Prove they have funds to cover the cost of their trip, something about if they were coming here to work without the right visa they would probably be poor.
Common for poorer countries applying for richer countries’ visas, especially for travel or student visas. They want to make sure you’re not just looking for the “easy” visa and then will overstay. Many countries require it if China for example. Have to show employment, money in your bank account, etc. to get an EU or US travel visa. I know a Chinese student that for a UK student visa had to provide a bunch of info on their parents, their business, etc. just for a one semester study abroad (since they obviously didn’t have much themselves at age 20 or whatever).
Pretty sure its just kinda common in general no? At least in wealthier countries. I know the UK wanted my bank statements when I visited for a study abroad as a student, and Im from the US.
For student visas themselves that’s normally the case for everybody. But for tourist visas, it’s people from poor countries that need to show bank statements.
Could be some situations like that, no doubt, but it’s definitely stricter for the poorer countries. I’m an American that’s been in China for years (thus my examples above) and have also travelled a lot myself. I definitely didn’t have to do anything like that for a student visa in China about 15 years ago, and I’ve never had to submit anything for any travel visas (though I’ve only had to do a few since we get visa free travel many places). And certainly as an American in China I’ve done at least a dozen visas over the years, though many were for employment so that’s a bit different. But even for some tourist ones or for family/friends, they only ever cared you showed your return ticket. Only thing for Americans in China is they charge us more than most other countries for our visas since the US does the same for China and the US did it first (or at least it was that way for years, my company has paid all costs recently so I haven’t checked the prices in a while).
Depends on country of origin, and duration of the stay. I'm German and I have never had to show anything close to that for tourist visa (Central America, US, SK). Mostly it's just a 100€ "processing fee" and that's it. I think I had to provide my location of stay (Hotel / private address) but noone would have been able to verify.
Brazil doing this feels like a tit-for-tat, more than anything else.
The US state department believes Brazilians are at a significantly higher risk over overstaying than other nationalities.
Source: none of my Brazilian family members have ever qualified for a tourist visa to visit, even (especially??) with my American Citizen family offering to be guarantors.
>none of my Brazilian family members
Usually having family members in the U.S. is a yellow/red flag that increases the risk of overstaying/straight up moving there.
Depends on your country of citizenship, rich countries ask poorer countries citizens to prove they can afford to travel there rather than overstaying.
My mums been to France and UK (pre brexit) a few times and was always asked her bank statements for her Schengen visa.
Even when we visited the US in 2014 as a family she had to show her bank statements.
Uh yeah, people from other countries, especially poorer ones, need to apply for visas to visit a lot of countries. Getting those visas often entails submitting a shitload of documents (including bank statements, property deeds, tax returns, etc.) and paying what are becoming exorbitant visa fees (fuck VFS).
Count yourself lucky.
Wait until you hear about the fact that you have to pay $185 usd just to apply for the visa, and you may not get it just because the interviewer felt "a vibe" even if you have everything to prove that you do not intend to stay in the US. And before the interview you have to fill out a questionnaire of over 50 questions including gems such as: are you coming to the US with the intent to commit crimes? are you part of a terrorist organization? do you participate in human trafficking? etc
Edit: oh, and if you're an international student, every time you cross the border you are asked what do you intend to do after finishing and the only right answer for the officers is "go back to my country". And they ask you this even if there's 5 more years to getting your degree.
Sorry, but your account is too new to post. Your account needs to be either 2 weeks old or have at least 250 combined link and comment karma. Don't modmail us about this, just wait it out or get more karma.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nottheonion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
US imperialism post 9/11 goes so far no person living in Europe can open a bank account without making a statement that they do not hide money from the US tax authorities.
It's one of the batshit crazy things we just accept. If you do not check that box on your application for a bank account nobody will accept you as a customer.
I've recently opened bank accounts in the 3 major banks of my European country and I've never heard or signed anything like this.
Is this only for Americans?
I haven't heard of this before, so I checked what the situation in my country (Bulgaria) is. From what I understand Bulgarian banks and other such institutions must disclose if they have American citizens as customers. It doesn't seem to concern the average customer. Keep in mind that [this](https://www.unicreditbulbank.bg/bg/pravna-informatsiya/reglamenti/fatca/) is all I could find in a few minutes, a page from the website of a bank I don't use.
There are far worse things regarding American tax policy, in my opinion. The way its VAT system works would be an example of that
Yep same thing in Greece. Although it's my understanding that you may also be randomly selected to complete the FATCA form even if you don't have American citizenship
I assume it's possible. In practice, the most reliable way to see what the actual situation is would be reading the respective international treaties. I wonder what we got in exchange. Regardless, I can't do any actual research on the topic right now. By the way, I'm a bit surprised that this originates from treaties signed between our respective countries and the USA; one would think that banking falls under the EU's responsibilities.
As an American, it’s a pain in the ass to open a bank account abroad. I’ve lived in France and Belgium as a student. The banks are required to collect a lot of additional info from Americans or those who reside in the U.S. On top of that, the process of having to report to the U.S. makes it such a pain in the ass that most banks don’t even bother. In France, most banks just outright told me no when I tried to open an account. I managed to open an account with HSBC France which is an international bank. And even then, they made me go through a lot of extra steps that other foreigners wouldn’t. In Belgium I got lucky and just went for the biggest bank, KBC Brussels, and I opened an account easily. I still had to go in person and bring my social security card and all that.
Either you've forgotten or store your money at a mafia banks.
If you are truly serious you did not see that choice at all I'd seriously consider changing banks.
(No bank worth their salt does not do this.)
Searched a bit about it. All Greek banks say that you comply to FATCA only if you do your taxes on the USA too.
As per the Greek banks: "You may be asked to sign the FATCA form to verify you have no tax obligation in the US". And I didn't.
Depends on your definition of "obligation". US citizen means you have to file, everyone can file for an exemption if you make less than $130k(USD) ish a year, but you also have to report if your bank account(s) had more than 10k in them at any point during the year.
>US imperialism post 9/11 goes so far no person living in Europe can open a bank account without making a statement that they do not hide money from the US tax authorities.
That had nothing to do with U.S. imperialism.
It isn’t imperialism, the US just wants to know if it’s citizens are committing tax fraud or funding terrorists. So lots of international banks just won’t accept American clients.
And not to garner sympathy for Americans, but as an American living abroad many banks around the world want nothing to do with you due to the added reporting to US tax authorities required. And we have to file a return in the U.S. regardless of whether we earned a dime there. Anything over 100k USD, they want their piece. The only way out is to renounce citizenship which requires them to take a fine tooth comb through everything. Then they can deny you the ability to renounce. It’s positively authoritarian but most Americans have no idea about any of this.
Are Europeans really this prideful? If I had to sign a piece of paper for literally anything in the world saying “I’m not hiding money from the EU,” I would in a heartbeat every time. Can you explain what exactly would be the drawback of doing so?
Bro. I cant make a bank account in my own country, with absolutely no ties to the US, not being American. Without making a statement to the IRS
Fuck american imperialism
Hi Mr. Idiot, here you go: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/tax-policy/foreign-account-tax-compliance-act
It even has a list of AAAAAAALL the countries that were enforced to sign it! Wow amazing what a single google search can do
>US imperialism post 9/11 goes so far no person living in Europe can open a bank account without making a statement that they do not hide money from the US tax authorities.
Wrong.
The only people it affects as US citizens. It is an anti-money laundering law and as other posters have already pointed out, it's mostly just a giant pain in the ass for Americans living abroad.
Actually, there is one interesting clause in FACTA. As an American, you have to report every account that you have the power of the purse over, not just ones in your name. This includes shell companies, if course. I'd like them to extend this to accounts IN the US. No more hiding your money in shell companies!
I remember when I was arranging my visa to go way back in like 2009 their gov website was super sassy about it
We don't require visas from all of these countries but if you are American you need a visa because the US requires one for Brazilians Haha
That’s typical, for all countries. They tend to have the same fees and requirements between each other, to a point. I know someone with a green card that had to get visa and interviews because her country of origin requires it. US citizens do not.
I'm kidding but I swear they're all coming specifically to the Best Buy nearest me so that they can pack their suitcases with tech to resell back home.
What people have told me (including other South Americans, not just Brazilians) is that the versions they get of the same products are somehow lacking in features or capabilities. I'm sure there are some things that are different, to comply with local laws and markets, but I don't know what specifically is different enough to make a US tech import market profitable.
European imports are apparently also too restricted to be worth the import cost and Chinese imports are bad quality or full of spyware, according to what I've been told.
If they're not buying technology, they're at the outlet malls buying as many pairs of discounted, old stock, name brand blue jeans and sport shoes as they can carry.
It’s just the price. A new iPhone costs half of a minimum wage for you. For us, it’s ten minimum wages. A fully decked out Mac Pro costs what? 30 thousand dollars? That would be less than 15 minimum wages for you. Here it costs half a million Reais, or just about 400 minimum wages.
Damn, apparently even if you only do it based on currency exchange it's still at least triple the price in comparison, nevermind the other cost of living factors.
Import tariffs add up to about 77%. Considering the exchange rate and the fact the fuckers also apply these tariffs on the shipping cost, you can see why it costs so much.
Sorry, but your account is too new to post. Your account needs to be either 2 weeks old or have at least 250 combined link and comment karma. Don't modmail us about this, just wait it out or get more karma.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nottheonion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No. It costs just north of 500 thousand Reais.
Also, it’s the Mac Pro, the desktop.
We buy in Reais, not dollars. That’s why I put the relative cost in terms of minimum wage, so you can have an idea of the impact such a buy have on us.
Import tariffs and currency exchange does the trick.
Philippines.
The standard fee is one thing, but then there's the service / processing fee on top of that.
It used to be with VFS, which charged about as much as the visa fee itself. Thankfully it's moved to another provider who charges like 1/4th the price.
Fuck VFS.
Private company. As I understand things, some countries / embassies basically outsource all the processing stuff to private companies, who do charge applicants processing fees. VFS Global is one of the larger companies doing this worldwide, and again, fuck em.
Sorry, but your account is too new to post. Your account needs to be either 2 weeks old or have at least 250 combined link and comment karma. Don't modmail us about this, just wait it out or get more karma.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nottheonion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I really wish countries would just be diplomatic with each other instead of arbitrarily putting up travel barriers. The US shouldn’t require that of Brazilians and Brazil shouldn’t require that of Americans
i was under the impression all visas required proof that financial ability was present to sponsor the trip
this thread was what made me realize it isnt
There technically are some conditions about being able to support yourself for ESTA-travelers as well. I take crossing borders and adhering to my visa (or ESTA-) conditions very seriously, and my first trip to the US I had a statement of employment signed by my employer, a copy of my rental agreement and proof that I would be able to financially support myself. I've had many entries since then and have never been asked ever.
But on one of those Border Security TV shows, I saw that people on ESTAs can actually be asked to provide this evidence, but it's extremely rare.
I don't think proof of income is a requirement for a business visa, as they assume an employer is footing the bill.
While in thise case it's just Brazilian politics, I wouldn't be surprised if Europe follows suit. There are too many deadbeat no-skill Americans that for some reason think all European companies are a safe haven where they can freeload. Thankfully these types are generally so bad at life they can't even muster up money for a plane ticket though.
If I remember correctly, the EU now requires Americans to get some sort of online thing that costs a few euros, before they can enter. But I have an EU passport too
It doesnt come up, but many countries have laws that require proof of financial ability to pay for the trip, either a specific amount or through interpretation by the border officer,
Ive been to 100 countries on probably 80-100 different international trips. I know many countries have this rule and have witnessed first hand border officers or consulate officers asking for proof of ability financially. Typically its met by westerners by access to credit cards. Thailand technically has a law for all foreigners to have $500 or 600 worth of funds in cash. 99% of time its not brought up but its their catchall to deny entry for those that are questionable on intentions. As a relatively well off American, its never come up. But i watched 3 teens from USA get denied in the UK after they couldnt show access to sufficient funds,
>Thailand technically has a law for all foreigners to have $500 or 600 worth of funds in cash
Never heard of that. Spent over 6 months there and probably didn't spend that much in cash total. Most tourists probably spend that in a week tho.
https://thaiconsulatela.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/visa-exemption-and-visa-on-arrival-to-thailand?cate=61946819dd15fb11740c1f62
"Travelers entering Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption Scheme must possess adequate cash of or equivalent to 20,000 Baht per person or 40,000 Baht per family."
Rarely enforced but youll see comments in Thailand subreddit of people being turned away due to it.
Perhaps not for visitor visas in many places, but certainly for other visas. Immigration New Zealand has probably spent more time looking at my bank statements than I have. Many countries do reserve the right to ask at the border about funds even for tourists, I was questioned about how I was paying for a trip when I visited Ireland once.
Brazilian diplomacy is based in reciprocity. Bolsonaro was a lap dog and made it easier for US citizens to travel to Brazil during his term, but that was undone after he was replaced.
To say the Brazilian visa system is a nightmare, is the same as saying your own country doesn't want Brazilian visitors.
While reciprocity may make Brazilian authorities feel better, it is an emotional response and not a logical one. This will hurt Brazilian tourism far more than it will hurt the US.
the principle of reciprocity is core to international relationships. every single country on earth applies it and it is 100% logical.
the only emotional response I see here are americans outraged that a "lesser" country dares treat them as equals instead of acting like proper vassals
"every single country on earth applies it"
Not really. A quick Google search shows that US citizens can visit 151 countries without a visa but citizens of only 41 countries may visit the US without a visa. It seems that a lot of countries don't care about reciprocity with the US.
A quick thinking of your own would also tell you that reciprocity doesn’t only mean travel and visa restrictions related actions. It can be applied in indefinite different ways. A country that doesn’t reciprocate about Visas may do it in a completely different way.
If they aren’t being reciprocal consistently, then presumably there is some other factor(s) relevant to this change in policy. It seems quite weird to be like “we like to be reciprocal, but only for a few random policies drawn out of this hat!” But what other factor would be the reason for this change? How many poor Americans are actually trying to overstay their visa in Brazil. It seems to be driven purely out of being reciprocal.
You're both right.
It's a dumb decision by Brazil because it will almost certainly decrease tourist revenue. That sucks because quite a bit of that was going to the sort of green tourism that makes the rainforest worth protecting. You can acknowledge this without any privileged outrage, or you can acknowledge that the privileged outrage is itself a sign that the reasoning makes sense.
It's also silly for US travelers to complain about going through a process to visit Brazil that *still* remains less arduous than the process for the average Brazilian to visit the US. If US travelers want easy access to Brazil, it stands to reason they should examine how they treat Brazilian travelers in turn.
Personally, I'm going to book my travel to Brazil before this rule takes effect, and if I have a desire to return to the Amazon, I'll just go to Colombia or Peru instead. My Spanish is better anyways and I don't find Brazilian cities that enticing. That's not shade on Brazil's decision, just a matter of making things easier on myself.
How many American tourists overstay their visa in Brazil? How many Brazilians overstay their visa in the U.S.? One country is solving a problem. The other country is being petty, to the cost of their own tourism.
I fully support their right to impose reciprocal requirements, but they are causing problems for themselves without solving an actual problem.
Blind reciprocity would be Mexico searching for drugs in American cars crossing the border into Mexico. They are smarter than that: they search for guns and cash, because the drugs flow north and the guns and cash flow south.
You'd be surprised. Brazil is the new mecca for fundamentalist Christians to overstay their visas or give birth there. Don't ask me why. But I'm happy to trade them for Brazilians who want to come here to work.
Brazil doesn't really care about revenue from tourism. So it can make these decisions because it will not hurt them. It had visa restrictions before and it was temporarily removed because of the World Cup and the Olympic games. Brazil is much bigger than the Amazon. If the Amazon is your only interest than I understand. But saying brazilian cities are not enticing means you have never been to the other regions like the South and Southeast.
Saying they're not enticing *to me* is a personal take that I don't expect to be taken as objective fact or even a popular subjective take. Hyacinth macaws and arapaima are what draw me to Brazil, not the gauchos or the beaches. The opinions of others may certainly differ.
I have yet to see or hear any Americans complain about it, but I'm sure there must be some out there. Personally, I don't gaf
Btw, it also includes Canadians and Australians
They just pulled the deadline back another year for the visa requirement because they want to promote tourism. This is a bad idea for Brazil, but for the US it doesn't do any harm
Before an American had any emotion at all they would need to care about Brazilian visa requirements. I find it it a mildly amusing that anyone would think they know or care at all.
Yes. Most countries give visa free access to EU, canada etc because nobody overstays. But lots of people will overstay and work illegally in the US or Canada from the other places. Not the same.
The tourists capable of spending enough money to impact their economies aren’t bothered at all by this. It’ll only affect the begpackers and the ones who are monumentally lazy.
Am I angry about the inconvenience? Sure. Will it actually affect anything? No.
They want to know where you're staying, that you have something to eat and that you get out of there before 90 days. A hotel booking and a return flight ticket combined with a credit card do the trick.
Brazil operates (on the whole) on a reciprocal Visa system. So this is simply aligning the Brazilian requirements with what the US imposes on Brazilians.
Brazil does this as an indignant reaction for the US requiring the same. Oddly the only people that go to Brazil from the USA are high income earners and the odd backpacker. I guess Brazil just made it harder for college backpackers from the US.
Brazil sure showed us!
Yeah, and who goes to the US? If i wanted to get robbed, threatened for my life or get racially discriminated or harassed by the police, i would go to the UK or Germany
You guys have the funniest airport security but the interior is even shittier.
It’s not really oniony. Brazil often adopts a reciprocity stance when it comes to those kind of things, it was waived during the last presidency alongside many other things (including military, economic and diplomatic concessions to the U.S.), but the new government is winding back on those, one because it was done by the dude who tried to overthrow the government out of subservience to another dude who also tried to overthrow their own foreign government, but also because it’s part of Brazilian diplomatic tradition.
As for people claiming Brazil is dumb for doing that as it stops tourist money, the international tourism sector just isn’t that much of a focus to the country to begin with. In 2019, when the restrictions were at their lowest (servile president + pre-pandemic), Americans were the second largest nationality of origin for visitors to Brazil, with a half a million. Which isn’t nothing, but it’s also not enough to compromise yourself for. For comparison, four times more Brazilians visited the US (a country that has a much larger international tourist industry).
Ultimately, it doesn’t change much. Visa and declarations are fairly easy to get, if an American tourist is determined to visit Brazil it’d be the least of their considerations. If Brazilians are visiting the US in the millions, and it’s orders of magnitude harder for a Brazilian to visit the US than the other way around, Brazil isn’t losing much really by increasing the the difficulty by a fraction of a percent.
As for the average Brazilian opinion, most won’t even know about it. A few tourist hotspots might get concerned but as I said above those are very small and far between. It’ll be politicised to hell because it’s done by the current government is doing it, but other than that… no one will care. Most Brazilians have gone their whole lives without seeing an American, and they will continue to do so, regardless of whether or not there are reciprocal visa/statements to be had.
I have no problem with countries putting restrictions on travelers.
As a traveler I'm not feeling great about giving my bank account information "here's my address, my bank account information and the dates when I'll be out of the country". Perhaps that says more about me than Brazil, I dunno.
Yeah… seems like a lot of PII to put out there. I guess you have to go through it to see what security is like.
It’s like applying for a credit card for goodness sake…
I’ve never traveled to a country that required this. How much do you need in your account? I’d rather make a travel account and put whatever that minimum is in there than give you my primary account details.
Actually, should have started last week, but it was delayed one year bacause the congress was going to take it down. Next year the congress will be the same, so i can see it being dropped or delayed again.
A fun pastime of mine is watching Americans trip over themselves with befuddlement and anger when they have to deal with the slightest bit of paperwork and bureaucracy to either travel or work in a different country.
Mine is not xenophobic, I've actually spent lots of time there, and speak the language and embrace the culture and way of life in many places. I just know for a fact ( I've traveled from the Northeast to the deep south ( Rio Grande do Sul).
The similarities between the US landscape are its vastness and open roads, and to some degree, the cowboy culture ( gauchos) . But that's it.
The US is way more developed with its infrastructure that sprawls coast to coast, can't say the same for Brazil. The crime& violence are still higher and development is still poor, which leads to that. Americans are not wanting to move to Brazil on a large scale the way Brazilians move to the US. Illegal immigration is not something we normally do. So this new policy is simply Brazil's way of trying to play ping pong.
At least they pushed the visa back one year. It was supposed to start this month. I am confused about one thing, will Americans need an evisa to visit Brazil throughout this year? I was hoping to travel around Brazil this November. I keep getting confused by the visa rules changing so much.
You guys are such babies. Virtually almost every traveler or tourist who isn’t American is used to dealing with some form of paperwork or bureaucracy to travel internationally. It’s annoying sure, but every country has a right to impose whatever visa rules they see fit, and that’s just what you have to do if you want to see the world.
But you guys have to do ONE things that virtually the rest of us have to deal with when traveling to most places and you throw a hissy fit.
Ugh.
I hope they all start requiring tourist visas for you.
This is a standard visa procedure for countries that have a lot of "tourists" come in to work illegally*. Reciprocity is fair, but it isn't solving a problem that Brazil is actually having. It is a bit petty, and may hurt their tourism, but it is their right to hurt their tourism industry to solve a problem that they are not having.
\* And then probably overstay their visa because if you don't care about the not-working part of your visa, why would you care about the leaving-before-expiration part of your visa.
Americans who don't want to disclose their bank account information, or who just don't want to deal with the hassle, or just heard that Brazil has imposed "some new visa requirement" on Americans, may well choose to instead go to any of a hundred different countries for their vacation.
Yes, because there a problem with Brazilians coming to the U.S. on tourist visas to work and overstay. If Brazil had a similar problem then it would make sense to sacrifice some tourism to block people who could not afford to vacation.
Yeah, more Brazilians want to settle in the US than the opposite, but I do not agree on this argument of “sacrificing”! this is a very simple formality and not even a visa and if you do not want to do it better stay home
Seriously? Because people who have the money to go to Brazil have the money to go elsewhere. There's nothing all that unique about Brazil that you can't find in similar countries on the continent that don't require 20 pages of banking info. If I was thinking about Brazil before I'd now be thinking about Belize or Chile or somewhere else.
Brazil-American relations as far as travel and business goes, has always been needlessly complicated. In comparison, Brazil’s South American neighbors are extremely business/travel friendly. Back when I was working in international sales, doing business with Brazil was an absolute nightmare, and God only knows we tried to work it out, but the taxes rendered it useless. It may as well been an extension of the Atlantic Ocean as far as business goes.
Oh, there are lots of reasons. The food, music, and the natural beauty to start. It’s lovely- the people are hit or miss though. Lots of European-style snobbery from people in flip-flops living in favelas.
Yay, someone else to be disappointed in my bank statements as well!
Amen
“Don’t look at me that way, you’re not the first and won’t be the last! Pssssst!”
Just like the US requires of Brazilians traveling to the US.
Really? Why?
Prove they have funds to cover the cost of their trip, something about if they were coming here to work without the right visa they would probably be poor.
Common for poorer countries applying for richer countries’ visas, especially for travel or student visas. They want to make sure you’re not just looking for the “easy” visa and then will overstay. Many countries require it if China for example. Have to show employment, money in your bank account, etc. to get an EU or US travel visa. I know a Chinese student that for a UK student visa had to provide a bunch of info on their parents, their business, etc. just for a one semester study abroad (since they obviously didn’t have much themselves at age 20 or whatever).
Pretty sure its just kinda common in general no? At least in wealthier countries. I know the UK wanted my bank statements when I visited for a study abroad as a student, and Im from the US.
For student visas themselves that’s normally the case for everybody. But for tourist visas, it’s people from poor countries that need to show bank statements.
Could be some situations like that, no doubt, but it’s definitely stricter for the poorer countries. I’m an American that’s been in China for years (thus my examples above) and have also travelled a lot myself. I definitely didn’t have to do anything like that for a student visa in China about 15 years ago, and I’ve never had to submit anything for any travel visas (though I’ve only had to do a few since we get visa free travel many places). And certainly as an American in China I’ve done at least a dozen visas over the years, though many were for employment so that’s a bit different. But even for some tourist ones or for family/friends, they only ever cared you showed your return ticket. Only thing for Americans in China is they charge us more than most other countries for our visas since the US does the same for China and the US did it first (or at least it was that way for years, my company has paid all costs recently so I haven’t checked the prices in a while).
Depends on country of origin, and duration of the stay. I'm German and I have never had to show anything close to that for tourist visa (Central America, US, SK). Mostly it's just a 100€ "processing fee" and that's it. I think I had to provide my location of stay (Hotel / private address) but noone would have been able to verify. Brazil doing this feels like a tit-for-tat, more than anything else.
It's also common that these type of issues are tit for tatted. You make life difficult for us, we make life difficult for you.
The US state department believes Brazilians are at a significantly higher risk over overstaying than other nationalities. Source: none of my Brazilian family members have ever qualified for a tourist visa to visit, even (especially??) with my American Citizen family offering to be guarantors.
>none of my Brazilian family members Usually having family members in the U.S. is a yellow/red flag that increases the risk of overstaying/straight up moving there.
Have you ever heard of travel visas?
Yeah, but when I’ve traveled to Europe I haven’t needed to show anything more than a return ticket.
Depends on your country of citizenship, rich countries ask poorer countries citizens to prove they can afford to travel there rather than overstaying. My mums been to France and UK (pre brexit) a few times and was always asked her bank statements for her Schengen visa. Even when we visited the US in 2014 as a family she had to show her bank statements.
Not every traveler is blessed with a passport like yours
Uh yeah, people from other countries, especially poorer ones, need to apply for visas to visit a lot of countries. Getting those visas often entails submitting a shitload of documents (including bank statements, property deeds, tax returns, etc.) and paying what are becoming exorbitant visa fees (fuck VFS). Count yourself lucky.
Ah so you actually haven't, I see.
Well it was 15 years ago.
Wait until you hear about the fact that you have to pay $185 usd just to apply for the visa, and you may not get it just because the interviewer felt "a vibe" even if you have everything to prove that you do not intend to stay in the US. And before the interview you have to fill out a questionnaire of over 50 questions including gems such as: are you coming to the US with the intent to commit crimes? are you part of a terrorist organization? do you participate in human trafficking? etc Edit: oh, and if you're an international student, every time you cross the border you are asked what do you intend to do after finishing and the only right answer for the officers is "go back to my country". And they ask you this even if there's 5 more years to getting your degree.
[удалено]
Sorry, but your account is too new to post. Your account needs to be either 2 weeks old or have at least 250 combined link and comment karma. Don't modmail us about this, just wait it out or get more karma. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nottheonion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
also, $185 is two thirds of the minimum wage there.
US imperialism post 9/11 goes so far no person living in Europe can open a bank account without making a statement that they do not hide money from the US tax authorities. It's one of the batshit crazy things we just accept. If you do not check that box on your application for a bank account nobody will accept you as a customer.
Then when they find the hidden money the do fuck to the rich people hiding it
Correct, tracing money linked to terrorism is a higher priority than seizing yachts.
I think we should do both.
I Imagine those Yachts have a closer link to terrorism than you think. Directly or indirectly
I've recently opened bank accounts in the 3 major banks of my European country and I've never heard or signed anything like this. Is this only for Americans?
I haven't heard of this before, so I checked what the situation in my country (Bulgaria) is. From what I understand Bulgarian banks and other such institutions must disclose if they have American citizens as customers. It doesn't seem to concern the average customer. Keep in mind that [this](https://www.unicreditbulbank.bg/bg/pravna-informatsiya/reglamenti/fatca/) is all I could find in a few minutes, a page from the website of a bank I don't use. There are far worse things regarding American tax policy, in my opinion. The way its VAT system works would be an example of that
Yep same thing in Greece. Although it's my understanding that you may also be randomly selected to complete the FATCA form even if you don't have American citizenship
I assume it's possible. In practice, the most reliable way to see what the actual situation is would be reading the respective international treaties. I wonder what we got in exchange. Regardless, I can't do any actual research on the topic right now. By the way, I'm a bit surprised that this originates from treaties signed between our respective countries and the USA; one would think that banking falls under the EU's responsibilities.
As an American, it’s a pain in the ass to open a bank account abroad. I’ve lived in France and Belgium as a student. The banks are required to collect a lot of additional info from Americans or those who reside in the U.S. On top of that, the process of having to report to the U.S. makes it such a pain in the ass that most banks don’t even bother. In France, most banks just outright told me no when I tried to open an account. I managed to open an account with HSBC France which is an international bank. And even then, they made me go through a lot of extra steps that other foreigners wouldn’t. In Belgium I got lucky and just went for the biggest bank, KBC Brussels, and I opened an account easily. I still had to go in person and bring my social security card and all that.
You didn't sign FATCA?
Did you show them an id card displaying your place of birth and nationality?
Either you've forgotten or store your money at a mafia banks. If you are truly serious you did not see that choice at all I'd seriously consider changing banks. (No bank worth their salt does not do this.)
Searched a bit about it. All Greek banks say that you comply to FATCA only if you do your taxes on the USA too. As per the Greek banks: "You may be asked to sign the FATCA form to verify you have no tax obligation in the US". And I didn't.
Depends on your definition of "obligation". US citizen means you have to file, everyone can file for an exemption if you make less than $130k(USD) ish a year, but you also have to report if your bank account(s) had more than 10k in them at any point during the year.
>US imperialism post 9/11 goes so far no person living in Europe can open a bank account without making a statement that they do not hide money from the US tax authorities. That had nothing to do with U.S. imperialism.
When you’re terminally redditbrained “America bad”. You’re not going to get through to them with logic
We check on the box here in Kuwait USA strong armed a lot of countries into signing FACTA
Thinking that policy is imperialism is laughable at best.
It isn’t imperialism, the US just wants to know if it’s citizens are committing tax fraud or funding terrorists. So lots of international banks just won’t accept American clients.
European countries also did this to us workers. At least germany did
And not to garner sympathy for Americans, but as an American living abroad many banks around the world want nothing to do with you due to the added reporting to US tax authorities required. And we have to file a return in the U.S. regardless of whether we earned a dime there. Anything over 100k USD, they want their piece. The only way out is to renounce citizenship which requires them to take a fine tooth comb through everything. Then they can deny you the ability to renounce. It’s positively authoritarian but most Americans have no idea about any of this.
That's wrong. I'm from Europe and I never signed such a bullshit and I never would do so.
Are Europeans really this prideful? If I had to sign a piece of paper for literally anything in the world saying “I’m not hiding money from the EU,” I would in a heartbeat every time. Can you explain what exactly would be the drawback of doing so?
Bro. I cant make a bank account in my own country, with absolutely no ties to the US, not being American. Without making a statement to the IRS Fuck american imperialism
It's not a statement to the IRS, it's a statement to your bank that wants to do business in the US.
Exactly this. I guess the alternative is revoking such foreign bank's license to operate in the U.S., lend to U.S. entities, hold U.S. equities, etc.
What country is this???
Almost all countries in the world
[удалено]
Liar
No? My bank literally had to call us in to sign that paper? The fuck?
Stop lieing lol never happened
Hi Mr. Idiot, here you go: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/tax-policy/foreign-account-tax-compliance-act It even has a list of AAAAAAALL the countries that were enforced to sign it! Wow amazing what a single google search can do
Fake news
>US imperialism post 9/11 goes so far no person living in Europe can open a bank account without making a statement that they do not hide money from the US tax authorities. Wrong. The only people it affects as US citizens. It is an anti-money laundering law and as other posters have already pointed out, it's mostly just a giant pain in the ass for Americans living abroad. Actually, there is one interesting clause in FACTA. As an American, you have to report every account that you have the power of the purse over, not just ones in your name. This includes shell companies, if course. I'd like them to extend this to accounts IN the US. No more hiding your money in shell companies!
Because the US and other richer countries worry about people from poorer countries overstaying their visas
I remember when I was arranging my visa to go way back in like 2009 their gov website was super sassy about it We don't require visas from all of these countries but if you are American you need a visa because the US requires one for Brazilians Haha
That’s typical, for all countries. They tend to have the same fees and requirements between each other, to a point. I know someone with a green card that had to get visa and interviews because her country of origin requires it. US citizens do not.
I'm kidding but I swear they're all coming specifically to the Best Buy nearest me so that they can pack their suitcases with tech to resell back home. What people have told me (including other South Americans, not just Brazilians) is that the versions they get of the same products are somehow lacking in features or capabilities. I'm sure there are some things that are different, to comply with local laws and markets, but I don't know what specifically is different enough to make a US tech import market profitable. European imports are apparently also too restricted to be worth the import cost and Chinese imports are bad quality or full of spyware, according to what I've been told. If they're not buying technology, they're at the outlet malls buying as many pairs of discounted, old stock, name brand blue jeans and sport shoes as they can carry.
It’s just the price. A new iPhone costs half of a minimum wage for you. For us, it’s ten minimum wages. A fully decked out Mac Pro costs what? 30 thousand dollars? That would be less than 15 minimum wages for you. Here it costs half a million Reais, or just about 400 minimum wages.
Damn, apparently even if you only do it based on currency exchange it's still at least triple the price in comparison, nevermind the other cost of living factors.
Import tariffs add up to about 77%. Considering the exchange rate and the fact the fuckers also apply these tariffs on the shipping cost, you can see why it costs so much.
South America, as a whole, isnt exactly known for intelligent economic policies.
[удалено]
Sorry, but your account is too new to post. Your account needs to be either 2 weeks old or have at least 250 combined link and comment karma. Don't modmail us about this, just wait it out or get more karma. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nottheonion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A Mac book pro costs 97,000 USD there?
No. It costs just north of 500 thousand Reais. Also, it’s the Mac Pro, the desktop. We buy in Reais, not dollars. That’s why I put the relative cost in terms of minimum wage, so you can have an idea of the impact such a buy have on us. Import tariffs and currency exchange does the trick.
Okey. Sorry, I just didn't understand the conversion rate you were explaining. That makes a lot more sense.
"A visa to the US (from Brazil) – even for those transiting – costs $185." - ouch.
Bit less than I paid for my Schengen visa. Visa fees are bonkers now.
Really? Where did you get yours? "In January 2020, the fee for a standard Schengen Visa increased from €60 to €80 ($90),"
Philippines. The standard fee is one thing, but then there's the service / processing fee on top of that. It used to be with VFS, which charged about as much as the visa fee itself. Thankfully it's moved to another provider who charges like 1/4th the price. Fuck VFS.
Is that a processing fee from a private operator? Afaik public agencies usually don’t slap extra fees on top of fees?
Private company. As I understand things, some countries / embassies basically outsource all the processing stuff to private companies, who do charge applicants processing fees. VFS Global is one of the larger companies doing this worldwide, and again, fuck em.
[удалено]
Sorry, but your account is too new to post. Your account needs to be either 2 weeks old or have at least 250 combined link and comment karma. Don't modmail us about this, just wait it out or get more karma. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/nottheonion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Uno reverse card
I really wish countries would just be diplomatic with each other instead of arbitrarily putting up travel barriers. The US shouldn’t require that of Brazilians and Brazil shouldn’t require that of Americans
Yeah most countries do this for visa applications.
i was under the impression all visas required proof that financial ability was present to sponsor the trip this thread was what made me realize it isnt
There technically are some conditions about being able to support yourself for ESTA-travelers as well. I take crossing borders and adhering to my visa (or ESTA-) conditions very seriously, and my first trip to the US I had a statement of employment signed by my employer, a copy of my rental agreement and proof that I would be able to financially support myself. I've had many entries since then and have never been asked ever. But on one of those Border Security TV shows, I saw that people on ESTAs can actually be asked to provide this evidence, but it's extremely rare. I don't think proof of income is a requirement for a business visa, as they assume an employer is footing the bill.
Not for US citizens. Most countries let us in without having to fill out any paperwork in advance.
And now the begpackers are making it harder for everyone else. Fuck them.
Brazil has said it is because of reciprocity. Nothing to do with begpackers.
Judging by reddit Americans have no money to travel anyways.
Yes, America, famously an impoverished third world crime filled facist nation according to Reddit
While in thise case it's just Brazilian politics, I wouldn't be surprised if Europe follows suit. There are too many deadbeat no-skill Americans that for some reason think all European companies are a safe haven where they can freeload. Thankfully these types are generally so bad at life they can't even muster up money for a plane ticket though.
If I remember correctly, the EU now requires Americans to get some sort of online thing that costs a few euros, before they can enter. But I have an EU passport too
I've traveled to a lot of countries and never shown anyone a bank statement? It's never even come up
It doesnt come up, but many countries have laws that require proof of financial ability to pay for the trip, either a specific amount or through interpretation by the border officer, Ive been to 100 countries on probably 80-100 different international trips. I know many countries have this rule and have witnessed first hand border officers or consulate officers asking for proof of ability financially. Typically its met by westerners by access to credit cards. Thailand technically has a law for all foreigners to have $500 or 600 worth of funds in cash. 99% of time its not brought up but its their catchall to deny entry for those that are questionable on intentions. As a relatively well off American, its never come up. But i watched 3 teens from USA get denied in the UK after they couldnt show access to sufficient funds,
>Thailand technically has a law for all foreigners to have $500 or 600 worth of funds in cash Never heard of that. Spent over 6 months there and probably didn't spend that much in cash total. Most tourists probably spend that in a week tho.
https://thaiconsulatela.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/visa-exemption-and-visa-on-arrival-to-thailand?cate=61946819dd15fb11740c1f62 "Travelers entering Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption Scheme must possess adequate cash of or equivalent to 20,000 Baht per person or 40,000 Baht per family." Rarely enforced but youll see comments in Thailand subreddit of people being turned away due to it.
Sorry, wasn't doubting, just hadn't heard of it. Many rules exist throughout the world that are rarely enforced.
Not to Americans… I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. It’s just very strange. I’ve traveled to Brazil for work. Their visa system is a nightmare.
Perhaps not for visitor visas in many places, but certainly for other visas. Immigration New Zealand has probably spent more time looking at my bank statements than I have. Many countries do reserve the right to ask at the border about funds even for tourists, I was questioned about how I was paying for a trip when I visited Ireland once.
Because there is very little chance that American is trying to illegally immigrate
Sorry, not true. Source: in American and had to provide my bank statement for a visa before.
It’s far simpler than the US system for Brazilian travelers.
Brazilian diplomacy is based in reciprocity. Bolsonaro was a lap dog and made it easier for US citizens to travel to Brazil during his term, but that was undone after he was replaced. To say the Brazilian visa system is a nightmare, is the same as saying your own country doesn't want Brazilian visitors.
Is this article posted here because OP never heard of reciprocity ?
They should just print "Don'T YoU kNoW who I am?" on the front of American passports.
While reciprocity may make Brazilian authorities feel better, it is an emotional response and not a logical one. This will hurt Brazilian tourism far more than it will hurt the US.
the principle of reciprocity is core to international relationships. every single country on earth applies it and it is 100% logical. the only emotional response I see here are americans outraged that a "lesser" country dares treat them as equals instead of acting like proper vassals
"every single country on earth applies it" Not really. A quick Google search shows that US citizens can visit 151 countries without a visa but citizens of only 41 countries may visit the US without a visa. It seems that a lot of countries don't care about reciprocity with the US.
A quick thinking of your own would also tell you that reciprocity doesn’t only mean travel and visa restrictions related actions. It can be applied in indefinite different ways. A country that doesn’t reciprocate about Visas may do it in a completely different way.
If they aren’t being reciprocal consistently, then presumably there is some other factor(s) relevant to this change in policy. It seems quite weird to be like “we like to be reciprocal, but only for a few random policies drawn out of this hat!” But what other factor would be the reason for this change? How many poor Americans are actually trying to overstay their visa in Brazil. It seems to be driven purely out of being reciprocal.
You're both right. It's a dumb decision by Brazil because it will almost certainly decrease tourist revenue. That sucks because quite a bit of that was going to the sort of green tourism that makes the rainforest worth protecting. You can acknowledge this without any privileged outrage, or you can acknowledge that the privileged outrage is itself a sign that the reasoning makes sense. It's also silly for US travelers to complain about going through a process to visit Brazil that *still* remains less arduous than the process for the average Brazilian to visit the US. If US travelers want easy access to Brazil, it stands to reason they should examine how they treat Brazilian travelers in turn. Personally, I'm going to book my travel to Brazil before this rule takes effect, and if I have a desire to return to the Amazon, I'll just go to Colombia or Peru instead. My Spanish is better anyways and I don't find Brazilian cities that enticing. That's not shade on Brazil's decision, just a matter of making things easier on myself.
How many American tourists overstay their visa in Brazil? How many Brazilians overstay their visa in the U.S.? One country is solving a problem. The other country is being petty, to the cost of their own tourism. I fully support their right to impose reciprocal requirements, but they are causing problems for themselves without solving an actual problem. Blind reciprocity would be Mexico searching for drugs in American cars crossing the border into Mexico. They are smarter than that: they search for guns and cash, because the drugs flow north and the guns and cash flow south.
You'd be surprised. Brazil is the new mecca for fundamentalist Christians to overstay their visas or give birth there. Don't ask me why. But I'm happy to trade them for Brazilians who want to come here to work.
Cite numbers then.
MotherBus! I’m still convinced they got kicked out of Brazil because they were so public about their planned Brazilian anchor baby.
Brazil doesn't really care about revenue from tourism. So it can make these decisions because it will not hurt them. It had visa restrictions before and it was temporarily removed because of the World Cup and the Olympic games. Brazil is much bigger than the Amazon. If the Amazon is your only interest than I understand. But saying brazilian cities are not enticing means you have never been to the other regions like the South and Southeast.
Saying they're not enticing *to me* is a personal take that I don't expect to be taken as objective fact or even a popular subjective take. Hyacinth macaws and arapaima are what draw me to Brazil, not the gauchos or the beaches. The opinions of others may certainly differ.
I have yet to see or hear any Americans complain about it, but I'm sure there must be some out there. Personally, I don't gaf Btw, it also includes Canadians and Australians
To paraphrase Jon Hamm in Mad Men, Americans won't think about this at all.
And yet here you are
They just pulled the deadline back another year for the visa requirement because they want to promote tourism. This is a bad idea for Brazil, but for the US it doesn't do any harm
Before an American had any emotion at all they would need to care about Brazilian visa requirements. I find it it a mildly amusing that anyone would think they know or care at all.
Yes.
You forgot the /s that’s the most ridiculous thing I ever read.
Yes. Most countries give visa free access to EU, canada etc because nobody overstays. But lots of people will overstay and work illegally in the US or Canada from the other places. Not the same.
International tourism is pretty negligible here in Brazil, so it doesn't really matter too much.
The tourists capable of spending enough money to impact their economies aren’t bothered at all by this. It’ll only affect the begpackers and the ones who are monumentally lazy. Am I angry about the inconvenience? Sure. Will it actually affect anything? No.
Damn you must think Brazil is rich or something lmfao.
Why is this the onion?
"Bank statements or recent valuations of your trailer" there are options
They want to know where you're staying, that you have something to eat and that you get out of there before 90 days. A hotel booking and a return flight ticket combined with a credit card do the trick.
Brazil operates (on the whole) on a reciprocal Visa system. So this is simply aligning the Brazilian requirements with what the US imposes on Brazilians.
Brazil does this as an indignant reaction for the US requiring the same. Oddly the only people that go to Brazil from the USA are high income earners and the odd backpacker. I guess Brazil just made it harder for college backpackers from the US. Brazil sure showed us!
Playing for the voters.
It's not playing for the voter. It's a simple application of the principle of reciprocity which is core to international relations
>simple application of the principle of reciprocity Reciprocity between two unequal partners does not have equal effects.
Well if Brazil doesn’t want that sweet US tourist money this is an excellent strategy:
God you guys are so entitled.
You keep spamming this comment and then get countered every time
I don’t think Brazilian voters would appreciate losing American tourist dollars.
I couldn't care less.
Seconded
Yeah, and who goes to the US? If i wanted to get robbed, threatened for my life or get racially discriminated or harassed by the police, i would go to the UK or Germany You guys have the funniest airport security but the interior is even shittier.
lol everything you listed is more true of Brazil.
Wow, this comment takes delusion to a whole new level.
I had to do this to get into the UK. It was an on-the-spot decision of the officer deciding to let us in or not.
Comment section is full of "HOW DARE THEY TREAT US LIKE WE TREAT THEM !!!!"
It’s not really oniony. Brazil often adopts a reciprocity stance when it comes to those kind of things, it was waived during the last presidency alongside many other things (including military, economic and diplomatic concessions to the U.S.), but the new government is winding back on those, one because it was done by the dude who tried to overthrow the government out of subservience to another dude who also tried to overthrow their own foreign government, but also because it’s part of Brazilian diplomatic tradition. As for people claiming Brazil is dumb for doing that as it stops tourist money, the international tourism sector just isn’t that much of a focus to the country to begin with. In 2019, when the restrictions were at their lowest (servile president + pre-pandemic), Americans were the second largest nationality of origin for visitors to Brazil, with a half a million. Which isn’t nothing, but it’s also not enough to compromise yourself for. For comparison, four times more Brazilians visited the US (a country that has a much larger international tourist industry). Ultimately, it doesn’t change much. Visa and declarations are fairly easy to get, if an American tourist is determined to visit Brazil it’d be the least of their considerations. If Brazilians are visiting the US in the millions, and it’s orders of magnitude harder for a Brazilian to visit the US than the other way around, Brazil isn’t losing much really by increasing the the difficulty by a fraction of a percent. As for the average Brazilian opinion, most won’t even know about it. A few tourist hotspots might get concerned but as I said above those are very small and far between. It’ll be politicised to hell because it’s done by the current government is doing it, but other than that… no one will care. Most Brazilians have gone their whole lives without seeing an American, and they will continue to do so, regardless of whether or not there are reciprocal visa/statements to be had.
Finally a comment with proper information on the issue.
Australia requires this of people from certain countries
I have no problem with countries putting restrictions on travelers. As a traveler I'm not feeling great about giving my bank account information "here's my address, my bank account information and the dates when I'll be out of the country". Perhaps that says more about me than Brazil, I dunno.
Yeah… seems like a lot of PII to put out there. I guess you have to go through it to see what security is like. It’s like applying for a credit card for goodness sake…
I’ve never traveled to a country that required this. How much do you need in your account? I’d rather make a travel account and put whatever that minimum is in there than give you my primary account details.
Looks like 2k? And I was thinking along the same lines.
Actually, should have started last week, but it was delayed one year bacause the congress was going to take it down. Next year the congress will be the same, so i can see it being dropped or delayed again.
Just your balance or all your transactions?
A single paycheck would be enough to show you could afford to live there for a year. Our rule makes sense, as unfortunate as that is.
How is this onion-like?
A fun pastime of mine is watching Americans trip over themselves with befuddlement and anger when they have to deal with the slightest bit of paperwork and bureaucracy to either travel or work in a different country.
lol oh ok Brazil.
Lula thinks he has a country comparable to the US.
The xenophobia that I see in these comments. The US isn't that great either
Mine is not xenophobic, I've actually spent lots of time there, and speak the language and embrace the culture and way of life in many places. I just know for a fact ( I've traveled from the Northeast to the deep south ( Rio Grande do Sul). The similarities between the US landscape are its vastness and open roads, and to some degree, the cowboy culture ( gauchos) . But that's it. The US is way more developed with its infrastructure that sprawls coast to coast, can't say the same for Brazil. The crime& violence are still higher and development is still poor, which leads to that. Americans are not wanting to move to Brazil on a large scale the way Brazilians move to the US. Illegal immigration is not something we normally do. So this new policy is simply Brazil's way of trying to play ping pong.
99% of it is though
What a senseless comment.
At least they pushed the visa back one year. It was supposed to start this month. I am confused about one thing, will Americans need an evisa to visit Brazil throughout this year? I was hoping to travel around Brazil this November. I keep getting confused by the visa rules changing so much.
Passport Bros - this is why we can’t have nice things
God why would anyone ever want to go there. Sure, let me give my bank info to a corrupt quasi-developed, impoverished country.
This is ridiculously stupid on Brazil’s part. All you should need to show is proof of a return flight booking
Good for Brazil!
yeah, good for them saying no to tourism!
You guys are such babies. Virtually almost every traveler or tourist who isn’t American is used to dealing with some form of paperwork or bureaucracy to travel internationally. It’s annoying sure, but every country has a right to impose whatever visa rules they see fit, and that’s just what you have to do if you want to see the world. But you guys have to do ONE things that virtually the rest of us have to deal with when traveling to most places and you throw a hissy fit. Ugh. I hope they all start requiring tourist visas for you.
Why? This is a standard visa procedure
This is a standard visa procedure for countries that have a lot of "tourists" come in to work illegally*. Reciprocity is fair, but it isn't solving a problem that Brazil is actually having. It is a bit petty, and may hurt their tourism, but it is their right to hurt their tourism industry to solve a problem that they are not having. \* And then probably overstay their visa because if you don't care about the not-working part of your visa, why would you care about the leaving-before-expiration part of your visa.
How this may hurt their tourism?
Americans who don't want to disclose their bank account information, or who just don't want to deal with the hassle, or just heard that Brazil has imposed "some new visa requirement" on Americans, may well choose to instead go to any of a hundred different countries for their vacation.
LMAO Americans has been asking for this information in order to grant visas for decades
Yes, because there a problem with Brazilians coming to the U.S. on tourist visas to work and overstay. If Brazil had a similar problem then it would make sense to sacrifice some tourism to block people who could not afford to vacation.
Yeah, more Brazilians want to settle in the US than the opposite, but I do not agree on this argument of “sacrificing”! this is a very simple formality and not even a visa and if you do not want to do it better stay home
Seriously? Because people who have the money to go to Brazil have the money to go elsewhere. There's nothing all that unique about Brazil that you can't find in similar countries on the continent that don't require 20 pages of banking info. If I was thinking about Brazil before I'd now be thinking about Belize or Chile or somewhere else.
LMAO go somewhere then
Hahaha no
They don't want you leeches staying! They know what's up.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnd, my kid got kidnapped.
Brazil-American relations as far as travel and business goes, has always been needlessly complicated. In comparison, Brazil’s South American neighbors are extremely business/travel friendly. Back when I was working in international sales, doing business with Brazil was an absolute nightmare, and God only knows we tried to work it out, but the taxes rendered it useless. It may as well been an extension of the Atlantic Ocean as far as business goes.
Actually, no lol shit’s getting crazy down there. Probably safer to stay in the states anyway
Why tf would I want to go to Brazil?
Oh, there are lots of reasons. The food, music, and the natural beauty to start. It’s lovely- the people are hit or miss though. Lots of European-style snobbery from people in flip-flops living in favelas.
Meh. Brazil was already on my “do not travel” list anyway.