Had to skip Brazil when passports not returned in time

A reader mailed ITN a copy of the letter below, sent to the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C. The cruise referred to was aboard Holland America’s m.s. “Amsterdam,” beginning Jan. 29, ’04, in Valparaiso, Chile, and concluding Feb. 19 in Rio de Janeiro.

I want you to know of recent actions by the Brazilian Consulate General in Los Angeles and how those actions communicated to my wife and me a strong contemptuous message that Brazil does not want Americans to visit Brazil.

We had booked a South American cruise that concluded in Rio de Janeiro, so we contacted the Consulate General for visa information, specifically asking about the time required to process tourist visas. Based on the answer we received — that the processing time for a tourist visa was 10 business days plus mailing time — we were confident that there was ample time to complete this process.

Along with all other required documents and the $220 fee, we submitted our passports by express mail on Jan. 3 and they were received by the consulate on Jan. 5. From this point on, it was as if we had ceased to exist in the eyes of the Brazilian government.

When our passports were not returned within the promised time frame, I telephoned the consulate to inquire about their status. I was told that someone from the Visa Department would call me. No one called. Because of growing concerns about the status of our visas, I telephoned again and offered to fly to Los Angeles to retrieve our passports, with or without the visas. I was informed that this was not allowed.

I then requested that, if the consulate was unable to process the visas, they simply return our passports in the postage-paid express-mail envelope I had provided. Again, I was told someone from the Visa Department would call me and, again, no one called. Hours later I telephoned the consulate and was placed on hold. No one ever returned to the line, and I never received any of the promised phone calls.

Since we could not even begin our trip without passports and since the Brazilian Consulate General would not return ours, and, in fact, would not even acknowledge that they had them in their possession, we were forced to declare them lost and obtain replacements. Because our new passports did not have a Brazilian visa, we were forced to leave the cruise early, book alternate accommodations in countries other than Brazil and change our airline arrangements.

On board the ship, we discovered that we were not alone in sharing stressful, expensive and unnecessary difficulties regarding travel to Brazil. Many passengers commented on the difficulty they encountered in obtaining visas, and still others were forced to leave the cruise prior to arriving in Brazil.

Our original passports, with Brazilian visas, arrived at our home while we were on the cruise. They are now useless except as mementos of this very unpleasant and expensive experience.

If the Brazilian government is unhappy with the United States over security requirements for visitors, I can understand and accept that. If the Brazilian government does not want American visitors, I can also accept that. What I do not understand is why your government invites Americans to visit Brazil and then forces them to avoid your country.

GARY JOSEPHSON
Phoenix, AZ

ITN sent another copy of the above letter to the Embassy of Brazil and to the Brazilian Tourism Office (both at 3006 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008) and was sent a copy of a letter sent to Mr. Josephson from the Consulate General’s Office in Los Angeles, as follows.

The situation you described in your letter was a regrettable one; we truly sympathize with your frustration, and would like to clarify our position and the process in which you were involved, in hopes of avoiding such an experience for anyone else in the future.

Due to the welcoming nature of Brazilians and the country’s beautiful landscapes, we have been receiving an increasingly large number of requests for tourist visas every year. In 2003, for instance, this Consulate processed more than 26,000 visas, a 30% increase compared to 2002. In the present quarter of 2004, we have processed more than 9,000 visas, fortunately without the concerns you experienced, and are prepared to continue to do so, and enthusiastically welcome the opportunity to serve the American tourist to Brazil in this most important way.

Usually, it takes us no more than two days to process a visa. However, in the month of January, prior to Carnival celebrations, the processing load increases drastically and during that month alone we receive approximately 35% of the total annual applications. That is why there was such a backlog this past January and in some instances it took more than 10 business days to process tourist visas.

In your specific case, after you spoke to the receptionist, your passports were placed on a “hold” status — possibly due to miscommunication. It was our understanding, from the phone conversation, that you were going to pick up the passports personally. Please be assured, your case was an exceptional situation for which we could not predict, but we deeply regret the resultant effect upon your travel plans.

In fact, a situation as serious as this compelled us to reconsider our protocol and implement a more streamlined policy to avoid such occurrences in the future. One measure taken is the establishment of a “hotline” number — 323/651-2664 — at which all the employees of this Consulate, in addition to the receptionists, will be available to operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to deal with specific urgent situations and answer unusual questions not available at our website, www.brazilian-consulate.org.

Therefore, we are working with great effort to continually and consistently provide a better and efficient service. As always, we look forward to respectfully receiving and welcoming American tourists — not just to Brazil but to our Consulate as well — with the traditional Brazilian hospitality, and are grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate why Brazil is so worthwhile to visit.

JOSÉ VICENTE de SÁ PIMENTEL, Consul-General, Consulate General of Brazil, 8484 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 730, Beverly Hills, CA 92101