My father always says, “If you want to make God laugh, all you have to do is make plans.” Today was no exception. I intended to file my application for a Brazilian visa at the consular office in New York, but I was naive to imagine such a thing was as simple as handing in a form. To my dismay, the office stops accepting visa applications promptly at noon. I was duly informed at 12:25 after spending the last 15 minutes in line. On the plus side, everyone spoke to me in hurried Portuguese because they assumed I am from Brazil.
Few country’s citizens have more difficulty or expense associated with obtaining a Brazilian tourist visa than the U.S. The application fees paid by American are the highest of any country, $130, and double that of Canada whose $65 fees are the second most expensive. For most countries where a fee is required, a mere $30 will do it, but there is a list of 60 countries where no visa is required at all. There is a perfectly logical, though spiteful reason why American visitors are getting screwed: the U.S. State Department screws over Brazil’s travelers and president Lula is giving it right back to us.
According to the the application form for the Brazilian visa, “FOR U.S. CITIZENS THERE IS A PROCESSING FEE OF US $130.00 IN RECIPROCITY FOR IDENTICAL FEE PAID BY BRAZILIAN CITIZENS WHO APPLY FOR A VISA TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” (Their caps)It’s pretty simple tit for tat, but it feels mildly passive aggressive. While they are free to reciprocate our punitive visa fees to visit the U.S., I challenge you to find me a Brazilian who has lost a job because an American illegally entered his country and was willing to work for a lower wage. It is perhaps a primitive argument, but creating barriers to entry helps to protect jobs, and keep out suspected terrorists.
In any event, the experience highlights how lucky Americans are when we travel abroad. Not only will our government send in special ops to rescue us (sometimes), but more importantly, the list of places where we need a visa for entry is relatively short. Although I needed a visa when I visited India last year, the whole process took only 24 hours. Nowhere else on my travel schedule requires me to obtain a visa prior to arrival, including Urkaine, which the U.S. State Department describes as “undergoing profound political and economic change as it moves from its Soviet past toward a market economy [and] multi-party democracy.”
Both Nigeria and the Philippines have travel advisories warning Americans away from certain areas, yet no visa is needed for the Philippines. My dual Nigerian citizenship will allow me to enter the country without a visa as well. Conversely, if I wished to travel to the U.S. as a citizen of another country, the application alone would be downright scary. Looking over the requirements to enter the U.S. as a foreign tourist, I don’t even know where to begin. Furthermore, the hastle and headache my classmates are undertaking to stay in the country for OPT or, to obtain work visas makes me glad that entering Brazil requires just some bufoonery and $130. When it comes to the other options, I’ll gladly pay the Brazilian tourism tax.
