Concerned with the embarrassing situations Brazilians may face when they arrive in Europe and have to go through immigration, the Ministry of Foreign Relations has printed a folder with information and tips on dealing with the bureaucracy and technical aspects of entering the Old World in modern post- 9/11 times.
The folder has recommendations regarding behavior for Brazilians who want to visit, study or work in Europe. One of the reasons for the folder is that in 2009, no less than 3,000 Brazilians were barred at immigration counters.
In Spain, 1,700 Brazilians had to turn around and go back to Brazil without even getting out of the airport. In Portugal, the total number of Brazilians refused entry in 2009 is estimated at one thousand.
The folder puts it bluntly: “There is a right to come and go as one pleases. But it is necessary to be an informed traveler. Without a doubt, many of the problems that Brazilians have had with European immigration authorities have been directly related to a lack of information.”
Before traveling to Europe, it is necessary to have one’s travel documents in order – passport, visas and vaccination records. It is also important to be able to present tickets to and from all your destinations, along with proof of hotel reservations.
A traveler going to a congress or a school should have a letter or invitation confirming that. And it is fundamental for travelers to be able to prove that they have enough money to cover expenses of at least 60 euros per day (around US$ 77).
The ministry is going to print 100,000 folders. The information will also be available on the Internet. Authorities from Brazil met with counterparts from England, Spain and Portugal in drawing up the folder.
