Leaving Brazil

They told me I could. That is my excuse for overstaying my tourist visa in Brazil. We have a stable union and have been actively pursuing a visa based on that. Just before my visa expired, I went to the Federal Police and they said I should just stay and go through the process. The only catch was that I have to pay the $420 visa overstay fine on my way out. Not so bad.

I went to the airport to the Federal Police Immigration and they were very friendly and neither surprised nor scolding for my extra year in the country. They did not ask questions, they only processed the fine payment. The worst part was the 3 pages of stamps that they put in my passport and the cancellation of my tourist visa.

Now the plan is to go to San Francisco, get married, register the marriage with the Brazilian Consulate, and apply for a permanent visa so I can return. The consulate says that it takes 4-8 weeks for processing so I am expecting to get everything done in two months or so.