Friday, May 20, 2011

Brazil on our mind

Life is crazy...
I suddenly got an email yesterday asking if I could attend a meeting in Brazil next week. I answered nicely saying that the main constraint was my current location... a bit far, in Norway. I thought this would be the end of that. Not so... I soon got a reply asking if I'd come to the meeting if they paid my ticket! And I said "of course" (even though I tried not to seem overly enthusiastic), I mean, who wouldn't want to spend a week in Brazil with all expenses paid for?? I know, I know it is for work... but still... By the end of the day I had exchanged several emails and at 1:30am bought the ticket!!! The craziest detail?? I'm traveling tomorrow! Being a budget traveler I always wondered who in the world buys such expensive last minute tickets... guess I know now.


On a related topic, A. got his permanent visa for Brazil yesterday as well! This is the culmination of the whole certifying the American marriage certificate - getting a Brazilian marriage certificate - applying for the visa process and waits in between. But the final stage, waiting for the approval of the VIPER (interesting name for a permanent visa, isn't it?) was actually much faster than expected. We were told it takes 2-3 months to get it approved in Oslo (against 1-2 years if you apply in Brazil) and therefore A. applied for a tourist visa, just in case. He was supposed to pick up the tourist visa yesterday and they emailed him that the VIPER was approved (in little over 3 weeks!!) and that he could get that one instead of the tourist visa in the same day itself. This is a major celebration point for us since now we are set for our move... and A. has authorization to work, study or do anything else!

A. is going on a Brazil trek with his MBA next week. Which means both of us will be in Brazil... but unfortunately not in the same cities... he will be in São Paulo and I will be in Brasília (that is, 800 miles or 1300 km apart). Oh well... at least we both get to go!!!

3 comments:

  1. Have been reading this blog with interest; like A. I am from
    S. India, my partner is Brazilian. Will be moving to Brazil in a few months for at least a year, hopefully longer. I noticed that foreign documents are not recognized in Brazil unless legalized by the Brazilian Consulate in the country where they were issued. Did A. actually have to go to Delhi to get documents legalized by the Brazilian Embassy in India or did you find a away around
    that ?

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  2. Hi Anonymous,
    Yes, that requirement seems to hold. The question is whether you can substitute documents (e.g. use passport instead of birth certificate) or get it done wherever you live now (before moving to Brazil). So we got a lot done in the USA and in Norway, since processing times are much faster and simpler. But email me at sambasambar@gmail.com and I can send you more info. Where are you moving to?

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  3. I heard that there are agencies that can handle the "Going to Delhi" part of the story for a few thousand bucks. And they call it "APOSTILLE"...

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