Leaving vehicle in Brazil and flying back home
 

Thought it might be time to ask this question again.

Has anyone driven into Brazil, stored their vehicle and left by plane within the validity period of the tourist visa AND THEN returned by plane on a fresh visa and driven out of Brazil without problems.

ACTUAL case rather than speculation based on lack of paper TIP would be preferred.

Tony,

Mine would only be speculation, but here in Peru you can 'suspend' your TVIP and then return later to continue your trip and have your remaining days on your 'reactivated' TVIP in order to finish your ride and leave the country..

When there is NO TVIP paper, that must mean that you need not do this process and that you can leave your moto in Brazil indefinitely as long as it is only you riding it and you can't sell it.

I too would like to hear from an actual case.


Toby

Probably end up being my own guineapig. Free secure parking in Brasilia, plus nice central place to start the next leg from, plus not having to drive all the way back down to Uruguay all add up to it being worth taking a risk.

As for there being no TVIP, there is a tourist entry slip of paper in the passport that we filled in at the entry point and that does record the method of entry into Brazil - but no real details of the actual vehicle. One possible trap is when you come back, you have no TVIP to prove you have a way of exiting Brazil at the end of your 90 days so might get held up by either the airlines (does happen) or at the immigration desk at the point of entry (never happened to us yet but is possible). Photo of the vehicle plus copies of the papers plus a DIY itinerary might be enough.

Heya Tony

We are in Brasil at the mo, been here two months, they didn't even ask for our details so on our entry cards there is no mention of a vehicle which would make it easier.

I would just say you came in on a friends vehicle and say it is not yours and you don't know why they wrote it on your card, they have no way of knowing either way.

Given what you say too I think you will be fine.

Yes, you are probably right. I'll just tell customs that everyone said its OK.

Tell them ya are wanting to see more of their beautiful country and brush them up :innocent:, also you really are not committing a crime as are coming back to continue with the bike so it is not like you are leaving it here.

With talking to locals here (big moto shop owner) about your situ they all said they (the feds) don't have a problem with parting with/selling an international bike here but they just clobber anyone who buys it with their 60 % taxes etc which is their deterrent for someone to do this because of the cost involved.

We are going to exit then get another 90 days cos 3 months is only a scratch here

Cheers Andi

Good to see you two enjoying Brazil like we did. Should be also possible to extend your visa with another 90 days. up to 180 in one year, then you need to stay 180 days out of the country... :-(

Yes Brazil is fantastic, just huge ... compared to NZ anyway :clap:

Some amazing countryside and NP's

I was told I could extend the visa at any policia federali station. Was a cost - a bit less than the cost of getting the visa in the first place (USD35). German yesterday said they couldn't exrtend in-country either so obviously no consistency across countries.

Brasil's visa system is based on reciprocity. So there is no 'standard' approach to visas for visitors from different countries. For example, some European passports are allowed to be in Brasil for 90 +90 days consecutive but not exceed 180 in a year. Other European passports are allowed 180 days per year but also not allowed more than 90 days in a 180 day period. It is entirely dependent on how the foreign country treats visitors from Brasil.

Also, some things have been changing and we heard from French and Germans that couldn't extend, where as we did so.

I was there for about 35 days for the world cup. I left my truck in north east brazil, then flew back in and drove it to near Foz de Iguazu and got a 60 day visa when i returned. Right now it's parked at my wife's uncle's house outside of Foz. I don't have TIP, and everybody says online they don't do them any more. But i've also met both brazilians and argentines who INSIST that they are still in effect and i'm going to be screwed when i try and take the truck out of brazil. People shared lists of the least manned borders... Mostly suggesting secondary border crossings in to Uruguay.

I didn't try and extend, and haven't tried driving out. My 5 year visa expires in November, so i'll have to renew that. My plan is to fly to the Argentine side, and do the land border. Pick up the truck and drive it out when i get around to it.

Second time I've heard a five-year visa mentioned. The little man at Iguanzu said no such thing - for us anyway - so may be a particular nationality can get them. We will head to Europe next and leaving the vehicle in Brazil means I have to be near a Brazil consulate in Europe for a few days before we fly out so that adds to the expense.

These three-month, get your visa before you get to the border, deals are a pain and the US 5 year visa is great. Just need something similar for Europe and life on the road will be much easier. Brazil is so big and the options for slow trips in isolated sections are so numerous that even being able to extend it to 180 days doesn't make it much easier Thems the rules though so have to live with them.

Leaving vehicle in BZ
 

Ahoy there m'hearties!

I'm doing the same. Just bought a return flight from Brazil to UK, leaving before 3mth visa expires mid-Dec. Following tea and medals with the Queen, a reload Marks & Sparks finest undies and a various other essential things, I'm back mid-Jan for three more months. That's the plan. Back to the Andes with brolly at the ready.

For a Brit, that's your 6mths max stay per year.

Importantly, when I entered from Peru at the Amazonas border, the friendly official confirmed there's no TIP, though the vehicle registration details goes into the cursed computer system.

Thus! Once I've found a trusted place to store the bike, I intend to ask them to write a letter in Portuguese and English that they have agreed to store the bike for the 5 weeks while I'm away, letter head, signed and as official-looking as possible.

This, I trust, will smooth any potential problems with both immigration and the check-in desk on return (the first time I tried to come to Brazil in 2004 on a one-way ticket I had to buy a return ticket at check in at Lisbon airport. Just before Carnival. Owch. Learned that one the hard way). I'll also have the vehicle ownership docs with me, overland bike insurance etc, plus the fact the ticket will be a return ticket to Brazil. And anything else I think of nearer the time.

Should be fine. No rules are being broken here. It's a very logical thing to do. Back to see friends and family and renewing visa at same time.

Cheers!

Bob

P.S. Andi and Ellen! Hi! Send me a quick email with update whereabouts. 'Twould be great to cross paths again.

Brazil has different visa rules for different nationalities, but what you're describing involves the fact that each Brazilian consulate makes up its own rules to some extent. The one in Iguazu is known to give only single-entry, short-term visas. They compensate by dispensing them freely and rapidly, with little of the bureaucracy Brazil is famous for.

If you read the official websites, you're supposed to have purchased your visa in your home country, and it should be impossible to do otherwise. Fortunately, that's not actually necessary--see my first sentence above. The one bit of policy you can't evade is the price, which is based on whatever your home country happens to be charging Brazilians at the time you apply.

All of this is common knowledge. As for the actual question asked by the OP....well, I guess I've got no idea. When I was there a couple of years back Brazil used a TVIP system similar to all other Latin American countries. I'm listening for an authoritative answer based on something more solid than speculation about how things might, should, could or even almost certainly (might) work.

Mark