Stamping passport on exit & entrance

Brazil14 wrote:

Hi,

I am NOT carrying a Brazilian passport, I heard that some land boarder check points don't stamp your passport when going in or out from Brazil, is that right? anyone has such experience / information he can share?

Regards

While they may not do so, they are supposed to do so. If you want to play it safe present your passport and request that they stamp it, that's always the best way to go.

Cheers,
James     Expat-blog Experts Team

I can tell you one border crossing that does not unless you specifically request them to. That said you are not going very far if you do not request an exit stamp, and you could end up in jail in one country that takes the law very seriously now after learning lessons from their past.

"Três Fronteiras" which is in the Amazonas and borders Santa Rosa de Yavari, Peru; Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia and Tabatinga, Amazonas, Brazil.

The only way in and out of Tabatinga and Leticia is by boat and air. On all boats whether for tourism or long distance journeys to Manaus they check passports or identity card (where applicable.) In Colombia, at the airport (Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport) they may or may not check your passport. However when transiting through Bogotá or any other port of entry in Colombia where you are leaving the country, Migration will and I can assure you the will. If you do not have a stamp, you will not be leaving the country. In fact in Colombia it is a FEDERAL CRIME to not have an entry stamp in your passport and is can and sometimes will result in a jail sentence depending on circumstance and aggravating factors. Do not risk it. If you are crossing into Colombia from Tabatinga for the day and going back into Tabatinga that same day this is deemed acceptable but keep in mind leaving Leticia without an entry stamp for elsewhere into Colombia or entering Brazil and leaving Tabatinga for elsewhere into Brazil without an entry stamp is prohibited.

When it comes to Peru, you are not going anywhere outside of Santa Rosa de Yavari without an exit stamp (it is an island) from Colombia or Brazil, period. And the Peruvian authorities do not play around either, I learned that first hand myself in Lima at Jorge Chavez International Airport myself when I entered Lima on my Brazilian Identity card and tried to leave on my American passport. However, it is not a crime like it is in Colombia.

My advice, if you are staying more than one day - just get the exit stamp from the country you are exiting and then get the entry stamp from the country you are entering. Open borders are a recipe for an unregulated disaster.

AMERICAN AND OTHER PASSPORT HOLDERS REQUIRING VISAS TO ENTER BRAZIL - just because the border is open in this region does not mean you do not require a Brazilian visa. In fact when I entered Brazil for the first time it was via. Tabatinga. We reported to the Federal Police (which by the way is inside the city no where near the border.) The Federal Agent was as friendly as can be, spoke fluent English, but the first thing he looked for in my passport was the visa. He did not even look at the biographical data page. I have heard from others as well, the PM and DPF stopping tourists and asking for their passport. I would hate to be the one American or Canadian that did not comply with Visa Reciprocity and did not have a Brazilian Visa in their passport just because they came into Brazil for 10 minutes to say you were there. You might not have needed the stamp but you needed that visa.

Good luck.

They don't look at anything on the board of Guyana and Brazil. Just drive right through

*edit*

Let me correct myself. They never have checked for a passport for me. There has been a couple of trips where I've seen them randomly search cars for items being brought in, but this hasn't happened to me.

Thanks for the details, so for example if you are crossing to Argentina by car & Brazilian boarders doesn't stamp your passport then you need to make sure that the Argentinian stamp your passport in case you want to fly out from Argentinian airport on the same flight, correct?

What problems "Not having the Brazilian exit stamp" will create? from Argentina perspective & from re-entering Brazil perspective?

No matter what, the Federal Police are supposed to stamp EVERY passport with an exit stamp when the passport holder leaves the country, and stamp it with an entry stamp when the enter Brazil. So you should make sure to request that they do so every time you leave Brazil even at land crossings into other South American countries.

Not having an exit stamp in your passport to correspond with your current entry stamp can put you into a visa overstay position if you were to exit near the 90 day mark and not obtain the stamp. So for example if you were in Brazil for nearly 90 days, crossed over to Argentina without getting your passport stamped and were to take a flight out of Argentina to some other nation, when you returned to Brazil the next time you would likely be charged an overstay fine because there was no way of proving that you didn't overstay your visa without that exit stamp. It is also quite likely they would charge you the maximum fine (100 days / R$8.28 per day) too.

If they don't stamp your passport automatically then INSIST because it is their duty to do so every time, not just sometimes.

Cheers,
James      Expat-blog Experts Team

Thanks James, I am not worried about over stay as I have permanent residency, what i want to know if it creates a legal issue with Brazil if I go out and in without stamp?

Iguazu Falls is NOT an open border. In fact is is IMPERATIVE you get a stamp leaving Brazil and entering Argentina and vice versa. I do not know what country you are from, but I know that Americans and Canadians that hold permanent residency in Brazil have been required to pay the visa fee in Argentina even though it is a direct violation of Mercosur. Remember, this is South America - the treaties are followed when it is convenient. People have waited hours on the bridge only to be turned right back around. Some get through on their CIE, some do not. Don't believe me, Google it - better yet risk it and wait there for 5 hours only to be turned around.

As for Paraguay, I have no idea if the border is open, but I believe the taxi driver told me it was. Regardless - again more than a day get the stamp. I also know that the Paraguayan side of the border is not as safe as Foz do Iguaçu. The taxi driver from the airport to my hotel told me it was "lawless" exact words, and the taxi driver back to the airport told me it was okay but not recommended for tourists.

Take it for what it is. But in the end, please people Immigration/Migration is not a game or a joke - especially if you are a foreigner. Follow the law, not what you think you can get away with!

thanks for the input, it is good to understand what is the law, what is legal & what is not.

Please, which countries, can I visit, with no visa, if I hold a Brazilian permanent residence permit? Thanks

You can visit any of the Mercosul (Mercsur) full member countries and I believe most or all of the associate member countries without a visa (if you have a Cédula de Identidade Estrangeiro (in the Permanent category).

Full member nations:  Brazil / Argentina / Paraguay / Uruguay / Venezuela
Associate member:     Chile / Peru / Columbia / Ecuador / Bolivia (in process of joining)

Cheers,
James         Expat-blog Experts Team

Hi James,

can you elaborate on that please? I have the permanent residency and I got the RNE card written on it " Cedula De Identidade De Estrangeiro", does that mean I don't need a visa to visit the bellow mentioned countries? so I just travel there and show them the card or how does it work?

Regards,
Ahmad

Hi Ahmad,

The card you have (beige) with your RNE number on it is your Cédula de Identidade Estrangeiro. If it is marked PEMANENTE under category, then you only need present that and your passport when visiting the countries mentioned. You do not need a visa.

Cheers,
James

Wow, that is great, my wife & I wanted to visit as many countries in LATAM as we can.

thanks James, great to have you on the blog.

Ahmad

Hi!
I have permanant visa of Brazil. From 24the November, 2015, all ``manual passports`` will be banned from travelling. The embassy of our country has yet no facility to prepare Machine Readable Passport for us, here in Brazil. I have manual passport. I want to visit another country. Can I get a Brazilian passport? I found some information about it on FP website. Is it true? click here... http://www.dpf.gov.br/simba/passaporte/ … strangeiro
ìt states: ao estrangeiro legalmente registrado no Brasil e que necessite deixar o território nacional e a ele retornar, nos casos em que não disponha de documento de viagem;
thanks!!

Hello sakraan,

From what I understand from reading the DPF webpage you are correct, however the passport would be for a very limited period. You should check with the Passport Office of the same DPF Delegacy where you applied for permanency to make sure if you qualify for the passport and what you need to obtain it.

Cheers,
James   Expat-blog Experts Team

My student visa expired and i want new one outside brazil. Please after paying fine, am I going to have my passport stamp overstayed because I will like  to come back and  continue my studies?

Good Morning everyone !!! Based on new immigration laws....,is it true that Overstaying in Brazil is now 100 reais per day !!??

Hi James I really need your help, it seems I'm in a bit of a jam. I'm in Brazil on a tourist visa and I've overstayed my visa by a few months. I was going to get married here but that's not looking like the most viable option at the moment as we're trying to get back to the USA by February. I desperately want to avoid getting an over stay stamp on my passport, so I was thinking about entering Uruguay or argentina to try abs go around this, but from what you mentioned it seems like that exit stamp from Brazil is pretty important. If I'm leaving by car at a boarder where I have to ask for an exit stamp, would they be inclined to give me the bad stamp and fee that goes with it? And if not, when I come back are they still going to hit me with the fine at the airport trying to go back to the United states? Should I just buy an airline ticket through Argentina and say screw it? How bad would any of this screw up my chances of ever coming back to Brazil?
Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

Blueberry 302,

It is never a good idea to overstay. It will probably cause you more problems when you come back. you will still be in the computer and no exit stamp It will appear that you never left and it will probably cost you more. You might even get permanently expelled. My advice is to Leave the proper way and pay the fine.

Jim

Hey Jim, I've already overstayed the visa, so there's no turning back on that one. To reiterate, I would try to get an exit stamp from a border agent near Argentina that might not be so inclined to pay attention, whether it actually  helps me avoid the stamp later when re-exiting Brazil is the more concern. But I am going to do anything in my power to avoid getting that bad stamp as I have ambitions of global travel. I would quicker go through the lengthy marital process than leave in such fashion. But, thanks for your time.

Jim is correct. It doesn't matter where or how you exit. The fact is, the stamp is going to show you overstayed. When you try to come back it's going to be a problem. Better to clear it up before you leave. Just my .02¢

I get you, I suppose I'm still curious if I was to just leave through Argentina, I wouldn't have too much necessity to come back to brazil for a few years, even if I wanted to, couldn't I just enter from Argentina's airport, technically? Skip the stamp? My bigger concern is getting blocked from getting a student visa to France, so if I have to stick it out I will but I really want to leave in February

Blueberry 302
You can`t just go to Argentina. You will need a visa. As far as the Brazilian stamp in your passport. if you somehow avoid getting it. The next time you try to enter you will have problems. As I stated before the best thing you can do is exit properly pay your fine and get right. many people will try to advise you how to beat the system, but you can`t do it. You may end up being banned forever from Brazil.

jim

Closer to your date of departure, Goto Policia Federal tell them you overstayed, they will print out a boleto with the exact amount that you need to pay as a fine, pay the fine and keep the paperwork with you. 

Usually after paying the fine you will have 72 hours to leave the country. 

They don't put any overstay stamp on your passport. 

You might have some challenges with the embassy for your visa when you try and return to Brazil but there is only a 10 percent chance of something like that happening.

Brazil is not like the states, they are more laxxed and need people to return back often

That sounds like an excellent alternative, almost too good to be true. Can anyone else confirm this?
Thank you, thank you!

blueberry

Stanza is correct.  He has been chosen to give advice because he gives good advice. you can trust the advice given by him me and a few others. You hear many people try to give advice on how to beat the system. It's not worth it. This site is made up of serious individuals who only want to help people.

Jim