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According to a source I saw recently (don't remember where), USA citizens are visa-exempt for ninety days in Brazil, with a single renewal possible.

It is not clear from http://saofrancisco.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/visas.xml which type of visa would be appropriate for a retired person to stay in Brazil longer than 180 days. (Non-working, income sufficient to live long term.)

Asking the San Francisco consulate, the response was the retirement visa which assumes intent to live there permanently. When I clarified my request, they said there "He/she cannot, on a visitor status."

This is also not clear. It appears that I would have to apply for permanent residence, and then just leave when I am ready. Another source says the residence permission is canceled when you do that. Would such a cancellation prevent future visits? Or is there an option that they aren't telling me? Would applying for permanent residence when you don't intend to be permanent be considered making a false statement?

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  • Are you wanting a longer-term tourist visa, or specifically temporary residence? Have you seen justlanded.com/english/Brazil/Brazil-Guide/Visas-Permits/… ? – Midavalo Feb 17 at 1:17
  • The government page I cited is a more detailed version of that. Temporary residence, or non residence. The issue seems to be that longer than 180 days is not possible unless I misrepresent my intent. – WGroleau Feb 17 at 5:57
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One solution may be to request a VIPER (VIsto PERmanente, Permanent Visa) (which at first is actually issued for 2 years, after that time you need to apply again to make it properly permanent). It seems to be a lot of hassle though, including transferring some amount of money to a Brazilian account every month, getting an RNE (Brazilian foreigner ID). Several years ago it took me over 4 months to get a VITEM V (temporary working visa), so I can imagine it takes even longer to request a permanent one.

It appears that I would have to apply for permanent residence, and then just leave when I am ready. (...) Would such a cancellation prevent future visits?

I can't find a definite answer (in English or Portuguese), but I know plenty of people who got permanent visa / residency (e.g. because they married with a Brazilian), left the country after several years and kept coming back as tourists. After all, your plans may change.

This article about VIPER on the Consulate General of Brazil in Vancouver says:

If the holder of a permanent visa, even after all registration procedures in Brazil have been completed, leaves the country for more than two years in a row, the visa will expire, the ID for foreigner (RNE) will automatically be revoked and the person will have to re-apply for a new permanent visa.

It seems to be outdated though, e.g. it mentions at least R$6.000 (~1.100 USD) monthly, but this decree issued by the Brazilian MFA in 2019 says (link in Portuguese, translated by me):

Art. 1º The temporary visa can be issued to a retired immigrant or a pension beneficiary, who can show a proof of a monthly transfer to Brazil of 2.000,00 USD or a higher value, in a foreign currency (...)

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    Yeah, the transfer is a nuisance, considering I can do fee-reimbursed withdrawals at any ATM. – WGroleau Feb 18 at 2:11
  • It’s also puzzling how one can prove monthly deposit in a Brazilian bank before getting a visa and going there to open an account. My Portuguese is barely A1 or A2, and I imagine a lot of people arrive with none at all. Wouldn’t want to choose a bank merely from their website. – WGroleau Feb 18 at 16:34
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TL;DR;

I'm afraid it is not possible for a tourist-visa holder to stay in Brazil longer than 180 days in a given year.

Longer version:

According to this official Foreign Relations webiste and this linked document, United States passport holders have a visa exemption, for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days.

Additionaly, according to this official Federal Police website (sorry, could only find a portuguese version), visitors can extend their 90 days visit for another 90 days period, but:

  1. The extension is not automatic
  2. The visitor must go to a Federal Police office and provide a few documents as well as pay a fee.

Alternative solution

There are other types of visa (investor, student, health care, among others) which might be worth to check. Perhaps you fulfill the requirements for one of them which could, hopefully, allow you to stay longer than 180 days.

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  • As I said, none of those apply, though certainly I could pretend. – WGroleau Feb 17 at 16:55
  • From what I gathered so far, looks like you just can't stay any longer than 180 days as a tourist. Applying for residence should not be as quick and easy as it might sound. Probably fellows on expatriate.SE should know better. – gmauch Feb 17 at 17:00
  • They say pretty much the same things I found in English. Doesn’t make sense, but then I’ve learned not to expect government rules to make sense. – WGroleau Feb 17 at 17:06
  • Looks like you can try to become a permanent resident. I know there is a process to formally tell the government that you are leaving Brazil and becoming a non-resident, though that's specific for taxes. I'm not sure how that works for possible future visits as a tourist. – gmauch Feb 17 at 17:26

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