.travelersunited.org/a-ca...theft-problem/

[UniversalX]

Am I overly cautious?

https://www.travelersunited.org/a-ca...theft-problem/

[Dcrist0527]

I see why you are worried. You do not even know who you are supposed to be sending it to.

Good to know someone that knows every intricacy and bureaucracy of Brazilian immigration. And be able to vouch for their scruples. Pardon me if I'm a little more skeptical with my own personal information. As I always say, to each their own. I'm not donating $80 to Lula for the honor of giving them my information that isn't needed. Send him your $80; I'll spend mine on 3 hours with a paisa.

For the record, I don't begrudge Brazil due to the lack of reciprocity. But I'm also unwilling to pay for the hassle and the risk.

[Mr Enternational]

No one cares how much you pay for electricity. But if you think immigration employees are above corruption, a 2 second google search can show you what can happen.

I see why you are worried. You do not even know who you are supposed to be sending it to.

[Dcrist0527]

I am saying that if you have ever been to Brazil, they already have your name, address, passport number, picture. But you guys are in an uproar because you also have to show them that you paid your light bill last week. If they have not already gotten you from the info they already have then they most certainly are not coming to kidnap you because they now know that you paid some bills.

It is the same as people being in an uproar because someone is taking their picture to get on the plane or back into the country. 10,000 other cameras in the airport that have already seen you and they already have the picture from your passport, yet because someone takes an active picture at this moment, you think you are doomed.

Funny thing is that when you put your ATM card in the machine in Brazil, the receipt comes back with the money you have in your account. Nobody is in an uproar that the bank in Brazil has that information and the cartel in Mexico could pay someone at the bank pennies to divert information. If they are going to get you then they are going to get you, and it won't be on the basis that you sent a piece of paper to the Brazilian consulate. Nobody makes a stink when they buy a house or rent an apartment or buy a car and have to show the same information.

No one cares how much you pay for electricity. But if you think immigration employees are above corruption, a 2 second google search can show you what can happen. So what is the risk? At a minimum, you are handing over balances, account numbers and routing numbers. And the comparison to an ATM receipt is ludicrous. There is no employee handling that balance information. Nor does a Brazilian bank have that information or any of their employees.

I can only speak for myself. But the bank statement issue isn't about avoiding any trace of a trip to Brazil. Of course there is a record of that. Others have talked about addresses. I can tell you I don't submit my addresses. But someone suggested that address can indicate one's wealth. In the end, it comes down to how much you want to hand over. Handing my financial information, with names, addresses, account numbers, balances, etc. , is a step too far for me. As I said, the level of corruption should not be a surprise to any seasoned traveler.

Am I overly cautious? Perhaps. But I'm not a guy that sits in my hotel room to avoid the next moto-bandit holding me a knife point. So I don't feel I'm being crazy here. But I'm not interested in turning over a fair amount of personal info to people that can be easily bought and paid for. (And historically have been bought and paid for) I do think the suggestion of an extra account is reasonable. Maybe I'm just lazy but if Brazil wants to make me jump through hoops like that, there are many other countries that will gladly take my $2,000+ without the hassle.