One way ticket

My wife (Brazilian, lived in UK) flew back to Brazil with our children last year as we have decided to relocate to Parana, Brasil. I flew with them, but only stayed for two weeks as I had to return home for work purposes.


My time to emigrate is now arriving, and I fly out in the next couple of weeks.


I plan to sort my visa once in Brazil, so I will be arriving in brazil with a one way ticket only and will initially be there on a tourist visa.


Is this an issue with brazilian immigration? Should I be open and honest to them and explain my situation that I plan to stay and apply for full visa, or is that a big no no!


Thanks in advance for any advice

To neiljohnsavage:

Have you considered the family reunion visa? (VITEM XI)

As you're married with a Brazilian citizen, having such a visa I assume (and I hope I am not wrong) that there shouldn't be many issues arriving with a one way ticket.

The only snag I can forsee is that a one way ticket can cost much more than a return ticket.

Best luck!

I did exactly as you. After applying, I also flew out on my tourist visa. I returned again and went straight from GIG to Santos Dumont airport ( Br Fed location).

Now a word of advise:

We went in and provided all of our documents and guess what? I was turned down!

We saw a lady Fed immigration officer helping out someone else. We spoke with her. She took the documents into the office and 15 min later I had my permanent visa.

Luckily we went the same day as we landed in Rio. The next day everything closed down because of Covid!

Be determined, but very polite. Let the officer feel that they are very important (they actually are).

Gringos often treat foreign officers like they do at home - rudely.

Best of luck!


    My wife (Brazilian, lived in UK) flew back to Brazil with our children last year as we have decided to relocate to Parana, Brasil. I flew with them, but only stayed for two weeks as I had to return home for work purposes.
My time to emigrate is now arriving, and I fly out in the next couple of weeks.

I plan to sort my visa once in Brazil, so I will be arriving in brazil with a one way ticket only and will initially be there on a tourist visa.

Is this an issue with brazilian immigration? Should I be open and honest to them and explain my situation that I plan to stay and apply for full visa, or is that a big no no!

Thanks in advance for any advice
   

    -@neiljohnsavage


In my opinion, not advisable to travel on a one-way ticket with a tourist visa, especially on your own without your Brazilian family.


You risk being stopped before you get on the plane as one of the conditions of a tourist visa is to travel with a return ticket. Many years ago, even after I had my permanent visa, I was interviewed by TAP at Heathrow wanting to know why I only had a one-way ticket.


Buy a return ticket, enter as a tourist and say nothing to anybody to suggest you have any intentions of doing anything other than being a tourist. That is the reason you are entering Brazil, until your situation changes.


Then get your Family Reunion Visa sorted ASAP.


   02/14/24 I plan to sort my visa once in Brazil, so I will be arriving in brazil with a one way ticket only and will initially be there on a tourist visa.Is this an issue with brazilian immigration? Should I be open and honest to them and explain my situation that I plan to stay and apply for full visa, or is that a big no no! Thanks in advance for any advice        -@neiljohnsavage


Good morning.  You've received a lot of good input so far.  If Immigration doesn't bring your one-way ticket up, you shouldn't bring it up, either.  If they do, give them a full, honest explanation, and they should wave you through.  You must never lie to the Federal Police, but you're not required to volunteer information not requested, either.  In fact, I don't consider that to be a good practice, unless your sure that the added information will help your cause, or prevent a misunderstanding to your disadvantage.


Since you're arriving on a Tourist Visa rather than a VITEM XI, it is vital to have all of the documents that you'll need for the Federal Police, with apostilles, before you leave for Brazil.  Having extra originals of any important ones is always a good practice.  You can find the list of documents here (you only need the ones that relate to residence on the basis of marriage):


https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1058676


Before you go to the Federal Police to request residency, you must have the documents and the apostilles translated by a Sworn Translator in Brazil -- informal translations are not accepted.  A search on "Tradução Juramentada" should lead you to the authorized Sworn Translators in your area.


Although it will be tempting to occupy yourself with moving concerns immediately after your arrival, you should not waste any time in getting your Sworn Translations and getting your application in to the Federal Police.  They operate on their own schedule, so you want to accelerate yours whenever possible, just in case.  Once they accept your application, the clock stops running on your Tourist Visa, and you should be in the clear.  If you get yourself into an overstay situation prior to that, things can get complicated.


Best of luck to you and your family in your new life in Paraná!


02/14/24 The only snag I can forsee is that a one way ticket can cost much more than a return ticket.Best luck!        -@glimpser


In fact, when I came to Brazil for keeps (I had a VIPER, so what kind of ticket I had didn't matter to Immigration), I came on the round-trip ticket and ended up throwing the Return away because on that day, a round-trip ticket cost $300 LESS that a one-way. 😂  The way airline pricing works -- i.e., crazy -- it's always worth checking.

I would not recommend anyone trying to do their immigration paperwork in Brasil. It can become a nightmare. Do it in your home country.

I originally came to brazil on a one way flight as a tourist and tried to do my family reunification visa in brazil....it was an expensive and costly endeavor that never panned out. Some of the wife's id's were expired, I have to use third parties and ups for my background check. Had to send away for the long form bith certificate so one and so forth. In the end my 6 months was up before my police appointment.  I flew back to canada and had it all done at the Brazilian consulate which took about 6-8 days from mailing it off to having it returned in the mail....way easier. Only easier part to doing the paperwork and cheaper in brazil was the notary.


I just arrived back in brazil yesterday from canada and it is darn hot...I forgot about that haha

@Canforbra  Exactly why l say don't try it in Brazil.

People don't know what ”bureaucracy” means until they deal with the Brazilian government.


02/14/24  I just arrived back in brazil yesterday from canada and it is darn hot...I forgot about that haha
   

    -@Canforbra


Congratulations, and welcome back!  Now, remember to schedule your appointment with the PF to request your CRNM as soon as you can.  This time, it should be MUCH easier.

@abthree yes it should. The customs agent asked where I will be staying. I said sao paulo.  However, we might be moving to sao carlos in 3 months or so after I have my CRNM


    I originally came to brazil on a one way flight as a tourist and tried to do my family reunification visa in brazil....it was an expensive and costly endeavor that never panned out. Some of the wife's id's were expired, I have to use third parties and ups for my background check. Had to send away for the long form bith certificate so one and so forth. In the end my 6 months was up before my police appointment.  I flew back to canada and had it all done at the Brazilian consulate which took about 6-8 days from mailing it off to having it returned in the mail....way easier. Only easier part to doing the paperwork and cheaper in brazil was the notary. I just arrived back in brazil yesterday from canada and it is darn hot...I forgot about that haha        -@Canforbra


This post has to be pinned somewhere as a first hand tale of why you should always deal with the local consulate in your country of origin for these kinds of situations. It seems to be a very common scenario that I read about here a lot more than once, in my short time on this forum.


FWIW, the consulate in Vancouver, Canada, is excellent in every respect in my 20 years of dealing with them. Been e-mailing  back and forth this week about a form we need to notarize before we go back permanently, and they have been very informative and helpful.


Cannot speak nicely like that about our CBSA employees here in "Kanaduuh" however. Not going to miss them at all.


Referencing the OP's question, I've never entered Brasil one a one way ticket, so, I can't say anything firsthand.

Please don't pin what I wrote. It was written fast and I just re-read it and noticed all the grammatical issues in it haha


As for one way flights...they have never asked me anything at customs about it.


The Brazilian customs have always been great to me...on a side note.


I brought kraft dinner, boxed scalloped potatoes...can make myself I know,

Wunderbar chocolate bars and real maple syrup and a few onther packed foods back to brazil with me. Had no issues with bringing them.

Many thanks to you all for your replies!!


02/15/24    @abthree yes it should. The customs agent asked where I will be staying. I said sao paulo.  However, we might be moving to sao carlos in 3 months or so after I have my CRNM        -@Canforbra


BTW, the person at Passport Control who lets you into the country is an Immigration Officer, a far more powerful and important person than a Customs Agent;  the Customs Agent is the last official you see when you leave Baggage Claim, who usually ignores you if you look like a foreigner.  Two different operations -- Justice Ministry and Finance Ministry.  Immigration Officers and Customs Agents HATE being confused with each other, even (especially!) In the United States, where they now technically work for the same agency, to their mutual disgust.

@KenAquarius Your exactly right, but it can be messed up on either shore.


I really miss you guys, but I am stuck in the USA because my name change decades ago in Washington, D.C. was never relayed to my birth state in Rhode Island for my Birth Certificate. I am now sleeping on several coaches while I wait for the R.I. Department of Health's, Vital Records to have my now official name "Roddie" put on my Birth Certificate.  I then arranged for the document to make its way pre-paid to the R.I. Secretary of Strate and Apostilled. Then it will be forwarded to my daughter's home in Maryland for our future appointment with the Brazilian Consulate.


Unfortunately, the initial person working on this had "medical problems", so we lost a whole week of progress.  Fortunately, the big-time taker (Having the FBI Background Check is completed and is on course to be Apostles'd) within the 4-6 weeks for the Federal Police 60 days.


Well, the Cherry Blossoms don't bloom until April 4th, so I have a bit of a wait.


@Mikeflanagan All things positive, what would you recommend one way from Washington, D.C. (Dulles, BWI or Reagon) to either Fortaleza or Jericocoarra - JDD - Preference is to JDD since it is 20 minutes from my house vs. 6 hours to Fortaleza.  Biggest challenge will be taking 4 Large Checked Bags.


@abthree Keep Up The Good Work!!!!


@Gasparzinho 777, @alan279 Thanx for all the advice. I have two sets of warm clothes I bought off the plane at Walmart. I do a lot of laundry.




Roddie in Retirement1f575.svg

@roddieshoHey Rod! l was wondering how you were doing. Man l hope it all works out 

@roddiesho, good to hear from you.... Are you packing all your youtuber studio stuff for shipment?  I think that we have enough information in the expat.com brain-trust for you to start a channel on how to help people to move to Brazil....


Give us an update on your situation from time to time if you can.

@KenAquarius ...Just another day of making the impossible possible. Was able to get things back on track and should be about to set my appointment with the Brazilian Consulate. All Documents intact.


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@Pablo888 I have four large bags with one being a golf-bag for my lighting equipment. One hard case Samsonite and two Samsonite Duffle Bags.  Big question is what airline should I target first for extra checked baggage. Going from DC (Reagan, Dulles, BWI) to Fortaleza or Jericocoara - JDD. Laptop carry on.  Open for Advice. The calendar says this will be in March.


Roddie in Retirement1f575.svg


  02/23/24  @KenAquarius ...Just another day of making the impossible possible. Was able to get things back on track and should be about to set my appointment with the Brazilian Consulate. All Documents intact.
Roddie in Retirement1f575.svg-@roddiesho


Fingers crossed here!  🤞🏻


    Big question is what airline should I target first for extra checked baggage. Going from DC (Reagan, Dulles, BWI) to Fortaleza or Jericocoara - JDD. Laptop carry on.  Open for Advice. The calendar says this will be in March.
Roddie in Retirement1f575.svg-@roddiesho

Yes.  Checked luggage is becoming a revenue generator for airlines.


What I am currently doing is get an airline affiliated credit card that allows a certain number of free checked in luggage. 


For the extra luggage, it may be that a ticket upgrade may give you additional checked in baggage allowance.  Not sure if it would be cheaper to pay the extra luggage or the upgrade fee.


I have not done this myself but I have seen many first class passengers traveling with their golf bags, bicycles, etc...  And they don't seem to have had many problems with their bulky items....


Just an idea...

@Pablo888 Great Replies. We are a No Credit Card / Cash Only Family....however I really like the idea of the upgrade and ....I was just slipped a note from my BACK which said it approves for seating on a 24-hour series of flights.....  With my brief history of going back and forth to Brazil, it has been American Airlines, Delta and United with Latham inside the country.


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Air Canada gives you 3 free full size checked bags up to 70 pounds......and United is 2 up to 50 each in bizz class. The rest you pay for.........


On Star Alliance bizz flights your bags get tagged with orange "priority" tags that in theory get loaded separately, so they can be unloaded first.


Oversize items, golf and ski things, etc, have their own counter and protocol in many airports.