General Information on Non-Immigrant Visas
(Tourism, Business, Student, etc.) This page provides detailed information about how to apply for a U.S. Non-immigrant Visa. Applicants are also encouraged to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more details about specific questions that often arise in the application process.
Important: As of March 15th, the State Department will be using a new form in Brazil for visa applications. DS-160 is completely electronic and will replace the forms DS-156, 157 and 158. The new form, which will be mandatory as of April 5th, will also allow photographs to be uploaded. Even with the implementation of this new form, applicants still need to schedule an interview and pay the fees. After filling out and sending in the form via the internet, applicants will get a confirmation page with a barcode. More...
Step by Step
Whether applying for a visa for the first time OR renewing a visa that is still valid or expired less than 12 months ago, if you are planning to travel to the U.S. and need a visa, you must follow the steps below .
1. Pay a R$38.00 fee at the website www.visa-usa.com.br or call the CSC/Visa information Service call center at (55)21-4004-4950 at your convenience. Payment of this mandatory fee will provide you with comprehensive visa information and lets you schedule a visa interview appointment.
2. Get Info / Schedule an appointment calling the (55)21-4004-4950 or through the website www.visa-usa.com.br
3. Fill out the Visa application forms.
4. Pay the equivalent Visa Application Fee at any participating Citibank branch, in Brazilian Reais and cash only. Note: The applicant’s passport is required for payment. The Visa Application fee receipt is non-transferable.
5. On the day your interview is scheduled, go to the Embassy or Consulate with all required and recommended forms and documents, and have your interview.
6. Immediately after the conclusion of the visa interview, pay any extra fee at the Embassy or Consulate Cashier according to your visa type and citizenship. Payment may be made by cash (dollars or reais) or major credit card.
7. Prior to leaving the Embassy or Consulate, pay the courier service to arrange for the delivery of your passport.
Visa Renewals
If you are renewing your visa and no longer have the passport with the expired visa (i.e. the Brazilian Federal Police retained your previous passport with the expired U.S. visa when you got a new passport), please bring a copy of your prior passport (preferably all pages, but at least the page with the prior visa) to your appointment for visa renewal. Without a copy of your prior visa, your visa renewal could be delayed.
Please note that persons renewing the same type of visa that is still valid or expired less than 12 months ago, may not need to be interviewed by a Consular officer, but must schedule an appointment to collect biometric information (electronic fingerprints). In such cases, applicants will need to bring all documents related to the visa application process and pay any additional fees specific to their visa class, as well as the courier service which will deliver the passport, while they are at the Embassy or Consulate
Visa Interviews Visa interviews are held from Monday to Friday during the regular interviewing hours. Please check the Contact Information and Working Hours page to find out the appropriate address and working hours for the post where you have made your appointment. Every person who wishes to apply for a visa and who does not fit in the waiver of interview criteria must schedule an appointment through the Visa Information Service.
To obtain information about visa application procedures and to schedule a visa interview, the public may contact the Visa Information Service by calling (55)21-4004-4950 Monday through Friday from 8:00a.m. to 8:00p.m., or by accessing the internet site www.visa-usa.com.br.
Applicants will be instructed on how to make the R$38 payment, which includes ten minutes or more of phone time valid for one or more phone calls. Payment of this fee allows for the scheduling of up to five family members. People who may apply in groups but are not family members (e.g., to attend a team business meeting) each need to schedule their interview separately. The fee includes access to visa information both on the web and through the operators at the Visa Information Service call center, but not the courier expenses for returning passports with approved visas.
Please note that in order to get information and schedule an appointment online, you are required to choose an online payment option. Those options include all major credit cards, debit cards or the boleto (bank deposit) option. Applicants using the boleto option, however, can only access the necessary information to apply for a visa and schedule their own interview starting the next working day after the boleto is paid.
While we make every effort to keep your time at the Embassy or Consulate to a minimum, we encourage applicants to bring something to read while waiting for their interviews.
Immediate Family Members Unless they fall into one of the waiver of interview criteria, every visa applicant must come in person for an interview.
Required Documents Every visa applicant must bring:
- A valid passport showing at least six months’ validity from the date of travel;
- A 5x5cm (or 5x7cm) photograph with light background, taken within the last six months (see details); and
- Payment receipt for the Visa Application Fee (to be paid in Reais). This fee can only be paid at an authorized Citibank branch.
Note: The Citibank clerk issuing the Visa Application Fee receipt will write the visa applicant's name and passport number on the receipt. Receipts without the applicant's name and passport number written on them will not be accepted.
In additional to all of the documents listed above, applicants in certain visa categories are required to provide specific additional documents, as follows:
- Student visa applicants and those participating in exchange programs must also present a valid I-20 form (for F and M visas) or DS-2019 form (for J visas) completed and signed, as well as a completed form DS-160 and proof of financial ability to pay education and lodging costs. All such applicants must also present the receipt demonstrating that they have completed their registration in the SEVIS system (the Department of Homeland Security’s registration system); for more information about SEVIS, please click on this link. Students who plan to study at a public high school in the United States in F-1 status (with an I-20 form) must present additional documentation for public high school students before a visa can be issued. Also, exchange visitors who will specifically participate in internship or trainee programs approved on or after July 19, 2007 (see your completed DS-2019, box 7) must also bring a completed Training/Internship Placement Plan (form DS-7002, T/IPP); additional new requirements also apply.
- Work visa applicants must also bring the work visa petition (approved by the Department of Homeland Security or DHS – formerly the INS - Immigration and Naturalization Service), and the supporting documents that led to the approval of the work petition. Applicants who are renewing their work visas should bring evidence of their continued employment with the same company, or, if changing employers, a recent job offer letter.
- Domestic employees/babysitters accompanying their employers must bring a contract of employment signed by both the employer and the employee (example), one version in English and one in Portuguese. For more information, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Additional Documents
According to the Immigration and Naturalization Law, all non-immigrant visa applicants must demonstrate to the consular officer that they have strong ties to their country of residence, and must show that they intend to depart the U.S. after their temporary visit. While there is no specific list of documents to be provided or things that must be done in order to demonstrate strong ties outside of the United States, applicants may wish to bring a variety of materials that can assist in demonstrating these ties. Such documents may include the following:
- A labor card, personal income tax returns, pay stubs, marriage/birth certificates, bank statements, car documents, real estate deeds, school statements, letters from employers, and, for business owners or partners, company tax returns, a recently-printed certification of the CNPJ (national business registration number), etc.
- Expired passports for yourself, as well as current and expired passports for others who may be traveling with you, especially if they are family members. Current and expired passports for family members who will not travel with you can also be helpful. If you anticipate that your old passport will be retained by the Brazilian Federal Police when you receive your new passport, you are advised to make a complete copy of your old passport first, and to bring that copy to the interview.
- Any previous U.S. visas in your current or expired passport or a copy, especially if you are renewing the same type of visa that is still valid or expired less than 12 months ago (e.g. through a visa renewal programs).
- If someone else will pay for your travel, then it can be important to bring documents demonstrating that person’s or organization’s ties outside of the United States, as well as documents that can help demonstrate the applicant’s own ties to his or her country of residence. The kinds of documents recommended above for applicants can also be brought in for sponsors. In cases where the sponsor is based in the United States (e.g., a U.S.-based organization, an American citizen, or a Legal Permanent Resident in the U.S.), demonstrating ties outside of the United States may be more challenging (please see the Frequently Asked Questions page).
If you have not brought certain documents such as those listed above, it is possible that the Consular Officer will ask you to return with them on another day. In addition, in some cases, the Consular Officer may request documents that are not mentioned on this list in order for the applicant to demonstrate sufficient ties.
A Special Note About Documents
Please note that the submission of false or altered documents in support of a visa application will result in your visa being denied and/or your being declared permanently ineligible for a visa. Moreover, document fraud is a federal crime in Brazil. The U.S. Embassy and Consulates routinely provide Brazilian authorities, including the Brazilian Internal Revenue Service (Receita Federal), with falsified documents submitted by visa applicants for follow-up and/or prosecution.
Special Note For Student (F or M) and Exchange Visitor (J) Visa Recipients:
As mentioned above, please be aware the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations state that applicants for F, M or J non-immigrant visas will not be issued a visa unless they have been registered by the school in the DHS Registration System, called SEVIS.
In addition, anyone with an F, M or J visa will not be admitted to the United Sates more than thirty days prior to the beginning of your program date, or start date, as given on your form I-20 (for F or M visas) or DS-2019 (for J visas). Please consider that date carefully when making your travel plans to the United States. For example, if your program start date is May 01, you may only travel to the United States on or after April 02.
For more information about both of these requirements, please click here.
Passport Returns
Passports are generally returned two to five days after the interview in the afternoon (see hours of each consulate) or through the courier service. Due to demand, the timeframe to receive your passport can very from location to location. To verify turn around times for Sao Paulo, (please click here) . They will be returned to your address of choice, which you will provide at the time you pay the courier service. If your traveling party includes people who live at more than one address (e.g., grandparents traveling with their children and grandchildren), please inform the Consular Officer at the time of your interview so that he or she can mark your protocols accordingly, to ensure proper delivery of the passports. The fee charged for the courier service will depend on the return address.
Note: the need for administrative processing may influence the time for passport delivery in individual visa cases. Passports will be returned to the address you provide to the courier service for a fee based on your state of residence.
Emergency Service
All requests for emergency or earlier appointments MUST be made at the appointment website www.visto-eua.com.br at the link entitled 'Emergency Service'. This page includes a specific link you should use to send such requests.
Send your request explaining your situation and the reason for your emergency. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Tourism travel will not be considered as emergency.
We will not accept faxed or e-mailed requests sent separately. |
