Need Brazil Visa as a transit passenger-only if non-rev? What about dependents?

Hope someone can answer this question- I'm taking the family to S. Africa, flying into JNB.
Most routes direct from the US & via Europe are over-sold but hard to tell on Zed site.
GRU is pretty open, but from what I'm reading we would need visas?
Is this true? Even for transit-only?
Any help is appreciated!

This trip came up fast, so we don't have time to hop down to LAX to get visas.
And if anyone has any other routing recommends, please suggest away.

Travel begins at SEA-TAC, onward to either ATL (then non-stop to JNB ) or EWR on to various possible transfers, then JNB.
I've looked at LHR, FRA, CDG & ORY, AMS and even TLV or NBO!
Obviously looking to transfer to KLM or Delta if we can't get on SAA either.
Any ideas? :confused:

I am pretty sure you would need a visa as you have to literaaly enter brazil as you have to go to the SAA ticket counter to check in if using a ZED. Something similar hapened to me in Chile, were you dont need a Visa but you need to pay a pesky entry fee ($140 back in 09). I flew in on LAN from EZE to SCL and was just tranfering on to AA and needed to check in at the ticket counter. They made me "enter the country: pay the entry fee eventhough I was not technically leaving the airport . This is all red tape bureacracy which is pretty common in Latin America "I know since I originate from this part of the world". Anyways I am pretty sure Brazil requires the Visa even if you are just transisiting. However, I would say your best bet is to contact the Brasilain Embassy via telephone.
keep in mind SAA also flies to EZE (from JNB, no Visa needed for Americans traveling into Argentina but you need to pay an expensive entry fee for each pax in the party.
Other options worth pondering can be HKG -JNB (which both saa and CX operate).

Regards,

Chepos

please check with the Brasilian Consulate. From what I know the first point is that you must have visa to enter Brasil. That would likely mean you can't even board AC to GRU or GIG without it. I just saw their new rules to obtain one--sheesh!

Important that you have TWO open pages in passports for SA arrival at JNB. (well, it's really an entry/exit card you complete on flight)

We routed back from JNB (our Dl flights were packed) thru Dubai on Emirates (horrible service/seats BTW)
Good luck getting to JNB--it's a tough one (even w/24 yrs seniority and S2)
South Africa is one of our favorite destinations!

Can anyone else confirm the Brazil issue?
I'm getting info that non-rev pax flying standby do NOT need visas if only at the airport and layover is under 7 hrs.

Thanks for the EZE idea. Loads look good IAH-EZE-JNB and only needing to change to SAA in EZE.
May give that route a shot.
Anymore ideas? Thx!

Are you checking bags? You may be forced to clear immigration at EZE and pay (as Chepos mentioned the $140 arrival fee/px) then recheck at SA counter.
Don't you have an agency for the airline you can call to confirm about transit thru Brasil? We use CIBT and they answer all my q's when I have call them.
You pass bureau should have Timeatic (sp?) access for your carrier's requirements to board int he US for Brasil.

I really can't help. I had to get a visa when I went to Argentina around 8 years ago via Brazil, which was good for 5 years, and we spent 2 nights in SAO PAULO on the way back, but we had intended to do this before we went. Don't know nuthin as far as layovers. Worse case scenario, my guess is, unless it has changed since, would be that IF you had to fork out some bucks for a visa, you best take advantage and see some of the country to make it worth your while. Visas cost me 200 bucks for two of us, (me and wife) but that was then, don't know about the now. Good luck.

Brasilian visas have to be done in person/family member (or by agency rep). They are $140 now and must be gotten in advance of travel w/appt.

Have you thought of going the other way round .. i.e. via HKG. The fare might be greater but I don't think you need a visa for HKG even on a US passport.

OP is SEA--it sure would make sense if he has nonstop to HKG. Not sure how many options he'd have for nonrev to JNB from there, tho.

What a frikin rip off. 140 bucks?

It's a reciprocal fee--what we charge them to come here--been that way for about 4 yrs.

It's the fair thing. We require Brazilians to have a visa to come to the US so they require the Americans to get a visa. The Chileans and Argentinians need a visa as well, so they charge us money to enter thei country. It's an annoying fee but if we want to visit their country we need to pay up.
As to HKG at the moment SEA does not have nonstop service, but you can make a quick hop to SFO or YVR and catch a flight out of there. The tricky part is getting on a flight out of those two airports which are very busy departure points for HKG but you can always check. Out of HKG you have SAA on a 343 and CX on a 777-300, not sure how many times a week the respective airlines operate the route.

Regards,

Chepos

Reciprocal fee my left cheek bun! Reason we had their fees higher first is because Brazilians are abusers of our visa program. They are a risk to bring in along with other countries such as Philippines and more because they stay in this country after their visas run out and search for jobs ect....we don't do that in Brazil as they do here. Just like all other countries, looking to take advantage of our system.

I know personally this happened often in the 80s' My Brasilian friends did exactly that--they became nannaies and whent he BF came up they got pregnant, then they had to leave for personal reasons and could only come back thru their "American" child.
Until our government recognizes and DOES SOMETHING about illegal immigration that will WORK, it's still a reciprocal fee. When there was no fee, our Brasilians brought their children and just less than $10K each to deposit in US banks because of 300% inflation on their money. They did this every opportunity they had. Was it smart? For them--yes. We then paid inito the IMF to bail out BRasil more than once--now Barackhas given them drilling right for our OIL. SOB. one-termer.

Two points:

1. As you are not officially a connecting passenger, ZED tickets are valid point-to-point, you would need to clear customs upon arrival and become a local board out of BR (or any country). To clear entry into the country you will need a visa or, in the case of SCL, pay the arrival fee.
2. Keep in mind that as a ZED passenger, especially a standby ZED, there is zero guarantee that you will be accommodated on your flight out of BR. You could be stuck in BR for hours or even days, exceeding what is normally considered a transit period. Without a visa, you would technically not be legally eligible to enter the country. If the flight conditions change (e.g., due to irregular operations) you would need that visa to "enter" the country and find a place to crash until the next flight to your destination or back home. Yes, there is always the chance that this would happen to a commercial customer but there are procedures in place to handle these situations.