It’s almost that time of year again…in February, roughly 40 days before Easter, Brazil holds a massive party: Carnaval. In this mostly Catholic country, Carnaval is one last chance to let loose before the sacrifices of Lent.

Of course, you don’t have to be Catholic to enjoy Carnaval. In Brazil’s major cities, the event is celebrated by parades, costumes, samba dancing and partying in the streets. The types of music and parades differ from city to city, and the dates of the celebration may vary by a day or so as well. For example, Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval celebrations occur on a Monday, while Sao Paulo happen over a long weekend, from Friday to Sunday. So, make sure to do a little bit of research before you make your travel arrangements.

All US citizens traveling to Brazil must have the appropriate visa. Brazil is famous for its rather complex visa requirements, but here is what you need to get a visa to attend Carnaval as a tourist:

• Your US passport. You need at least 6 months left before your passport expires to go to Brazil. Brazilian visas takes up two pages, so you also need at least two blank pages left in the back.
• One Brazilian visa application
• 2 passport-sized photos
• A copy of your itinerary stating when you will be entering and leaving Brazil.
• A  photocopy of your driver’s license or state-issued ID card. The copy must be clear and legible.
• If you will be visiting friends or relatives, you also need a letter from them.

If you’ve been to any of the following countries in the past 90 days, you will also need a yellow fever vaccine: Angola, Bolivia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, French Guiana, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Republic of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Peru, Sierra Leone, Sudan or Venezuela.

RushMyTravelVisa can help you research the visa requirements for your trip and can walk through the application process. We will also submit your application to the appropriate embassy or consulate, providing you with the fastest possible processing time.

Apply for your Brazilian visa today!

Tags: Brazil, Brazilian visa, Carnaval

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 11:13 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.