Not everybody knows that Americans require a visa to travel to Brazil — tales abound of travelers showing up at the airport only to be turned away, or more recently, a famous American director, Oliver Stone, actually managed to fly to Brazil without a visa and had some trouble getting into the country. They didn’t know that US passport holders must get a visto de turista, or tourist visa.

To make sure that doesn’t happen to you, here is what you need to do in order to get a tourist visa to Brazil.

1. Plan ahead. A few months before your trip, identify the closest Brazilian consulate.

2. Prepare the documents you will need. They include:

–Your passport, valid for at least 6 more months upon your arrival date in Brazil;

—One Visa Application Form per applicant, completely filled out online, dated and signed by the passport holder or his/her parents/guardians. (You will need to print only the receipt page with the bar code: sign it and glue the picture).

–One recent 2×2 passport-photo, front view, white background;

–A copy of your round-trip ticket or a booked itinerary showing travel to and from Brazil (confirming the purchase of the ticket, with passenger’s name, itinerary, flight number and arrival/departure dates);

–A copy of the U.S. Alien Resident Card for foreign residents and/or a valid visa or document to return from Brazil to the US or to another country;

–Proof of residency (driver’s license, utility bill)

–one US Postal Service money order in the amount of US$140.00, made out to the Consulate General of Brazil (it cannot be paid in cash, credit card, or by any other form of money order – only USPS) [Source: Brazilian Consulate in NY]

3. Pick a day to go to the consulate as soon as it opens. Get there as early as you can. Submit your documents, and find out the day and time you can pick up your passport. Come back at the designated pick up time.

For information on getting a Brazil tourist visa in Canada, click here. For information on getting a Brazil tourist visa in Australia, click here. And if you live in the UK, you’re in luck – you don’t need a visa! For more info on Brazil tourist visas, click here. And if you are from another country, click here to see if you need to get a tourist visa.