Wow. Researching and applying for visas are not for the faint of heart. I certainly have learned a lot about this process in getting ready for my Brazilian adventure. Here's a little bit of advice and a few stories about what I now know.
The first rule I learned, is there is no consistent rule to follow except my TIp#1: Do your research ahead of time! While some countries do not require U.S. citizens to have a visa, others do. Some allow you to get the visa at the point of entry (ie the airport or at the border) and some just charge an entrance fee like Argentina ($131 in 2012 but allows me multiple entries for 10 years and can be paid in US Dollars, with a credit card, or traveler's check). Some countries require visas to be obtained in advance of your travel. Attempting to enter China without a Again, different countries seem to have some different requirements.
In some cases, you must go to the Embassy in person, in others you can only mail it. Yet others allow you both options or in some cases, a third party may bring it in for you. Each country has their own list of what is needed as documentation for their visa. Some countries require birth certificates, others require a driver's license or utility bill. Some require a travel itinerary, a sponsor letter, letter of invitation, a hotel reservation or proof of a purchased plane ticket. Others require proof of certain vaccinations and some won't allow you entry if you've visited certain countries prior to your visa application or if you are not with an "approved" travel group (Bhutan). You may be asked to provide a passport photo. Mailing away your valid passport (usually has a requirement of a certain number of valid months left on your current visa and/or a certain number of blank pages left in your passport). And of course the fee (which can also have specific requirements on how it is paid--Brazilian visa application accepts only United States Postal Office money order checks).
I had no idea how expensive it was going to be to get my visa (nor did I realize how complicated it was). I'm an educated woman, and it still took me a couple of days to make sure I had done all my research and completed the application as it was meant to be, because if I didn't, it wouldn't go through and there would be an incredible delay and further expense. I'll give you an example of the process I had to take to get my Brazilian visa, break down some of the expenses for you and then give you a few other examples from other countries I found while doing my research.
To obtain my visa for traveling to Brazil I could either pay a company to do my visa or I could do it myself and save some money. The travel company I was going with had an account with a visa company that would offer a "discounted rate" of $63 plus all the expenses of mailing the material to them and back at higher rates. So I decided to do it myself as I figured it would save my almost $100.
Tip #2: Doing the application yourself is cheaper but you MUST be very careful and you must follow all directions.
First I did an online search and found out that Brazilian visas were only granted by the Brazilian Embassy and Consulate and that there were 8 offices that governed different "jurisdictions" http://www.brazil-help.com/brazil-emb-consul.htm. Minnesota is covered by the Chicago Consulate General of Brazil. So although I had to fill out the online application for that particular consulate I found the directions at the Los Angeles Office to be more user friendly, so I would refer back to them. Unfortunately I didn't find that resource until I was almost done.
There are different types of visas and what I would be applying for was the tourist visa, otherwise known as a VITUR. After filling out the online application (4-5 pages long) I would get a receipt called a "Protocolo" of my online visa request form. From there I had to make sure I had all the required documents to go along with my application. Here's the itemized list: http://chicago.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/vitur.xml
Tip #3: Spend the money to get a real passport photo to use as your visa photo if a photo is required. In my case it was. By the time you try and use one of your photos and get it to the exact size face in the exact size frame with the right type of background and color density it just isn't worth it. Passport photos are more easily available these days and have come down quite a bit in price. I got two photos for $10.
TIP #4 (as learned from the Los Angeles site): Do not staple or tape the secondary passport photo to the Protocolo form. Instead, write your last name on the back and then GLUE it to the square identified on the form. For Brazil, the visa could be mailed, dropped off in person, or through a third party (travel agency or visa agency). As mentioned I found it to be cheaper to mail then go through a company. If I lived within commuting distance to Chicago it would have been cheaper to go personally, but that was not an option for me.
TIP #5 Make sure you keep a copy your receipts which you can then use to track your visa progress. Since my one and only passport was leaving my possession, this allowed me to verify that it did indeed reach the Consulate office (Thursday, May 31 at 4:00 pm). And will allow me to anticipate it's arrival (The Chicago Consulate requires the application to be mailed through the United States Postal Office using Express Mail which is overnight.) This also requires a signature, so it ensures that the package won't be left outside to get damaged in unfavorable weather or left to get into the wrong hands.
Above you can see all the material that was mailed to the Consulate for this one visa. All together it turned out to include over 15 pages of material:
4-copy of online visa application
2-copy of plane ticket receipt
4-page of Intrepid Itinary
1-copy of MN driver's license
1-actual PROTOCOLO (visa receipt)
1-passport photo glued to above protocolo
1-actual passport
2-express mail envelopes with prepaid and completed delivery and return delivery receipts
Phew! Let's hope everything was done properly, that it goes well at the Consulate office and that it makes it home safely.
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