Brazilian Visa Procedures in Cape Town:

For Yachters applying for Brazilian Tourism Visa in Cape Town, South Africa, you need:

a)      Enter Brazilian Embassy site on internet and apply for Visa online. Print form and get Receipt Number given by site.

b)      Prepare a letter stating:

1.       Departure date from cape Town

2.       Arrival date in Brazil

3.       Owner of the boat

4.       Registration number of boat

5.       Passport(s) number (s)

6.       Proof of funds, such as a Credit Card or Bank Statement

7.       Photo

c)       With letter and filled up form from site, go to Brazilian Consulate at:

22 Riebeck St.

Triangle House

It will take up to 7 days to be ready.

NEW Proposed Landing - Bracuhy, Ilha Grande Bay, Rio de Janeiro

Due the great difficulty on getting the Ilhabela sailing and authority communities involved on the Brally project, and by the joining of the ABVC (Brazilian Association of Cruisers), we will have better land/locals support, facilities and documentation process in Bracuhy (http://www.marinabracuhy.com.br/marin.htm), a Sailors Marina in the Ilha Grande Bay, and close to Angra dos Reis City, in the State of Rio De Janeiro.

We are working on a process whereby the arriving boats will be received by a local Ambassador from ABVC or arranged by the ABVC. We will soon post names, emails and local cell numbers for local Ambassadors.

On the pictures you see the WPs for landing in the Ilha Grande Bay and the proposed route going to Bracuhy. I suggest you install the BSB Charts available from the Brazilian Navy site as posted previously, but you can also check on the charts you use on your boat to confirm the landing and arrival to Bracuhy.

If you have to stop anywhere before the landing proposed, choose always a bay protected from the SW. I will be posting good anchorages for the area on the next posting.

Once in Bracuhy, you can anchor at the bay in front of it and go check the marina or you can enter the marina and negotiate a stay, that will have special deals for the Brally boats. There you will have fuel and water, with grocery store for provisioning a good walking distance away, but more likely, someone from the ABVC will support you on your local needs.

We are providing a Brally t-shirt and hat, which will help the locals on identifying that you belong to the Brally group.

Entry documentation will be done likely on the marina, or with the help from a local Ambassador.

Status 2012/12/03:

When to go:

There is little consensus among the boats interested about when should the group leave from Cape Town. Some want to go for Carnaval, some want to meet the group somewhere more North than Ilhabela, some want to enjoy South Africa more, etc. The alternative is to define possibilities for different landings and let each boat decide when to join the group. I will be posting potential landings and good anchorage areas, as the marinas are full as per next paragraph. I expect to get going between the first two weeks of January/13. Boats that want to spend Carnaval there need to leave till the 4^th of January.

Marinas:

There is only one marina in São Paulo that has made available berths and travel lift for cruisers that want to leave the boat in BR and travel elsewhere. All the marinas along the cost are completely full, as the boat manufacturing is bursting in BR for the last 5 years, delivering over 650.000 boats per year. We will need to look for best anchorages options along the cost.

The marina available in São Paulo is Pier 26 and their contact information follows bellow. I suggest you make contact with that marina to make reservations for berthing or travel lift/services. Don’t forget to mention that you are from BRally so they will give you the discounts negotiated with them.

We negotiated prices for Brally 2013-2914 boats as follows:

Prices for a 42foot boat:

Month in the water: R$ 2.194,50

Day in the water:  R$ 89,04

Day on the dry: R$ 95,00

Lift up:  R$ 420,00

Lift down:  R$ 420,00

Boats that stay for 6 months will have one lift (in/out) free.

Documentation:

We are still working hard to get the most comfortable entry/exit documentation as possible, and have managed to negotiate an easier process where we will do documentation at the marina where we will enter the country, and they will help with the documentation process.  That is a great positive for the boats going together, but, Brazil is a very large country and I am sure things can be more difficult in areas beyond our control. Nevertheless, we have people on land that will be helping on the documentation process, as needed and as possible.

Anchorages:

I will be posting recommended anchorages along the way shortly.

Documentation for cruisers entering and exiting Brazil:

With a few exceptions, all Brazilian main ports are points of entry and exit of Brazil by boat.

Prior Visa upon arrival is necessary for citizens of countries that also require visa for Brazilians visitors to that country.

Upon arrival, each foreigner will receive a 90 days visa, with exception of the foreigners that had to request a visa prior to their arrival. In that case, their visa will regulate the time for permanency.  The visas can be extended for another 90 days, so the maximum time that a foreign can remain in the Brazilian territory is 180 days. After that, the foreign has to exit to another country and can return right next, so, an option for the ones that want to stay longer is to make a trip to Iguaçu Falls, in the corner of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, so they can enjoy the beautiful sceneries of those falls, and while they visit the Argentina and Paraguay side, they can return to Brazil for another 90+90 stay.

Each extension of additional 90 days must be done 15 days prior to the expiration date of the current visa, at an office of the Brazilian Federal Police (Policia Federal).

A foreign boat can stay in Brazil for a period of 2 years.

The proper attire when visiting Brazilian Authorities is long pants and shirt. Short pants and TShirts may not be accepted. 

The procedure to do the entry in Brazil is as follows:

Before heading to an anchorage area, you must fly (Starboard) the Q Flag (Yellow) to inform anyone looking at your boat that there is not yet proper local documentation finalized. The Q Flag must be up until any and all required documentation is finalized and available. The Q Flag can be lowered after the boat and crew are registered as per defined procedures. You shall not leave the boat while the Q Flag is up, unless if authorized by local authorities. If in an medical or safety emergency, ask permission for the Marina Manager or local authority available.

Covid-19: This site will maintain an up to date require procedure for treating with the Covid-19 pandemic. If the time-frame since leaving last port is equal or greater the required quarantine period, the crew may be released from that requirement, upon local authorities discretion. The local authorities may require a Covid-19 test, if one not available with less then 72h.

1. Starts with a visit to the Federal Police Maritima (NEPON) to fill up the form Foreigner Entry/Exit Card (Cartão de Entrada e Saida de Visitante).  

The documents required for NEPON are:

a)      Boat Registry Certificate

b)      Valid Passports for all crew

c)       Exit Clearance from last port

The documents produced at NEPON are:

a)      Entry/Exit Card stamped with the arrival date

b)      Stamped Passports

c)       Entry Clearance (Passe de Entrada)

2.       The next step is to visit the Customs Office (Receita Federal – Alfandega).

The documents required for Alfandega are:

d)      Boat Registry Certificate

e)      Entry/Exit Card stamped with the arrival date (Issued by NEPOM)

f)       Stamped Passports  for all crew (Stamped by NEPOM)

g)      Exit Clearance from last port (Issued by NEPOM)

The documents produced at Alfandega are:

d)      Import Declaration (DSI)

e)      Custom Visit Declaration (TVA)

f)       Liability Agreement (Termo de Responsabilidade)

Now you can lower the Q Flag.

3.       To finalize the entry to the country, a visit to the Port Authority (Capitania dos Portos).  

The documents required for Capitania dos Portos are:

h)      Boat Registry Certificate

i)        Entry/Exit Card stamped with the arrival date (Issued by NEPOM)

j)        Stamped Passports  for all crew (Stamped by NEPOM)

k)      Exit Clearance from last port (Issued by NEPOM)

g)      Import Declaration (DSI) (Issued at Alfandega)

h)      Custom Visit Declaration (TVA) (Issued at Alfandega)

l)        Liability Agreement (Termo de Responsabilidade) (Issued at Alfandega)

The documents produced at Capitania dos Portos are:

i)        Boat Entry/Exit Declaration (Only for first port entered)

The procedure to do the exit of Brazil is as follows:

4.       Starts with a visit to the Federal Police Maritima (NEPON).

The documents required for NEPON are:

m)    Boat Registry Certificate

n)      Stamped Passports for all crew

o)      Entry/Exit Card stamped with the arrival date (Issued by NEPOM upon arrival)

p)      Entry Clearance (Passe de Entrada) (Issued by NEPOM upon arrival)

The documents produced at NEPON are:

j)        Stamped Passports

k)      Exit Clearance (Passe de Saida)

5.       The next step is to visit the Customs Office (Receita Federal – Alfandega).

The documents required for Alfandega are:

q)      Exit Clearance  (Passe de Saida) (Issued by NEPOM)

r)       Liability Agreement (Termo de Responsabilidade) (Issued by Alfandega)

The documents produced at Alfandega are:

l)        Export Declaration (DSE)

m)    Custom Clearance (Passe de Saida)

6.       To finalize, a visit to the Port Authority (Capitania dos Portos).  

The documents required for Capitania dos Portos are:

s)       Exit Clearance from last port (Issued by NEPOM)

t)       Custom Clearance (Passe de Saida) (Issued by Alfandega)

The documents produced at Capitania dos Portos are:

n)      Boat Entry/Exit Declaration

These procedures can and may vary from one port to another, but the sequence is basically this one. Please carry a copy of these procedures in case some local authority requires some additional procedures not included here.

Every time the boat moves to a new port,  the Port Authority (Capitania dos Portos) needs to be informed by radio (CH 16 – Capitania).